To be a ballet dancer, you must be a dancer, an athlete, and a performer all at the same time. It is a competitive and complex hierarchy, with thousands of dancers funneling to just a small handful at the very top. And that tiny percentage of ballerinas at the pinnacle has looked the same for over 100 years… There is an overwhelming lack of diversity in the professional ballet world, and the prevalent stereotypes persist around who achieves success. 

Misty Copeland turned these notions on their head when she became American Ballet Theatre’s first Black Principal dancer and ballet’s biggest superstar. Listen in to hear more about the obstacles Misty has faced and how she’s overcome them, why she felt an immediate bond with Prince, and what she’s doing to change ballet to make it more accessible to everyone.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices