Copeland to visit UB as MLK speaker

Published January 21, 2025

Misty Copeland.

Misty Copeland

American Ballet Theatre principal dancer, philanthropist and New York Times bestselling author Misty Copeland will visit UB on Feb. 12 as the university’s 49th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration keynote speaker.

Her appearance, part of UB’s Distinguished Speakers Series, will take place at 7 p.m. in the Mainstage Theatre in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.

The first Black woman to be promoted to the position of principal dancer in the 75-year history of the American Ballet Theatre, Copeland has performed some of the most iconic classical ballet roles, including Odette/Odile in “Swan Lake,” Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet,” “Giselle,” “Manon,” “Coppelia,” Kitri in “Don Quixote” and “Firebird,” to name a few.

An avid philanthropist, Copeland is an ambassador of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, of which she is also an alumna, and of MindLeaps, an arts education program based in Rwanda that helps young people get off the streets and into an academic setting to help enhance their lives.

In 2022, she launched The Misty Copeland Foundation; its first signature program, BE BOLD, aims to bring greater diversity, equity and inclusion to dance, especially ballet.

Copeland is The New York Times bestselling author of “Life in Motion,” “Ballerina Body” and “Black Ballerinas,” as well as a picture book titled “Bunheads.” She is also the author of the award-winning children’s picture book “Firebird.” Copeland’s newest book, “The Wind at My Back,” in tribute to her late mentor and friend, pioneering ballerina Raven Wilkinson, was published in November 2022.

She received the Spingarn Medal, the NAACP’s highest honor, in 2021.

Copeland’s appearance is presented in part by the UB Minority Faculty and Staff Association.

Tickets range from $25-$45 and can be purchased online through Ticketmaster or in person at the Center for the Arts box office.