Misty Copeland is a ballet dancer working in the American Ballet Theatre in the United States.
She was considered a prodigy ballet dancer but only started to do ballet at the age of 13.
In ABT's 75-year history, Misty became the first African American woman to reach the principal dancer position in ABT.
Her career took off when she won the best dancer award in the Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Award in 1997.
She took two summer workshops with ABT and became a member of ABT's Studio. After being its member in 2000, she became their corps de ballet in 2001.
Misty has also appeared on television and in films and is widely known for her ballet dance. She has recently released her new book called The Wind at My Back: Resilience, Grace, and Other Gifts from My Mentor, Raven Wilkinson.
Who Are Misty Copeland's Parents?
Misty Copeland's Parents are Doug Copeland And Sylvia Dela Cerna Copeland.
She has siblings from her mother's previous marriages. Misty is the youngest child among the four children of her mother.
Copeland has two younger siblings from her mother's third and fourth marriages.
Sylvia was a former cheerleader of the Kansas City Chiefs and had learned the dance.
Misty was not able to see her father for a decade as she was living with her mother.
When she was three, she lived with her mother and her third husband, Harold in Bellflower, California.
Misty and her family moved to San Pedro, where her mother married her fourth husband, Robert Dela Cerna.
Misty Copeland's Siblings
Misty has three siblings from her mother and father and other two siblings from her mother's other marriages.
Her siblings from her father, Doug, and mother, Sylvia are Douglas Copeland Jr, Christopher Copeland, and Erica Copeland.
Lindsey Brown was born from her mother's marriage to Harold Brown and is a half-sibling to Misty.
Similarly, Cameron Delacerna is a half-sibling who was born from the marriage of her mother to Robert Delacerna.
Misty's own Family
Misty now has her own family which comprises her husband and children.
She has been married to her husband, Olu since 2016. They seemed to have secretly welcomed their baby in 2022.
Misty welcomed her son Jackson with her husband Olu but was secretive about it.
She shared that she has been open about her professional career, but she doesn't want to share all about her son with the public.
Misty seems to be on maternity leave and will be back to work in 2023.
Copeland shared that her husband Olu has been a great father to her son, Jackson.
Misty also shared that she made a passport for her son and went on an international trip with her son. They were believed to have gone to Corsica this summer.
Misty Copeland Is Of African American Origin
Misty Copeland is of African American origin.
She was born in Kansas City to her parents but was raised in Los Angeles' San Pedro Community.
Her father, Doug, is of German and African American descent, while her mother, Sylvia, is of Italian and African American ancestry.
She was later adopted by her African American parents who were her ballet teachers. Misty's childhood and teenage years have been different.
Misty's childhood
When she was seven years she watched a movie called Nadia on television which changed her life.
Through the movie, Nadia Comăneci became her new role model, and she was more gravitated toward ballet.
Misty never did ballet or gymnastics when she was young, but she enjoyed choreographing flips and dance moves to Mariah Carey's songs.
She became the captain of the Dana Middle School drill team and grabbed the attention of a trained coach, Elizabeth Cantine.
Misty's Ballet Journey
The coach convinced Misty to take her ballet classes and even shared about the ballet classes that she was taking at her local Boys & Girls Club.
Copeland was not convinced at once, she went to several ballet classes taught by Cynthia Bradley as a spectator before participating in the class.
Her mother allowed taking the classes after school until the workday ended. She had a talent due to which Cynthia asked to attend her class in her small ballet school, San Pedro Dance Center.
She rejected the offer as her mother didn't have a car to drive her to the class and her mother was busy with her work.
Misty officially began studying ballet at 13, and Cynthia started picking her up from school for ballet classes.
Within three months of studying ballet, Copeland was en pointe. Her mother asked Misty to give up ballet, but Cynthia has seen her potential and didn't want her to give it up.
So, she offered to host Copeland, and Misty began to live with her. Due to the arrangements, she used to spend weekdays with Bradley and weekends with her mother.
Misty's Husband
The balled dancer, Misty, is married to her husband, Olu Evans.
They married each other in 2016 and have been together since then.
Olu Evans is famously known as the husband of Misty, but he is a corporate attorney by profession.
He went to law school at Emory University. Similarly, he passed the bar in 2007.
Besides becoming an attorney, Evans is the owner of Muse Dancewear. Evans' Muse Dancewear is focused on the products like ballet slippers and tights alongside ribbons and paint.
Misty was introduced to Olu by Diggs in 2006. They met each other at an NYC nightclub.
After knowing each other for a while, they began to date each other. Olu proposed to Misty in 2015 but got married the next year.
