Misty Copeland to speak at BC

Trailblazing ballet dancer Misty Copeland, the first African American to be promoted to female principal with the American Ballet Theatre, will discuss her journey at the Kathleen McGillycuddy Council for Women of Boston College Colloquium in Robsham Theater on April 9 at 5:30 p.m. 

Her visit to BC comes on the heels of her surprise appearance in March at the 2026 Academy Awards, where she performed on stage for the first time since retiring from the ABT last year.

Following her remarks, BC Associate Professor Daniel Callahan, a musicologist and dance scholar, will moderate a Q&A. The event is free and open to the public; doors open at 4:30 p.m., and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. (Only small purses and handbags are permitted; no large bags, including tote bags and backpacks, are allowed.)

Misty Copeland's story is an inspirational one: her rise to fame began in challenging circumstances, as her single mother struggled to support her and her five siblings. She discovered ballet at the late age of 13, was dancing en pointe within three months of taking her first dance class, and began performing professionally in just over a year. At 15, she won first place in the Music Center Spotlight Awards. She studied at the San Francisco Ballet School and American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive on full scholarship and was named ABT’s National Coca-Cola Scholar in 2000.

Copeland joined ABT’s Studio Company that year and its corps de ballet in 2001. In 2007, she became the company’s second African American female soloist, and its first in two decades. The following year, she was honored with the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship in the Arts, a two-year award for young artists who exhibit extraordinary talent. 

In 2015, she was promoted to principal dancer, making her the first African American woman to attain the position in the company’s 75-year history.

She performed a number of classical and contemporary roles during her career, including the leads in "Firebird" and "The Nutcracker." She was the first Black woman to dance the role of Odette/Odile in "Swan Lake" during the ABT's inaugural tour to Australia; she also has portrayed Juliet in "Romeo & Juliet."

An author and public speaker, Copeland has worked with many charitable organizations and is dedicated to giving of her time to work with and mentor young girls and boys. (Read more about her at misty.copeland.com.)

Founded in 2015 and made possible by the Council for Women of Boston College and the Institute for the Liberal Arts, the Colloquium hosts exceptional thought leaders to consider contemporary issues through the lens of women’s leadership. Previous speakers have included former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Olympic gold medalist Mia Hamm, and Mae Jemison, the first woman of color to travel into space.

It was renamed in 2025 to honor the legacy and leadership of Kathleen McGillycuddy NC’71, the first woman to chair the Boston College Board of Trustees, who served as founding co-chair of the CWBC in 2002 and later as chair until 2023.