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Misty Copeland named first black female principal at ABT

FILE - In this June 24, 2015 photo provided by American Ballet Theater, Misty Copeland and James Whiteside acknowledge the audience after appearing in "Swan Lake" at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. On Tuesday, June 30, 2015, Copeland was named American Ballet Theater's first black principal dancer. (Gene Schiavone/American Ballet Theater via AP) FILE - In this June 24, 2015 photo provided by American Ballet Theater, Misty Copeland and James Whiteside acknowledge the audience after appearing in "Swan Lake" at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. On Tuesday, June 30, 2015, Copeland was named American Ballet Theater's first black principal dancer. (Gene Schiavone/American Ballet Theater via AP)

By Associated Press June 30, 2015 1 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – Misty Copeland has been named a principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, the first black woman to achieve that status in the company’s history.

The company announced the promotion on Tuesday, about a week after Copeland, who has become a strong voice for diversity in dance, made her New York debut in the lead role of “Swan Lake,” one of the most important roles in a ballerina’s repertoire.

The Missouri-born Copeland, 32, has become a celebrity in the past several years, making the cover of Time magazine and writing a best-selling memoir, “Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina.”