Equity & Difference

An Evening with Misty Copeland

Fri. March 24, 2017      7:30 p.m.

Meany Theater

This lecture has reached capacity. As a courtesy, the Graduate School will offer standby seating on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 6:45 pm in Meany Theater. Any reserved seats not taken by 7:15 pm will be offered to our guests in the standby line.

Misty Copeland, Principal Dancer, American Ballet Theatre

In 2015, Misty Copeland became the first African American female principal dancer in American Ballet Theatre’s 75-year history. Hear from this artist, author, entrepreneur and humanitarian about how she broke barriers and her work to inspire young people everywhere.

Admission + signed copy of “Ballerina Body: Dancing and Eating Your Way to a Leaner, Stronger and More Graceful You”: $25

Admission only: $5

If the purchase price of this ticket causes you undue financial hardship, please call the UW Alumni Association at 206-543-0540.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in San Pedro, California, Misty Copeland began her ballet studies at the age of 13 at the San Pedro City Ballet. At the age of 15 she won first place in the Music Center Spotlight Awards. She then began her studies at the Lauridsen Ballet Center. Copeland has 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.

Copeland joined ABT’s Studio Company in September 2000, then joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet in April 2001. She was appointed a Soloist in August 2007 and a Principal Dancer in August 2015. Her roles with the Company include Gamzatti, a Shade and the Lead D’Jampe in “La Bayadère,” a leading role in “Birthday Offering”, Milkmaid in “The Bright Stream,” the Fairy Autumn in Frederick Ashton’s “Cinderella,” Blossom in James Kudelka’s “Cinderella,” Swanilda and the Mazurka Lady in “Coppélia,” Gulnare and an Odalisque in “Le Corsaire,” Mercedes, Driad Queen, the lead gypsy and a flower girl in “Don Quixote,” Duo “Concertant,” the Masks in Christopher Wheeldon’s “VIII,” the Firebird in Alexei Ratmansky’s “Firebird,” Flower Girl in “Gaîté Parisienne,” Zulma and the peasant pas de deux in “Giselle,” Queen of Shemakhan in “The Golden Cockerel,” the Waltz in “Les Sylphides,” Lescaut’s Mistress in “Manon,” Clara the Princess, Columbine and one of The Nutcracker’s Sisters in Alexei Ratmansky’s “The Nutcracker,” Bianca in “Othello,” a Gypsy in “Petrouchka,” the Lead Polovtsian Girl in the “Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor,” the Saracen Dancer in “Raymonda,” Cowgirl in “Rodeo, Juliet” and a Harlot in “Romeo and Juliet,” Princess Florine in “The Sleeping Beauty,” Odette-Odile, the pas de trios, a cygnet and the Hungarian Princess in “Swan Lake,” the Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, leading roles in “Bach Partita,” “The Brahms-Haydn Variations” and “Monotones I” and roles in “Airs,” “Amazed in Burning Dreams,” “Baker’s Dozen,” “Ballo della Regina,” “Birthday Offering,” “Black Tuesday,” “The Brahms-Haydn Variations,” “Brief Fling,” “Company B,” “Désir,” “Gong,” “Hereafter,” “In the Upper Room,” “Overgrown Path,” “Pretty Good Year,” “Private Light,” “Raymonda Divertissements,” “Sechs Tänze,” “Sinatra Suite,” “Sinfonietta,” “Thirteen Diversions,” “Within You Without You: A Tribute to George Harrison” and “workwithinwork.”

Copeland created His Loss in “AfterEffect,” the Spanish Dance in Ratmansky’s “The Nutcracker,” the Fairy Fleur de farine (Wheat flower) in Ratmansky’s “The Sleeping Beauty” and leading roles in C. to C. “(Close to Chuck),” “Dumbarton,” “Glow – Stop, One of Three” and “With a Chance of Rain.”

Copeland received the 2008 Leonore Annenberg Fellowship in the Arts and was named National Youth of the Year Ambassador for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in 2013. In 2014, President Obama appointed Copeland to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. She is the winner of a 2014 Dance Magazine Award. Copeland is the author of the best-selling memoir “Life in Motion” and the children’s book “Firebird.” In 2015, she was named to the Time 100 list and honored by Glamour Magazine as one of its Women of the Year. Ms. Copeland’s performances with American Ballet Theatre are sponsored by Valentino D. Carlotti.

Admission + signed copy of “Ballerina Body: Dancing and Eating Your Way to a Leaner, Stronger and More Graceful You”: $25

Admission only: $5

If the purchase price of this ticket causes you undue financial hardship, please call the UW Alumni Association at 206-543-0540.

UWAA and UWRA members receive advance registration for lectures.

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For more information, contact the UW Alumni Association at 206-543-0540 or uwalumni@uw.edu.