Nightingale families, alumnae, and professional community members packed into the H. Dale Hemmerdinger Auditorium for a special event during Book Fair: Authors Night with special guest Misty Copeland. As the first Black woman promoted to principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre in its 75-year history, Misty has redefined what it means to lead—with strength, grace, and courage. She has danced the most important classical roles from Firebird to Juliet to the Sugar Plum Fairy. She is a New York Times bestselling author of Life in Motion, Ballerina Body, Black Ballerinas, , and the picture books Bunheads and Firebird. In 2022, she launched the Misty Copeland Foundation and its signature program, BE BOLD, which works to expand access, diversity, and inclusion in dance, especially ballet.

After a brief welcome from Performing Arts Faculty Ian Bell, the room welcomed Misty to the stage. She began by sharing insights from her early years—specifically, one of her first loves: journaling.

“I had a really hard time finding my voice and purpose and something I was passionate about…one of the first things that really allowed me to start to process things I was going through and really started to find my voice, was through journaling and writing…it’s another form of expression and I feel like it’s so related to, and connected to, dance and movement and art. Then, ballet came into my life. And I feel like it’s just so important for me—and a responsibility that I feel—to represent ballet in a way that feels accessible to everyone—that ballet belongs to everyone. If you have a body, you can move it. This story in particular, the Bunheads series, has been a passion of mine.”

The book, she explained, is based on her experience as a young dancer at a small ballet studio in California, and “this kind of eclectic group of little bunheads,” she said. “We all came from different communities and different cultures and we all found this commonality through our love of dance. Being in the studio together felt like this safe space for us that we could be supportive of one another and go on this journey together and learn ballet.”

Misty dove right into her latest picture book, Bunheads, Act 2: The Dance of Courage—a story celebrating resilience, friendship, and the power of following your dreams. In the book, Misty’s best friend Cat recommends to their ballet class that they learn Don Quixote, the ballet and tale about a knight searching for his one true
love. Their teacher agrees that Don Quixote would be a great next performance. While Misty hopes to get the role of Cupid, Cat wants to be Kitri, who she thinks is the real hero in the Don Quixote story. When Cat becomes injured and is unable to perform, she decides to turn her disappointment into resilience and pride.

Following the reading, Misty welcomed speakers from each division to join her on stage. Senior Alison I. ’26 asked Misty what helps her stay inspired and motivated on days when training feels tough or discouraging. 

“There’s inspiration and motivation in so many places,” Misty began. “I mean, writing, reading, music…I think something that has been an ongoing inspiration for me, and something that keeps me going, is being around young people and being inspired by the next generation.”

Class VII student Äva M. ’31 asked if there had been a time in Misty’s career where she had given up on something, and reflected on what she could have done differently. 

Misty reflected on her passion for ballet, describing it as more than an extracurricular but something she needed; an outlet. “When I think about things that I maybe wish I would have stuck to…maybe playing an instrument.”

Class IV student Kasey W. ’34 asked Misty what advice she would give to younger dancers. 

“Look within and remember why you do it,” she said. “I think something we often forget in dance, but particularly in ballet, is to have fun and the joy of it…it’s so important to surround yourself with people who are going to be there for you.”

To conclude, Misty took questions from the audience, generously sharing her insight and advice. She encouraged students to admire the talents of others instead of comparing themselves, and spoke about how her life experiences inform her writing and what it was like to take her final bow.

“It’s a decision that I made over five years ago; I felt ready to move into this next chapter,” Misty said. “I’ve always known and felt that the stage, and American Ballet Theater in particular, was a platform for me to do many things—and ballet was a platform for me to do many things…It’s been 25 years now, that I’ve danced for American Ballet Theater, and I feel like the work that I want to do [is to] is to bring ballet to more communities, and make it as accessible as possible…I feel like I’ve been a body on the stage for so long and I feel like I can have even more of an impact at this point being off the stage and sitting on boards, and through my foundation and so it felt like time. So, taking that final bow—I was so ready to do it.”

Community members were then invited to the Lauder Black Box Theatre where she took photos and signed copies of her new book Bunheads, Act 2, in addition to exchanging smiles and hugs with guests and students. 

While nervous to meet Misty, Äva recalled being awed by her role model. “When it comes to her, the expression
‘never meets your heroes’ doesn’t apply, because she is truly amazing.”

“Misty has inspired so many young dancers to pursue their passions, even when facing societal barriers,” Alison reflected. “Her drive, determination, and resilience have allowed her to rise above expectations, and those qualities make her a powerful role model.”

This Authors Night was a powerful reminder that the arts, like sports, demand the same discipline, boldness, and passion that change the world.

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