An Unlikely Ballerina

6” x 6” encaustic painting on panel board

Chinese character: dance

For the first time in a generation a dancer made the cover of Time magazine: Misty Copeland, the American Ballet Theater soloist, was chosen as one of the magazine’s “100 most influential people,” and is featured on one of the five different covers for its upcoming issue.

But her fame has extended beyond the ballet world, thanks in part to her recent memoir, “Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina,” which recounts how she overcame adversity to find success as one of the few African-American women stars in the predominantly white ballet world. Her profile was further raised by advertisements she made for Under Armour.