--- title: Misty Copeland: The Dancer Who Made History 64 Years description: Metropolitan Opera House's first African American prima ballerina was once asked to wear "whiteface" canonical: https://time.com/3949912/janet-collins-misty-copeland/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-13T14:58:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:58:37.612Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Misty Copeland: The Dancer Who Made History 64 Years og:description: Metropolitan Opera House's first African American prima ballerina was once asked to wear "whiteface" og:url: https://time.com/3949912/janet-collins-misty-copeland/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c1e48dbdf1ee71c/69885a99cd68481c240a0c31/cdelavallade_photo_by_julieta_cervantes_1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3744 og:image:height: 2106 og:image:alt: cdelavallade_photo_by_julieta_cervantes_1.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Misty Copeland: The Dancer Who Made History 64 Years twitter:description: Metropolitan Opera House's first African American prima ballerina was once asked to wear "whiteface" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c1e48dbdf1ee71c/69885a99cd68481c240a0c31/cdelavallade_photo_by_julieta_cervantes_1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Dancer Who Made History 64 Years Before Misty Copeland > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs takes readers inside the newsroom, revealing the journalists, ideas and editorial choices behind the stories shaping the global conversation. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ## Video: Misty Copeland On Changing the Face of Ballet [Watch (HLS stream): Misty Copeland On Changing the Face of Ballet](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/hwcdTt33.m3u8) (2:34)  _Published 2015-04-16. "I never thought I could make a career out of something I enjoyed doing something I was passionate about, something that gave me a voice," says Copeland, who is one of the first African Americans to be a soloist with American Ballet Theatre._ by [Carmen de Lavallade](https://time.com/author/carmen-de-lavallade/) ## Carmen de Lavallade Jul 13, 2015 2:58 PM UTC  Carmen de Lavallade in 2011 Carmen de Lavallade in 2011 Julieta Cervantes by [Carmen de Lavallade](https://time.com/author/carmen-de-lavallade/) ## Carmen de Lavallade Jul 13, 2015 2:58 PM UTC In June, a rare alignment of Venus and Jupiter appeared in the heavens. At the same time, we saw another rare occurrence at the Metropolitan Opera House. On June 24, Misty Copeland made her New York City debut in _Swan Lake_ with the American Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center. Almost a week later, she became the [first African American woman named principal dancer](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/01/arts/dance/misty-copeland-is-promoted-to-principal-dancer-at-american-ballet-theater.html) in the American Ballet Theatre Company. Sixty-four years earlier, on Nov. 13, 1951, my cousin Janet Collins, made her debut in _Aida_ as the first African American prima ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera House at its old location near Times Square. The grandest and most revered theater in the world saw both dancers make history and struggle to follow their dreams. History has a sense of justice: The greatest struggle deserves the grandest stage. Janet reached her dream—a premier New York debut. But she was not able to join a ballet company because of the racial attitudes in our country at that time. At 16, Janet had a wonderful audition of _Anitra_ _’_ _s Dance_ for Leonide Massine of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. He said he would love to hire her, but she would have to put on white makeup and dance in _“_ _whiteface._ _”_ Janet, to her credit, declined, but it broke her heart. I was about 5 years old when Janet was going through these kinds of experiences, paving the way for me, Misty, and dancers yet to be born who will no doubt take the same journey of travails, building patience, strength, and endurance. When you are born into a different culture with an ability for greatness and then are forced to learn another culture’s ways but are not allowed to participate, it’s like being taken to an ice cream shop to look at the goodies but not being allowed to taste them. We all can appreciate a good story, a good dance, good music, good art, a good design, or good ice cream, whether it is part of your culture or not. By the time I arrived at the Met for my debut in _Aida_ five years after Janet, she had broken down most of the barriers, so the path was easier for me. My challenges would come later facing racism on primetime television, when as a black woman I was not allowed to dance with a white man, Glen Tetley, on the “Ed Sullivan Show.” The choreographer, John Butler, was furious. A last minute replacement by Claude Thompson allowed the show to go on — patience, strength, and endurance. If Janet were here today, she would be presenting Misty with a big bouquet of starlight to guide her to her next triumph, just as she gave me her bouquet of words, love and encouragement as I humbly filled her shoes. And so, it passes on and on. Hopefully, it will not take another 64 years for such stars to align. _Carmen de Lavallade has had an unparalleled career in dance, theater, film and television beginning in her hometown of Los Angeles performing with the Lester Horton Dance Theater. She is currently touring in the production “As I Remember It,” her one woman show looking back on her remarkable life in the arts._ ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] The way that dance came into my life was very unexpected. I was 13 years old living in a motel with my single parent, my mother, and five of my siblings. I never thought I could make a career out of something I enjoyed doing, something I was passionate about, something that gave me a voice. There's just been a, a whole slew of African- American -. Women who have just really pushed me and motivated me during those times that I didn't know if I could do it. Raven Wilkinson, one of the first African American ballerinas to dance in a major ballet company. It's important for me to set an example of what a healthy image is. What a ballerina can be. That she doesn't have to be a white woman, that's rail thin [ LAUGH ]. That she can, she can look like the world and I think that's what American Ballet Theater also helps to represent is what American's look like, and that dreams are possible here and that you really can. Push yourself to become anything with the right work ethic and support around you. [ MUSIC ] I hope to see more diversity on the stage when I'm 60 years old. Watching in the audience. I hope the audience is more diverse. I think that's why people go to see performances. They want to see something beautiful but they also want to seem themselves up there. They want to be able to dream of what maybe they dream about doing. You know, going up there and dancing but it's hard to envision that when. And you don't see yourself represented up there. I would want a younger child looking at me on the cover, to see themselves. To see endless opportunities, to see possibilities that maybe they never even thought were something that they could attain. I want them to be able to see. Treams through me. 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