Misty Copeland named first black principal ballerina at American Ballet Theater

Misty Copeland
(Image credit: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)

The American Ballet Theater named Misty Copeland, 32, principal ballerina on Tuesday, making her the first African-American woman to hold the position in the company's 75-year history. Stella Abrera was also promoted to principal.

Copeland has been with the American Ballet Theater for 14 years and spent eight of those years as a soloist. Last week, she performed as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake at the Met; she has also performed in Alexei Ratmansky's Firebird and debuted in Romeo and Juliet.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.