US ballet's first lead dancer 'of color'

Misty Copeland, the Missouri-born ballerina who's become a forceful voice for diversity in ballet and achieved a rare celebrity that far transcends dance, was named principal dancer at American Ballet Theater on Tuesday - the first African-American woman to reach that status in the company's 75-year history.

Copeland, 32, held back tears as she spoke about her promotion, which she said was a lifetime dream, but such a difficult one to attain that she never really thought it would happen.

"It hasn't been overnight," she said at a hastily arranged news conference - a testament to her unusual fame. "It's been 14 years of extremely hard work. ... I'm just so extremely honored to be an African-American and to be in this position."