Acclaimed ballet soloist to deliver Dillard ‘Brain Food’ lecture

On Tuesday, November 11, 2014, Misty Copeland, ballet soloist with the American Ballet Theater and author of Life in Motion, will deliver the next Brain Food Lecture in Georges Auditorium at 7 p.m. on the Dillard University campus. A book signing will follow the lecture. The event is free and open to the public.

Although Copeland began ballet at the late age of 13, she has excelled and had unprecedented success in her art. At 15, she won first place in the Music Center Spotlight Awards. She studied at the San Francisco Ballet School, American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive on full scholarship and was named American Ballet Theater’s National Coca-Cola Scholar in 2000.

Copeland joined American Ballet Theater’s Studio Company in September 2000, joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet in April 2001 and in 2007 made history by becoming their third African-American Female Soloist and first in two decades.

Performing a variety of classical and contemporary roles, one of Copeland’s most important roles was performing the title role of “The Firebird” in “Firebird,” created for her in 2012 with new choreography by much sought after choreographer Alexei Ratmansky. In September 2014, she made history as the first Black woman to perform the lead role of Odette/Odile with American Ballet Theatre in “Swan Lake” during the company’s first ever tour to Australia. In December 2014, Copeland is slated to perform the lead role of Clara in American Ballet Theatre’s production of “The Nutcracker.”

Copeland is passionate about giving back and has worked with charitable organizations in mentoring young girls and boys. In 2012, she was inducted into the National Boys & Girls Club Hall of Fame and received the “Breakthrough Award” from the Council of Urban Professionals that same year. She was also named National Youth of the Year Ambassador for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in June 2013. In addition, Copeland received the Young, Gifted & Black honor at the 2013 Black Girls Rock! Awards.

She is author of two books, the New York Times Bestselling memoir, Life in Motion, co-written with award-winning journalist Charisse Jones and a picture book, Firebird, in collaboration with award-winning illustrator and author Christopher Myers. Both books were published in 2014. Her endorsements include American Express, COACH, and Diet Dr. Pepper and Under Armour.

Seats are on a first come basis. For more information, go to @BrainFood, visit www.dillard.edu or call (504) 816-4800. Upcoming lectures: Tuesday, December 2 — The Revius Ortique Lecture on Law and Society, Benjamin Crump, noted civil rights attorney; represented Trayvon Martin’s family in the Zimmerman trial and the family of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; Monday, January 26, 2015 – Jason L. Riley, author of Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals make it Harder for Blacks to Succeed.

This article originally published in the November 3, 2014 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.