The American star will join Australian Ballet as a guest artist for two performances of Sleeping Beauty.

In exciting news for ballet fans, American star Misty Copeland is to make her debut as Aurora in Sydney when she joins The Australian Ballet as a guest artist for two performances of The Sleeping Beauty in November.

^{Misty Copeland in Coppélia at the Abu Dhabi Festival. Photograph © Naim Chidiac}

It is the second time that Copeland – a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre (ABT) – will have made an important role debut in Australia. In 2014, when ABT toured to QPAC in Brisbane, she danced her first Odette/Odile in Swan Lake as a soloist with the company. She was only the second African American dancer to perform the dual role, following Lauren Anderson at Houston Ballet in 1996. Reviewing her performance for The Australian, Deborah Jones said: “This was unfortunately Copeland’s only Odette in Brisbane but it was enough to make the heart burst with joy.”

Copleand will play Aurora in Sydney on November 22 and 24, dancing in The Australian Ballet’s spectacular production, which has been reimagined by AB Artistic...