Before Misty Copeland became a ballet superstar and the first Black principal dancer at American Ballet Theare, she appeared in the 2009 video for Prince's "Crimson and Clover" and accompanied him on tour in 2011.
Copeland had been dancing with ABT since 2000 and a soloist since 2007 when she got a call one morning in 2009. It was Prince. She told New York Magazine, "I was asked if Prince could have my cell number...I was literally still waking up. ‘What? Prince who?'"
The next day she headed to Los Angeles for the video shoot.
Years later, she accompanied him on select dates of the Welcome 2 America tour where she blended her classical ballet foundations with improvisation.
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She told 92Y that Prince made her listen to "The Beautiful Ones" repeatedly so she could get an intimate feel for the music.
The result of that work can be seen when she joined Prince to he perform "The Beautiful Ones" for the first time on television in 2011.
Prince even got his good friend Tavis Smiley to interview Copeland for his talk show. Producer Neal Kendall told TheWrap, “It was not about him, it was about how he could help someone he felt was worthy gain attention.”
Nelson George shared on Facebook that Prince was critical to funding his 2015 documentary on Copeland "A Ballerina's Tale." The film documents Misty's road to making history while recovering from a shin fracture in 2014.
Time Magazine reporter Maya Rhodan sat down with President Barack Obama and prima ballerina Misty Copeland for a conversation that covered several topics familiar to the pair who've reached the top of their professional fields.
During the 30 minute chat, the two delve deep into issues of gender, race and representation.
Misty notes that though she has faced incredible obstacles in the ballet world, they've only pushed her to work harder. In the conversation she says, "...it’s also allowed me to have this fire inside of me that I don’t know if I would have or have had if I weren’t in this field."
The two were also able to have a robust conversation about the ways that beauty standards cast aside women who don't fit into the mainstream ideal.
Misty says that her skin color and body type have often come under scrutiny. "I think that being in this position and showing that I can execute and do all of these things that it’s possible to have any skin complexion, to have a healthy body image for the ballerina body."
As a father of two, the President says he worries about the messages his teenage daughters receive. "It’s part and parcel of a broader way in which we socialize and press women to constantly doubt themselves or define themselves in terms of a certain appearance," he says. "And so Michelle and I are always guarding against that."
President Obama highlights the value of representation but underscores that the systems marginalized groups must navigate are fundamentally unfair, "But what we also have to remember is that the barriers that exist for them to pursue their dreams are deep and structural," he says.
Misty Copeland is the author of a new children's book, "Firebird" wherein she guides a young aspiring ballerina to follow her dreams. She spoke with NPR about the inspiration behind her book, and why she continues to fight hard to make history in the world elite ballet world.
Misty Copeland of the American Ballet Theatre stars in a new ad for sportswear brand Under Armour. The dramatizes the rejection Misty had faced in her journey to becoming a renowned dancer. Not only is she the American Ballet Theater's only Black soloist but she's a published author who's been on tour with Prince.
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" wherein she guides a young aspiring ballerina to follow her dreams. She spoke with NPR about the inspiration behind her book, and why she continues to fight hard to make history in the world elite ballet world.
who's been on tour with Prince.