Women and Philanthropy presents
A Conversation with Misty Copeland

Sunday, November 5, 1 p.m.

Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

 

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Join us for a symposium featuring a one-on-one conversation with ballerina Misty Copeland and a panel discussion with other dynamic women who are leaders in their fields.

Misty Copeland in a white ballerina outfit performing for Swan Lake. Photo credit: Gene Schiavone
Swan Lake photo by Gene Schiavone.

Speaking from her unique point of view as the first Black woman principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, Copeland will share how strong women mentors helped her achieve her dreams, and how she strives to do the same for young people today. A trailblazer in the world of dance, Copeland is known for her iconic classical ballet roles including Odette/Odile in “Swan Lake”; Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet”; and Firebird, to name a few. 

She is the New York Times bestselling author of several books, including The Wind at My Back, Life in Motion, Ballerina Body and Black Ballerinas, and the picture books Bunheads and Firebird. Her production company, Life in Motion Productions, focuses on representative stories of artists—past, present and future—and normalizing the arts experience for everyone.

Copeland is also an avid philanthropist. In 2022, she launched The Misty Copeland Foundation with BE BOLD, a program to bring greater diversity, equity and inclusion to dance, especially ballet. She is an ambassador to and alum of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and an ambassador to MindLeaps, a Rwanda-based arts program that helps young people get off the streets and into an academic setting. 

Copeland has been named one of the Time 100, and received both a Glamour Women of the Year Award and a Black Girls Rock! Award. In 2021, Copeland received the Spingarn Medal, the NAACP’s highest honor, and in 2023 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from New York University.