HERE.

APPRECIATE IT.

>> THANK YOU.

>> THIS WEEK, THE DANCERS OF THE

AMERICAN BALLET THEATER WILL

TAKE THE STAGE AT THE HARRIS

THEATER IN DOWNTOWN CHICAGO.

AMONG THEM IS ONE BALLERINA

FAMOUS AS FOR MAKING HISTORY AS

FOR HER DANCING.

BRANDIS FRIEDMAN SAT "DOWNTON

ABBEY" WITH MISTY COPELAND.

>> WHETHER SHE IS ON STAGE...

OR ON TELEVISION...

>> THE JOURNEY I'VE BEEN ON IS

MY OWN.

>> MISTY COPELAND THE

35-YEAR-OLD IS HISTORY MAKING AS

THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO BE

NAMED A PRINCIPAL DANCER FOR THE

ICONIC AMERICAN BALLET THEATER.

>> THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY BLACK

WOMEN, BLACK DANCERS THAT HAVE

COME BEFORE ME THAT SLOWLY

CARVED OUT THIS PATH FOR ME.

AND I THINK IT'S THE RIGHT TIME.

I THINK I'VE HAD THE RIGHT

SUPPORT SYSTEM TO BE ABLE TO

HAVE A VOICE AND SPEAK ABOUT THE

LACK OF DIVERSITY ON A BROADER

PLATFORM THAN JUST THE BALLET

WORLD.

AND IT WAS LIKE THE PERFECT

STORM.

BUT, IT IS AN INCREDIBLE HONOR

TO BE THE FIRST.

>> AN ADVOCATE FOR DIVERSITY

BOTH IN THE BALLET WORLD AND

OUT, COPELAND HAS BEEN OPEN

ABOUT HER EARLY DAYS AT ABT AND

THE CHALLENGES OF BEING THE ONLY

BLACK WOMAN IN THE COMPANY FOR A

WHILE.

>> I DID LOOK OUTSIDE OF THE

COMPANY FOR SUPPORT.

I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND OTHER

BLACK DANCERS' STRUGGLES AND GET

ADVICE AND KNOW WHAT TO DO.

I WANTED TO PURSUE A CAREER AT

ABT.

TO ME THAT IS WHAT WAS GOING TO

MAKE CHANGE.

WE GOING TO A COMPANY AND

DANCING WITH OTHER BLACK DANCERS

TO ME, I WOULD HAVE BEEN

DEFEATED.

I WANTED TO SHOW THAT I COULD

DANCE WHERE I WANTED TO DANCE.

AND BE A BLACK WOMAN.

>> IN MANY WAYS COPELAND RETURNS

THE SUPPORT SHE RECEIVED FROM

OTHER SUCCESSFUL BLACK WOMEN TO

YOUNGER DANCERS OF COLOR.

EVEN TAKING QUESTIONS FROM THE

BALLERINA'S OF HIP WAY, THE

BALLET GROUP BLENDING CLASSICAL

BALLET WITH HIP-HOP AND JAZZ.

>> IT IS INCREDIBLE TO BE IN A

ROOMFUL OF BROWN DANCERS THAT

THEY ARE BALLERINAS AND THERE IS

NOT A QUESTION ABOUT IT.

LIKE THAT IS WHO THEY ARE.

AND IT'S OK TO BE BROWN AND TO

BE A BALLERINA.

>> HER PROFILE IS HIGHER THAN

THAT OF MANY PROFESSIONAL BALLET

DANCERS.

SHE HAS WRITTEN BOOKS AND

RECEIVED ENDORSEMENT DEALS FROM

ESTEE LAUDER AND UNDER ARMOR.

>> UNDER ARMOR WAS THE FIRST TO

TAKE A CHANCE WITH ME.

AND THE WOMEN WHO WORKED THERE

COULD SEE THE VISION AND

UNDERSTAND IT BUT IT TOOK A

WHILE FOR THE MEN TO UNDERSTAND

AND SEE THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE

POWERFUL AND THAT PEOPLE WOULD

BE ABLE TO ESPECIALLY WOMEN BE

ABLE TO RELATE TO A BALLERINA

AND SEE ALL THE HARD WORK THAT

IT TAKES.

>> COPELAND'S BOOK, BALLERINA

BODY WAS IN RESPONSE TO THE

QUESTIONS SHE RECEIVED ABOUT HOW

SHE FUELS HERSELF FOR LONG DAYS

IN THE STUDIO.

BUT ALSO THE BOOK IS FOR YOUNG

GIRLS AS THEY GROW AND LEARN TO

CARE FOR THEIR OWN BODIES.

>> IT IS ABOUT THE JOURNEY IT IS

NOT ABOUT A DIET AND NOT ABOUT

GETTING QUICK RESULTS BUT

ENJOYING THE PROCESS AND BEING A

BALLERINA, IT'S FALLS IN THE

SAME LINE OF THE MAJORITY OF OUR

TIME IS IN THE STUDIO.

AND IF YOU DON'T ENJOY THAT

JOURNEY AND THAT PROCESS IT'S

NOT WORTH IT TO GET THE END

RESULTS OF BEING ON STAGE AND

THAT IS HOW I LOOK AT MY LIFE.

>> AND SHARES HER LOVE OF BEING

IN THE KITCHEN.

PERHAPS WHEN HER DAYS ON STAGE

ARE DONE IN THE HOPEFULLY

DISTANT FUTURE, SHE MAY TAKE A

NEW TITLE.

>> I LOVE BEING IN THE KITCHEN.

IT'S LIKE I COME HOME AND MY

HUSBAND KNOWS THAT I'VE HAD A

TOUGH DAY HE IS LIKE LET'S GO

GET GROCERIES BECAUSE HE KNOWS I

WILL BE HAPPY.

IT'S RELEASES SO MUCH LIKE

TENSION AND IT'S CREATIVE.

>> CHEF MISTY?

FOR "CHICAGO TONIGHT" I'M

BRANDIS FRIEDMAN.

>> COPELAND IS IN THE EARLY

STAGES OF HER NEXT BOOK WHICH