Taking The Lead

Refusing stereotypes and fighting racism, Misty Copeland, the first female African American principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, is pirouetting her way to progress, finds Shahnaz Siganporia

- Shahnaz Siganporia

I remember watching my first ballet two decades or so ago— Swan Lake, Royal Albert Hall, nosebleed seats. With every pirouette I was hooked. But it left a disconcerting feeling of peering into another’s world, an all-white one. The few people of colour in that grand theatre were a couple of ushers and a handful in the audience, like myself. ‘Sowhite’ was not yet a hashtag and while the world of classical ballet is still overwhelmingly white, diversity is now a priority— and Misty Copeland is undoubtedly one of its lead agents of change. As the first female African American principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre (ABT), she’s not only an inspiration to every non-white ballerina-in-the-making but to those of us in the audience as well. “I wanted to use my voice to help bring about diversity and inclusion in classical ballet... It can only happen by confronting the issues, talking about them and implementing a plan for change. None of that can happen by remaining silent, so I continue to speak about it,” she says, acknowledging that even for all her phenomenal success, there’s still a lot to be done yet.

SHE’S ALL THAT