The Bentonville Film Festival will host “Shaping the Narrative: A Conversation with Misty Copeland” in partnership with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the African American Film Critics’ Association June 12 at 6 p.m.
The evening will feature a conversation with ballerina and New York Times bestselling author Misty Copeland following a screening of her documentary “Flower,” a silent arts activism film using dance to help raise awareness about intergenerational equity. The discussion, to be moderated by PvNew film reporter Katcy Stephan, will explore the worlds of art, philanthropy and social justice, as well as shed light on art’s unique power to inspire and transform the world for good.
Misty Copeland is a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre and the first Black woman to be promoted to the position in the company’s 75-year history in 2015. She has performed in classical ballet roles, including Odette/Odile in “Swan Lake;” Juliet in “Romeo & Juliet;” Kitri in “Don Quixote;” and more.
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Copeland is a philanthropist and launched The Misty Copeland Foundation in 2022. Her foundation’s first signature program, BE BOLD, seeks to bring greater diversity, equity and inclusion to dance, especially ballet. She is an ambassador and alum of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Mind Leaps, a Rwanda-based arts program that helps young people get into an academic setting to help enhance their lives. Copeland’s production company, Life In Motion Productions, is focused on offering representative stories of artists, past, present and future, and normalizing the arts experience for everyone. “Flower” is her first independently produced project.
