Inside the Omni Dallas Hotel, philanthropists, educators and rows of neatly dressed students crowded in to see one guest. Misty Copeland stepped to the stage last Friday with dozens of children from St. Philip’s School & Community Center seeing, perhaps for the first time, a ballerina who looked like them.
The trailblazing dance star headlined the school’s 26th Annual Destiny Award Luncheon -- St. Philip’s largest fundraiser of the year. Coinciding with Black History Month, the event featured a conversation about Copeland’s journey from being a student to becoming the first Black woman promoted to principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, alongside her work as an advocate and mentor for young artists.
But before the luncheon downtown, Copeland spent the morning on campus in south Dallas. She met directly with students, answering questions and sharing advice that felt practical as much as inspirational.
“Find your people,” Copeland said. “Find community, find mentorship. And...to me that's been like such a big part of my strength and what's become success was because I have a support system.”
Throughout her career, Copeland has often been the only Black dancer in elite ballet spaces. Rather than internalizing that isolation, she said, she learned to seek guidance elsewhere.
“Even though I was in spaces that weren’t built for me, I was seeking advice and support outside of those spaces from people that knew what it was like to be the only and to be first in whatever fields they were a part of,” she said. “It's important to be open and to accept help and guidance and to seek it as well.”
For principal Kellee Murrell, that advice aligns perfectly with St. Philip’s mission.
“We just believe in pouring into our community and providing excellent education for our students.” she said.
St. Philip’s is a private, independent school where every child receives financial aid to keep tuition accessible for low- and moderate-income families. The student body is predominantly African American, and Murrell says the arts are central, not supplemental, to how students learn and see themselves.
The school recently built a performing arts center and regularly invites prominent Black creatives to speak with students. Past guests include Shaquille O'Neal, Sterling K. Brown, Cicely Tyson, Viola Davis, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Taraji P. Henson and LL Cool J.
“We believe in keeping the arts,” Murrell said. "God has given them those unique gifts and so bring in these people to just kind of encourage them and for them to see up close and personal some of the challenges that they may experience as being the only one in the fields that they're getting ready to encounter.”
Copeland’s own story resonated quickly. She told students she didn’t begin ballet until age 13 — a detail Murrell said surprised the room.
“Sometimes [the kids] think it may be too late,” Murrell said. “It was a reminder to them that it’s never too late.”
Copeland also helped the students see the link between academics and the arts, with lessons on the science of dance exploring friction, spinning and how the brain processes movement.
Copeland said seeing that kind of investment in young people gives her hope.
“To see what a beautiful foundation is being laid for them...not every community looks like this,” she said. “The nurturing that they're getting is that they're being set up for success and that's something to really value.”
Copeland said it’s beautiful to to think “all these little people are going to go out into the world and they're going to be what our future looks like.”
Though she has stepped back from performing full time, she still relies on the lessons ballet taught her. These days, she focused more on self-care – more quiet time with family and a tight circle of support.
"It's always been about just finding balance and finding normalcy," she said. “My family is so incredibly important. Just being able to be in a room with them and share a meal -- those moments to me are like resetting and refueling.”
Back inside the Omni ballroom, that message landed as both encouragement and charge. For St. Philip’s students, the luncheon wasn’t just a fundraiser, it was a glimpse of what’s possible when talent meets opportunity and community.
