Post on 11-Feb-2020
Multicultural Presentation: Misty Copeland
Alysa Stewart8th hourOral Communication
Birth of Misty Copeland
-Born in Kansas City, Missouri and raised in San Pedro, California
-She was born September 10,1982
- Currently 35 years old
Early life & Family
-She is the 4th child of 6 siblings
-Misty Copeland’s mother is, Sylvia Delacerna
-Single parent home
-Mother was in and out of relationship and her 4th husband was abusive
-They moved even when they weren’t stable enough to do so
- Her mother and her siblings finally settled in San Pedro,California
Personal Life
-Misty Copeland married attorney Olu Evans on July 31, 2016 in Laguna Beach, California.
-They were together for 10 years before they got married
Beginning of her career-Copeland began taking classes with Bradley at the San Pedro Ballet School at the age of 13.
-When her training became more intensive, Misty got her mother’s permission and moved in with
Bradley to be closer to the studio.
-Bradley had realized that Misty was a prodigy, able to see and perform choreographed movement
immediately and dance en pointe after a very short period of ballet training.
Her career then began after that, she had started getting scholarships and offers:
-She was accepted with a full scholarship into the intensive summer program at the San Francisco Ballet.
-In 2000 Copeland won another full scholarship,to the ABT’s intensive summer program and she was
invited to join the ABT studio company, a selective program for young dancers still in training.
Achievements-At the age of 15, she won first place in the Music Center Spotlight Awards.
-She studied at the San Francisco Ballet School and American Ballet Theatre’s Summer
Intensive on full scholarship and was declared ABT’s National Coca-Cola Scholar in 2000.
-In June 2015, Misty was promoted to principal dancer, making her the first African
American woman to ever be promoted to the position in the company’s 75-year history.
-In 2014, President Obama appointed Misty to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports,
and Nutrition.
-In spring 2015 she was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, a rare
feat for someone from the dance world.
Awards/Acknowledgements
-In 2008, Misty was honored with the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship in the Arts, a two-year
fellowship awarded to young artists
-Shorty Award for Best in Dance
-Glamour Award for The Showstopper
Her Legacy
“I never thought I could make a career out of something I enjoyed doing–something I was
passionate about, something that gave me a voice, ” says Copeland, who is one of the first
African Americans to be a soloist with American Ballet Theatre.
Encouraging/Meaningful Quote
Reflection
I’ve been dancing since I was 5 years old. Seeing Misty Copeland, an african american dancer, get
to do what she loves as a career is inspirational. They’re aren’t many african american ballerinas,
so seeing her succeed and be this amazing gives me a role model. Misty didn’t have the best life at
home and she got a late start on her training but, she didn’t let that stop her or get in her way of
getting what she wanted.
Sources
http://mistycopeland.com/
https://www.biography.com/people/misty-copeland
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Misty-Copeland
http://time.com/collection-post/3822916/misty-copeland/
Conclusion
To conclude this presentation I hope you learned why I believe Misty Copeland is a inspirational
individual and makes a difference in the world!