b'traveling the world with him and going on tour whenever I wasn\'t dancing with ABT.I had so much respect for him, and I just felt like for me to be on stage with him, I\'m reaching such a diverse and different audience than who might be coming to the Metropolitan Opera House. I feel like it definitely paid off because it\'s been, I dont know, 10 years, and to this day I still meet people that come to me and say, "The first time I saw you dance was with Prince at Madison Square Garden, and now I subscribe to American Ballet Theatre, and I come all of the time." That\'s why I wanted to do what I did, and I didn\'t care if there were some people that just didn\'t get it and that were going to be ballet snobs and say, "You shouldn\'t be dancing with this pop-rock star." In the long term it\'s reaching more people, and that\'s so much part of my mission.for 18 years. Most dancers, if you\'re goingAUDIENCE QUESTION:to be a principal dancer, you\'re probably aQ: What is your favorite principal dancer within the first 10 years of your time in a company. So for people to sayballet? What is your that I\'ve been promoted for political reasons,favorite role that you it just doesn\'t make sense 18 years later.just love?Q: INTERVIEWER:COPELAND:You performed with Prince, and there wereA: It\'s taken me a long time to get to this point of really knowing what I feel like I\'m good at. those who said, Well,The more that I\'ve been given opportunities to do principal roles and the more that I\'m she\'s expanding ballet,evolving as a person and as a woman, I feel very passionate about acting on stage, so but this might be a littleJuliet (in Romeo and Juliet) is my absolute too far. What was yourfavorite role that I\'ve ever performed. reaction to that? AUDIENCE QUESTION: COPELAND: Q: What inspired you to A: I have never fit into the mold of what\'sdance?expected in ballet, and so I feel like I\'ve allowed myself to dream and to know that myCOPELAND: path is not going to be like anyone elses. SoA: Definitely music. Again, ballet was not when Prince reached out to me, of course Isomething that I ever was passionate about was curious. I ended up filming a music videoor was educated about, so that was not with him, and we got to know each othersomething that was on my radar. It was over the course of like five years. I ended updefinitely watching MTV and BET and seeing 26 Langdale College of Business'