Misty Copeland's Be Bold program hosts ballet class at Tilles Center

Amanda Lindamood posed a question to the young dancers seated in her class at LIU Post: How old was trailblazing ballet dancer Misty Copeland when she began dancing?

One girl guessed 3. The next dancer said 4. After a flurry of incorrect guesses, Lindamood, the Be Bold program coordinator for The Misty Copeland Foundation, revealed the answer.

Thirteen.

Copeland's unconventional ascent to fame as a professional dancer has served as inspiration for younger generations, including more than two dozen youngsters from Nassau and Suffolk County Boys & Girls Clubs who participated in the introductory ballet class Saturday.

The collaboration between the university and Copeland's foundation brought together instructors and students from the Be Bold program and Long Island children ages 6 to 10. At the end of an hourlong class, Copeland introduced herself to the students and posed for photos.

Copeland, 42, was the first African American female principal dancer with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre. She told Newsday after the class her message to students is that it doesn't matter where they came from, what they look like or when they started.

"There's so many skills within [dance] that you can bring to all aspects of your life and it will enrich your life and who you are as a human being," she said.

Saturday's classes preceded an event at the university's Tilles Center titled, "An Evening with Misty Copeland."

Copeland started her foundation in 2021, and three years ago she began the Be Bold program, an after-school dance initiative that features introductory ballet classes for children of color primarily between 5 and 12 years old.

"I think any opportunity we have to bring people together from different communities and different experiences and through the common language of ballet is such a beautiful experience," Copeland said.

Sindy Folgar, the foundation's director of programs, said the Be Bold initiative takes a "holistic" approach to teaching and learning ballet.

"We're claiming that through the study of ballet and music, we're developing leadership skills," she said.

Folgar said the program is mostly concentrated in the Bronx and Harlem.

Lindamood, who started at the foundation in 2023, said Copeland's "vision is so unique."

The dancers Saturday broke into two groups in separate studios at the university's Humanities Hall, where the instructors introduced them to ballet basics and moves like a grand jeté and also shared tidbits about Copeland, such as how she wrote a bestselling children's book, "Bunheads." The dancers in one class moved to the music on a keyboard while the other class danced to the beat of a drum called a djembe.

Tom Dunn, executive and artistic director of the Tilles Center, said the classes provided an opportunity for students who may not have much experience in ballet to learn about Copeland's career.

Ten-year-old Annalee Campiglia said the class was "awesome." Asked what makes Copeland a great dancer, Campiglia said: "She does her dance beautifully."