Next month, barrier-breaking ballerina Misty Copeland will grace a different kind of stage — the TEDNext main stage in Atlanta, conference organizers told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an exclusive interview.
TED, which stands for technology, entertainment and design, is a global family of conferences and educational content. While the main TED conference focuses on the future of the world, TEDNext is focused on helping attendees look inward at their own future.
Copeland’s TED talk comes as the dancer is entering a new phase in her life. In 2015, she became the first Black woman to be a principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre. Now, she is retiring at the end of October after 25 years with the company.
“It’s time for me to move to the next stage,” Copeland said in an interview with The Associated Press in June.
She is slated to speak during the opening session of TEDNext, though the schedule is still subject to change, Monique Ruff-Bell, TED’s chief program and strategy officer, told the AJC. Copeland will also be honored with the inaugural TEDWomen Trailblazer Award, Ruff-Bell said.
Credit: Rosalie O'Connor Photography
Credit: Rosalie O'Connor Photography
“When thinking about Misty, as, of course, the first African American woman to be promoted to a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, but also just her unconventional path to starting ballet … just the representation and advocacy that she had to do for herself within this industry, we were like, if we’re going to introduce something like this, this is the best time to do it, the best person,” Ruff-Bell said.
Alongside Copeland, there will be dozens of other speakers including Atlanta’s own Jermaine Dupri and Sanjay Gupta, as well as an Academy Award-winning designer who did the costumes for “Wicked,” AI experts, a happiness scientist and the governors of Colorado and Oklahoma.
“What I love about TED is it’s about love, it’s about wonder, it’s about technology, it’s about resilience. It just gives you these different things that you use in your day-to-day life,” Ruff-Bell said. “We’re the playground for the curious. It’s just this plethora of curious folk who are just doing amazing things, not just people on the stage, but the people you’re sitting next to.”
TEDNext will take place Nov. 9-11 at the Signia Hotel and Georgia World Congress Center. Tickets for the conference are currently $2,500 with early-bird pricing, but after Oct. 17 go up to the standard $2,800. TED is also instituting for the first time a buy now-pay later option for attendees.
AJC Her+Story is a new series in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution highlighting women founders, creators, executives and professionals. It is about building a community. Know someone the AJC should feature in AJC Her+Story? Email us at herstory@ajc.com with your suggestions. Check out all of our AJC Her+Story coverage at ajc.com/herstory.
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