TICKETED VIRTUAL EVENT: Bookshop is delighted to welcome bestselling and award-winning author and American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Misty Copeland for an online discussion of Black Ballerinas: My Journey to Our Legacy, an illustrated nonfiction collection celebrating dancers of color who have influenced her on and off the stage. This event is cosponsored by Tannery World Dance & Cultural Center and NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch.
"Copeland, the first African American female principal dancer in the 75-year history of the American Ballet Theatre, reveals her own path to greatness and spotlights inspiring Black dancers—who often served as her mentors—in this mesmeric combination of memoir and biography." —Publishers Weekly
Click here for your tickets to this special virtual event! Ticket packages include a copy of Black Ballerinas with a bookplate signed by Misty Copeland!
As a young girl living in a motel with her mother and her five siblings, Misty Copeland didn't have a lot of exposure to ballet or prominent dancers. She was sixteen when she saw a black ballerina on a magazine cover for the first time. The experience emboldened Misty and told her that she wasn't alone--and her dream wasn't impossible.
In the years since, Misty has only learned more about the trailblazing women who made her own success possible by pushing back against repression and racism with their talent and tenacity. Misty brings these women's stories to a new generation of readers and gives them the recognition they deserve.
With an introduction from Misty about the legacy these women have had on dance and on her career itself, this book delves into the lives and careers of women of color who fundamentally changed the landscape of American ballet from the early 20th century to today.
Misty Copeland made history by becoming the first African American female principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre. The bestselling author of Life in Motion and a children's picture book, Firebird, she is the recipient of the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship in the Arts and an inductee into the Boys and Girls Club Alumni Hall of Fame. In 2015, Misty was named to Time magazine's 100 list and was one of Glamour magazine's "Women of the Year." She lives in New York City. Visit her online at MistyCopeland.com.