Sat 3/19 @ noon
The really stunning thing about ballerina Misty Copeland isn’t that she’s the first African-American female principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, although that’s what’s gotten most of the ink.
Anyone who’s ever taken ballet knows that starting formal training at the age of 13, as Copeland did, is completely unheard of for a girl. While boys often start at that age, all the top female ballet dancers began at 5-7 or even earlier with pre-ballet. She was dancing on pointe within months of beginning study, something that typically takes 5-4 years. In addition, she spent most of her high school years fighting for time and access to dance. It’s incredible that she became a dancer at all, let alone one of the best in the world.
Despite setbacks, she regained her footing and was named an ABT soloist in 2007 at the age of 24 and a principal in 2015. She’s also appeared on Broadway, on television, in films and music videos and in a documentary about her life, becoming a celebrity and cultural icon as well as a sublime dancer and leading to modeling, product endorsements and her own line of activewear.
She’s also written a half dozen books including Black Ballerinas: My Journey to Our Legacy published last year. That’s what brings her to the Cleveland Public Library’s Writers & Readers series to kick off its 2022 season, where she’ll talk about changing dance culture. The program is live on Zoom. Go here to register. It’s free.
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