WBUR CitySpace presents Tell Me More! Misty Copeland and the Ballerinas of the 152nd Street Black Ballet Legacy.
Brookline Booksmith is proud to be the official bookseller at this WBUR CitySpace event on Wednesday, December 1 at 7:30 PM. Register here. We will be selling a limited number of SIGNED copies of Black Ballerinas on-site at WBUR CitySpace during and after this event.
WBUR CitySpace at The Lavine Broadcast Center is proud to present Misty Copeland, the first Black female principal dancer with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre and author of “Black Ballerinas: My Journey to Our Legacy” in conversation with trailblazing Black ballerinas and founding members of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, now of the 152nd Street Black Ballet Legacy, on December 1.
Throughout her career, Copeland paved the way for many dancers as she broke barriers and overcame the realities of racism in dance. In her recent book, “Black Ballerinas,” she aims to retell the history of Black ballet dancers and spotlight the foundational legacy of those who came before her.
In this iteration of “Tell Me More!,” Copeland will join — for the first time ever — four pioneering Black ballerinas, Lydia Abarca-Mitchell, Sheila Rohan, Gayle McKinney-Griffith, and Karlya Shelton-Benjamin, who made history domestically and internationally in the 60s and 70s as part of the Dance Theatre of Harlem.
“It is wonderful to give these women their due and celebrate their legacy and all they have done for Black ballet dancers who have come after,” said Amy Macdonald, director of WBUR CitySpace.
WBUR arts and culture reporter Cristela Guerra will moderate the conversation exploring Copeland’s extraordinary journey to becoming a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre while paying homage to the Black ballerinas who made history in their own right. This event celebrates the meeting of two generations of ballerinas and the legacy created by women of color in the art of ballet. They will discuss roadblocks for Black dancers both past and present and share their respective journeys to prominence while honoring those who helped performers of color achieve greatness unburdened by ignorance.
