Ballet
By: Brooklyn Davis
Biography - Misty Copeland
Misty Copeland was born in Kansas City, MO in 1982 and raised in San Pedro, CA. She started training in ballet at the age of thirteen and ballet is the only genre she has trained in. Although, she specializes in classical and contemporary ballet. She studied at the San Francisco Ballet School and American Ballet Theatre's summer intensive on full scholarship. In August 2007, she became American Ballet Theatre's second African-American female soloist. In June 2015, she became the first African-American woman ever to be promoted to principal dancer in American Ballet Theatre, where she still trains today. Her endorsements include American Express, COACH, and Diet Dr. Pepper. Misty works with many charitable organizations and was appointed to the President's council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition in 2014 by President Obama. For her contributions to classical ballet and helping to diversify the art form, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Hartford in November 2014. She has performed in many ballets such as Swan Lake, the Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, and many more.
Misty Copeland - I WILL WHAT I WANT
News Article
Teresa Reichlen was named a soloist for City Ballet in 2005. She is 5 feet 9 inches before going en pointe, which is good for Reichlen because City Ballet normally has special parts for tall people. Even though she is so tall, it is easy to dance with her because she is so light and on top of her leg. She attends Barnard College and has almost finished her sophomore year. She started dancing at the age of 3 and eventually auditioned for School of American Ballet, where few girls from her studio had ever been accepted. She was accepted after her first audition. At the beginning of last summer, she performed with Christopher Wheeldon's company, Morphoses. Mr. Wheeldon's gave her one of her hardest corrections to take, she needed to have a point of view when she danced. It didn't come naturally to her. People often tell her that she looks very calm onstage, but she argues that that is when she is most stressed or angry.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/03/arts/dance/03kour.html?pagewanted=1