Just three weeks after Misty Copeland was named the first African American Principal Dancer in the nation, she will head to Maumee, Ohio for an Inspirational Talk at 6pm on Sunday, July 26th at the Maumee High School Performing Arts Center.
Ms. Copeland began dancing at age 13. She took her first class in socks, shorts, and a tee shirt. A child of six, she was a shy kid in school without a sport or art form that sparked her interest. What she did know was that she loved to dance or as she says, "create movement…I did not know I was choreographing or really what it meant". She auditioned and made Captain for her middle school.
Drill Team and liked to dance to Mariah Carey or George Michael. When a dance teacher at the Boys and Girls Club in LA noticed her natural ability, feet, and lines her world was turned upside down. She found a voice, a passion, and a place in the history of Ballet.
Training for a career in ballet usually starts much earlier than 13 years old. The opportunities to rise in the rigorous profession are few if you have not been either born into an elite group or in training for the profession, molding and sculpting necessary muscles and focusing on its form and technique. For Misty Copeland to succeed as a ballerina she sacrificed time with family and friends (which later would become her mother's contention with the after school classes) and finally an average experience as time was spent in the studio in dedication to the discipline that Ballet requires.
When she was accepted into ABT (American Ballet Theater) she coped with not only the physical development of puberty, but the mental strength it took to be a professional ballet dancer moving across the country and being the sole African American in a corps of eighty. With a different background and experience than most of her classmates and colleagues she sought out or "let in"mentors to help her (like the artist Prince who took her with him to perform in France and designed a tour for her called "Welcome to America"). She also became the spokesperson for UnderArmour whose caption is "I Will What I Want". "Everything changed when I began to look at food as fuel," says the newly appointed Principal at ABT.
Misty was inspired by the dancers before her that paved the way for a more diverse culture in dance. She cites the stories of Janet Collins (first black artist to perform on the Metropolitan stage, (1951), Raven Wilkinson of Ballet Russe in the 1950s, Arthur Mitchell (first African American male professional later founded the Dance Theater of Harlem), and Dolores Brown (New York Negro Ballet, 1950's). Each of these dancers triumphed over adversity in the dance world and setthe stage for future professionals today.
Rachel Moore (CEO of ABT) and Misty Copeland founded Project Plie, "a comprehensieve initiateve to increase racial and ethnic representation in ballet and diversify America's ballet companies" (www.abt.org).
"Finding out the African Americans have a rich history in the ballet world was an incredible discovery for me," she said in a presentation on TedX. "I have never shied away from talking about race in ballet…I want to make training available to every community at a young age."
Now, at 32 years old Misty Copeland has made history as the first African American Principal Dancer at a major company in the world. She has written two bestselling books, "Firebird" an "Life in Motion: an unlikely ballerina". She continues to be an advocate for the tradition of ballet- but, one that includes the face and bodies of more than the traditional picture. "I had no idea I was going to be the face of ABT…When I walked up and saw that picture, I thought 'That's a curvy black woman on the front of the MET and it's me!' To feel welcome in that space was huge for the African American community."
Ms. Copeland will be giving an inspirational talk on July 26th at 6:00PM. There will be a live Q&A and a book signing at the event, "A Conversation With Misty". For more information and to purchase tickets go to www.danceinstead.com.
