David Marchese

Special thanks to Rory Walsh, Renan Borelli, Jeffrey Miranda, Nafim Shapiro, Maddy Macielo, Jake Silverstein, Paula Schumann, and Sam Dolnick.

Also, we have a YouTube channel where you can watch lots of our interviews.

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I'm David Marchese, and this is The Interview from The New York Times.

Hi, it's David, and I'm here to tell you about something new and exciting we're doing at The Interview. If you listen to the show every week, you might not know that we also record many of them as video podcasts. And now we have our own YouTube channel where you can find lots of interviews, including with this week's guest, Misty Copeland.

Hi, it's David, and I'm here to tell you about something new and exciting we're doing at The Interview. If you listen to the show every week, you might not know that we also record many of them as video podcasts. And now we have our own YouTube channel where you can find lots of interviews, including with this week's guest, Misty Copeland.

To watch, go to youtube.com slash at the interview podcast and hit subscribe while you're there. Okay, here's this week's show. From The New York Times, this is The Interview. I'm David Marchese. It's not easy to have a clear perspective on a momentous life change, especially one that's just happened. But in today's episode, that's exactly what I'll be asking Misty Copeland to try to do.

To watch, go to youtube.com slash at the interview podcast and hit subscribe while you're there. Okay, here's this week's show. From The New York Times, this is The Interview. I'm David Marchese. It's not easy to have a clear perspective on a momentous life change, especially one that's just happened. But in today's episode, that's exactly what I'll be asking Misty Copeland to try to do.

Because in this interview, Copeland is announcing her retirement from the American Ballet Theater after a 25-year career there, putting a cap on a groundbreaking and remarkable trajectory. She grew up in near poverty, her family often without a home of its own, and she didn't even start dancing seriously till she was 13, which is really late for a ballerina.

Because in this interview, Copeland is announcing her retirement from the American Ballet Theater after a 25-year career there, putting a cap on a groundbreaking and remarkable trajectory. She grew up in near poverty, her family often without a home of its own, and she didn't even start dancing seriously till she was 13, which is really late for a ballerina.

But despite all that, she eventually joined the ABT in 2001, and after a 15-year climb, became the first Black woman ever to be named a principal dancer with the company. She'll be dancing her farewell performance this fall. Copeland, who's 42, is stepping away from the stage at a fraught time.

But despite all that, she eventually joined the ABT in 2001, and after a 15-year climb, became the first Black woman ever to be named a principal dancer with the company. She'll be dancing her farewell performance this fall. Copeland, who's 42, is stepping away from the stage at a fraught time.

The values of diversity and inclusion, which she embodies and works to promote, are under political attack. And cultural institutions are being made to reckon with partisan antagonism from Washington. So there's a lot for her to wrestle with right now, both personally and professionally, as she looks back on a legacy she's leaving behind and ahead to the rest of her life.

The values of diversity and inclusion, which she embodies and works to promote, are under political attack. And cultural institutions are being made to reckon with partisan antagonism from Washington. So there's a lot for her to wrestle with right now, both personally and professionally, as she looks back on a legacy she's leaving behind and ahead to the rest of her life.

Here's my conversation with Misty Copeland. Misty, thank you for being here today.

Here's my conversation with Misty Copeland. Misty, thank you for being here today.

So you have been ramping down dancing for a while. I think it's been five years since you gave a performance at the ABT. So why does now feel like the time to make an official retirement announcement?

So you have been ramping down dancing for a while. I think it's been five years since you gave a performance at the ABT. So why does now feel like the time to make an official retirement announcement?

That answer really laid down a lot of useful track for me. It touches on a lot of themes that I was hoping to discuss with you. But first, you said 2019 is when you were starting to feel like this part of your story is coming to an end. What was going on in 2019? Why did you start to feel that way?

That answer really laid down a lot of useful track for me. It touches on a lot of themes that I was hoping to discuss with you. But first, you said 2019 is when you were starting to feel like this part of your story is coming to an end. What was going on in 2019? Why did you start to feel that way?