Copeland Research Paper

“The best piece of advice that I remember probably on a daily basis is to accept everything about me. That is different that is what makes me special” (Misty Copeland). Misty Copeland grew up in conditions where she was told she would never succeed but after years of hard work, she became the first ever African American Principal dancer in the history of the American Ballet Theater. Copeland broke down the racial barriers of the dance world by utilizing the habit of mind Persisting to overcome adversity and bias and illuminated the world by empowering people to accept who they are in order to move towards their dreams. "Every dancer is a synthesis of givens--height, limb length, natural turnout--and intense effort, but Copeland's late start can exaggerate the tendency we might have to regard a ballerina as simply touched by something divine" (Galchen, 2014). Four years after Misty first

Because of Copeland’s achievements, there is now a more diverse mix of ballerinas in the ABT through Project Plie. She has also helped lead the charge to change modern society which has become more open to all races, ages, and body images. “Her performances became events, drawing large, diverse, enthusiastic crowds to cheer her on” (Grinberg, 2015) In an interview with Copeland, Barack Obama, and Time Magazine, Obama states, “And when I think about the journey I’ve traveled, there’s no doubt that young African American, Latino, Asian, LGBT, youth, etc, they have more role models. They have more folks that they can immediately identify with” (Rhodan,2016) Misty Copeland has become one of those role models and her impact has inspired everyone around