Misty Copeland in American Ballet Theatre's "Swan Lake." Photo by Darren Thomas/QPAC.

Ballet trailblazer Misty Copeland will headline JLBR Women’s Leadership Conference this Friday

Misty Copeland’s passion and drive to succeed led her to become the first African American female principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre–and her success led countless little girls to believe that with hard work they could one day follow in her footsteps. This Friday, March 5, Copeland steps off the stage to a more intimate audience here in Baton Rouge, as she presents the keynote speech at the Junior League of Baton Rouge’s Women’s Leadership Conference.

Copeland’s retelling of how she went from a late bloomer in ballet–starting training at age 13–to rise to the pinnacle of performances with ABT in New York City will be the highlight of a day full of leadership-focused virtual sessions beginning at 9 a.m. Each hour, participants can choose among multiple breakout sessions to customize an agenda to suit their interests. The options will include sessions on financial planning, pediatric health, estate planning and more.

Tickets to the all-virtual conference are available online at juniorleaguebr.org. In addition to general admission tickets, a limited number of VIP tickets is available that include small-group virtual chats with Copeland and autographed copies of her memoir, Life in Motion.