Misty Copeland in Podcasts

Here's my conversation with Misty Copeland. Misty, thank you for being here today.

But despite all that, she eventually joined the ABT in 2001, and after a 15-year climb, became the first Black woman ever to be named a principal dancer with the company. She'll be dancing her farewell performance this fall. Copeland, who's 42, is stepping away from the stage at a fraught time.

Because in this interview, Copeland is announcing her retirement from the American Ballet Theater after a 25-year career there, putting a cap on a groundbreaking and remarkable trajectory. She grew up in near poverty, her family often without a home of its own, and she didn't even start dancing seriously till she was 13, which is really late for a ballerina.