Misty Copeland‘s journey to becoming a groundbreaking principal ballerina is a story of extraordinary talent, but it’s also a story about family. Her path was shaped by a complex and often unstable childhood, a period marked by financial hardship and personal challenges that made her eventual success all the more remarkable. Understanding her background provides a powerful lens through which to view her achievements, not just as a dancer, but as a woman who overcame a tumultuous early life to build a family of her own on her own terms.
Misty Copeland was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on September 10, 1982, to Sylvia DelaCerna and Doug Copeland. Her ethnic background is a blend of German and African American from her father, and Italian and African American from her mother. Misty is the youngest of four children from her mother’s second marriage, and she has two younger half-siblings from her mother’s subsequent relationships. Her father was largely absent, disappearing from her life when she was just two years old.
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This left her mother, Sylvia, a former Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader who had studied dance herself, to raise the children as a single parent. Sylvia worked long hours, often in sales, to support the family, but they faced severe financial instability, at one point living in a single room at a motel in Gardena, California. The situation was further complicated by one of Sylvia’s marriages to a man who was emotionally and physically abusive, creating an environment where Misty often felt anxious and insecure.
Family Turmoil and a Ballet Prodigy is Born
It was in the midst of this chaos that ballet found Misty Copeland, or perhaps, she found it. Her natural grace was first noticed not in a ballet studio, but on her middle school drill team. The team’s coach, Elizabeth Cantine, urged the reluctant 13-year-old to try a free ballet class at the local Boys & Girls Club. The class was taught by Cynthia Bradley, who immediately recognized Misty’s raw, prodigious talent. To solve the problem of the long commute from the motel, Bradley eventually convinced Sylvia to let Misty move in with her family.
For the next three years, Misty lived a dual life, spending weekdays training intensively with the Bradleys—who became like a second family—and weekends with her mother. This arrangement, however, sowed the seeds for a painful and very public custody battle. When Sylvia, concerned about the Bradleys’ influence, ordered Misty to stop training with them, the 15-year-old, encouraged by the Bradleys, sought legal emancipation from her mother.
Misty Copeland took her final bow as an American Ballet Theatre principal dancer on Wednesday, a role she’s had for the past 10 years.
In June, Copeland announced her retirement from the company she’s spent the last 25 years with. “It’s time for me to move to the next stage,”… pic.twitter.com/hNto0t0JKh
— PBS News (@NewsHour) October 23, 2025
The case involved lawyers, restraining orders, and a great deal of media attention, with accusations flying between her mother and her teacher. Ultimately, Misty dropped the petition and returned to her mother’s home, a period she later described as deeply traumatic, but she never gave up on her dream to dance.
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Building a New Legacy
As an adult, Misty has carefully built a stable and private family life, a stark contrast to her own childhood. After a decade-long relationship, she married attorney Olu Evans in 2016. The couple welcomed their son, Jackson, in 2022. Misty has been open about her desire to protect her son’s privacy, ensuring he has the secure upbringing she often lacked. In a beautiful twist of fate, she also reconciled with her biological father, Doug Copeland, as an adult.
After her older brother reconnected with him, Misty decided to meet him as well, and they have since built a close relationship. Her story is not just one of breaking barriers in ballet but of personal resilience. From a childhood defined by instability and a very public struggle, Misty Copeland forged her own path, healing old wounds and creating a loving, private family legacy for the next generation.
