And that wasn’t always the case.”There were also instances of discrimination that could have easily turned Copeland away from dance all together. “There were times that I was not cast in certain roles because I would stand out too much and kind of ruin the aesthetic, especially if it was a performance that was being filmed,” Copeland told Wallace. “I think about this kind of generational trauma for Black dancers that comes with that role,” she said. And I feel that that’s what I’ve done with a lot of the roles I’ve taken on, but especially Swan Lake,” Copeland told Wallace. Misty Copeland and James Whiteside perform in "Swan Lake" at Lincoln Center in New York, June 24, 2015.

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Persons: Misty Copeland, Copeland, “, ” Copeland, CNN’s Chris Wallace, Chris Wallace, ”, who’s, “ I’ve, it’s, wasn’t, Wallace, “ Odette, Odile ”, Theatre’s, “ We’ve, that’s, Odette, Swan, James Whiteside, Julieta Cervantes, ABT, Jackie Robinson, haven’t, Daniil Simkin, Kevin Sullivan, Max Organizations: CNN, American Ballet Theatre, New York Times, Lincoln Center, Register, Getty, Motion Productions, ”, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Misty Copeland Foundation Locations: American, Swan, ”, Swan Lake, “, New York, Orange