Was there a moment when you realised you were in the minority?

Yeah! I had [danced as part of a group] in the corps de ballet at the American Ballet Theatre for maybe two years when donors were invited in to see us rehearse. A man pulled me aside and said, “This is a really huge deal that you are a black woman and you are in ABT.”

At the time, I was just trying to dance and survive – his comment really caught me off guard. It was like, oh my god, I have never, ever thought of myself that way. I saw myself as the same as any other dancer. It was an eye-opening moment and it changed the course of my career. I reassessed my purpose.

Do you feel like you’ve had to sacrifice anything to get to this level?

Yes, but I think any successful person would say that. I never thought, ‘Oh, I’m 21 years old and I’ve never had a boyfriend.’ My career is more important to me. It was just my life. I’m often asked by younger students, “How did you balance your personal life and dance training?” and my answer is, I didn’t. You have to sacrifice. You’ll make incredible friends within your career instead. It’s just what you have to do if you want to be a part of this incredibly moving and beautiful art form.

What was it like spending your teenage years being so disciplined?

It was really easy for me. It’s hard for a lot of young people, they want to fit in, they want to go to parties. I wasn’t in that position. I didn’t have a lot of friends because I was so shy. We didn’t have a lot of money and I was living in a motel when I took my first ballet class – those things didn’t allow me to get close to people. When ballet came along I thought, ‘Wow, I’ve never been a part of anything.’ So, it was very easy for me to sacrifice things I did not have for the structure I wanted.

Is there any advice you would give your younger self?

I would tell her to not be so stressed and worried, but that’s a hard thing to tell a Virgo! I’d say everything is going to work itself out in the end, you’re not in total control and that’s OK. I was such a ball of stress, I wish I could’ve had less migraines and enjoyed the process.

“My ambition will never die”: How Misty Copeland changed ballet forever