When you see Misty Copeland commanding the stage at the Metropolitan Opera House, she looks like a giant. Her presence is massive. Her jumps are explosive. Her arms seem to stretch on for miles. But if you happened to bump into her at a coffee shop in the Upper West Side, you’d probably be shocked by how small she actually is.
So, how tall is Misty Copeland? She is exactly 5 feet 2 inches tall.
In the world of professional ballet, that number is kind of a big deal. For decades, the "ideal" ballerina was expected to be a willow—tall, leggy, and ethereal. Usually, that meant standing at least 5'4" or 5'5". By being 5'2", Misty didn't just break the racial glass ceiling at American Ballet Theatre (ABT); she shattered the literal physical mold of what a principal dancer is "supposed" to look like.
Why her 5'2" height almost stopped her career
Ballet is an art form obsessed with lines. If you're "too short," the fear is that your movements won't look as sweeping or dramatic from the back of a 3,000-seat theater.
Misty has been incredibly vocal about the fact that she was told she had the "wrong body" for ballet. It wasn't just about the height, though that was the starting point. She was also curvy and muscular in a world that, for a long time, only celebrated the "waif" aesthetic.
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Honestly, it’s wild to think about now. One of the most famous dancers in history was once told her 5'2" frame and athletic build were "aesthetic obstacles."
The puberty "crisis" at ABT
When Misty joined the ABT Studio Company at 18, she was still very much in a "young" body. But after a back injury required her to take birth control pills to strengthen her bones, her body changed. Fast.
She's talked openly about gaining ten pounds and growing breasts—moving from a "prodigy" body to a "womanly" body. At 5'2" and about 108 pounds, she was still tiny by any normal human standard. But in the hyper-specific bubble of elite ballet, she was suddenly "too big." She was told to "lengthen"—which is basically dancer-speak for "you need to lose weight or you won't get roles."
How she compares to other famous dancers
You might think every ballerina is a tall, slender reed, but Misty actually paved the way for a whole generation of "petite" powerhouses.
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- Maria Kochetkova: Only 5'0", yet she was a principal with San Francisco Ballet for a decade.
- Francesca Hayward: The Royal Ballet star is also right around the 5'2" mark.
- Skylar Brandt: A fellow ABT principal who proves you don't need to be 5'8" to dominate a stage.
The "Misty effect" changed the conversation. Instead of looking at a 5'2" dancer and seeing a "short girl," directors started seeing "compact power." Because she is shorter, her center of gravity is lower, which allows for those lightning-fast turns and that incredible "ball-from-a-cannon" jumping ability she’s known for.
The "Peanut Head" and other ballet requirements
In her memoir Life in Motion, Misty mentions a teacher telling her she was "perfect" for ballet because she had a "small head, sloping shoulders, long legs, and big feet."
Wait, a small head?
Yeah, it sounds weird, but it's a real thing. In ballet, a small head makes the neck look longer, which creates the illusion of height. Even though she's only 5'2", her proportions—specifically her long limbs relative to her torso—make her look much taller when she’s dancing.
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Does being short make ballet harder?
Kinda. In a corps de ballet (the big group of dancers), companies often try to hire people of similar heights so the line looks uniform. If everyone is 5'6" and you're 5'2", you stick out.
Misty had to be so good that they couldn't ignore her just because she didn't fit the "line." She had to prove that a shorter, more muscular dancer could still possess the grace and "classical line" of a traditional ballerina.
Actionable Takeaways for Aspiring Dancers
If you’re a dancer worried that you’re "too short" or "too curvy" because you don't hit that 5'5" mark, here is what we can learn from Misty’s trajectory:
- Proportions over height: Focus on your "line." You can create the illusion of height through proper port de bras (arm movement) and by fully extending your legs through your toes.
- Own your athleticism: Misty didn't try to hide her muscles; she used them to jump higher than the "willowy" girls. If you have a different body type, find the movements that highlight your specific strengths.
- Find the right company: Not every company wants a 5'2" principal, and that's okay. Some companies, like ABT or San Francisco Ballet, have a history of embracing shorter dancers, while others (like some European companies) still hold to very strict height minimums.
- Nutrition is fuel, not an enemy: Misty’s shift from binge eating to seeing food as "fuel" (focusing on fish, greens, and fats) was a turning point in her career.
Ultimately, Misty Copeland’s height is just a number. At 5'2", she managed to become a global icon, proving that the "ballerina body" is whatever body a great ballerina happens to have.
If you're looking to follow in her footsteps, your first step should be finding a teacher who values your technique and musicality over what a measuring tape says. Focus on your strength and your "jump," and let your artistry do the talking.