name	Dance
culture	various
era	Antiquity }}

Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting.

Dance may also be regarded as a form of nonverbal communication between humans, and is also performed by other animals (bee dance, patterns of behaviour such as a mating dance). Gymnastics, figure skating and synchronized swimming are sports that incorporate dance, while martial arts kata are often compared to dances. Motion in ordinarily inanimate objects may also be described as dances (''the leaves danced in the wind'').

Definitions of what constitutes dance are dependent on social, cultural, aesthetic, artistic and moral constraints and range from functional movement (such as folk dance) to virtuoso techniques such as ballet. Dance can be participatory, social or performed for an audience. It can also be ceremonial, competitive or erotic. Dance movements may be without significance in themselves, such as in ballet or European folk dance, or have a gestural vocabulary/symbolic system as in many Asian dances. Dance can embody or express ideas, emotions or tell a story.

Dancing has evolved many styles. Breakdancing and Krumping are related to the hip hop culture. African dance is interpretative. Ballet, Ballroom, Waltz, and Tango are classical styles of dance while Square and the Electric Slide are forms of step dances.

Every dance, no matter what style, has something in common. It not only involves flexibility and body movement, but also physics. If the proper physics is not taken into consideration, injuries may occur.

Choreography is the art of creating dances. The person who creates (i.e., choreographs) a dance is known as the choreographer.

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Origins and history of dance

Dance does not leave behind clearly identifiable physical artifacts such as stone tools, hunting implements or cave paintings. It is not possible to say when dance became part of human culture.

Joseph Jordania recently suggested, that dance, together with rhythmic music and body painting, was designed by the forces of natural selection at the early stage of hominid evolution as a potent tool to put groups of human ancestors in a battle trance, a specific altered state of consciousness. In this state hominids were losing their individual identity and were acquiring collective identity. Jonathan Pieslak researched, that some contemporary military units use loud group singing and dancing in order to prepare themselves for the dangerous combat missions. According to Jordania, this trance-inducing ability of dance comes from human evolutionary past and includes as well a phenomenon of military drill which is also based on shared rhythmic and monotonous group activity.

Dance has certainly been an important part of ceremony, rituals, celebrations and entertainment since before the birth of the earliest human civilizations. Archeology delivers traces of dance from prehistoric times such as the 9,000 year old Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka paintings in India and Egyptian tomb paintings depicting dancing figures from c. 3300 BC.

One of the earliest structured uses of dances may have been in the performance and in the telling of myths. It was also sometimes used to show feelings for one of the opposite gender. It is also linked to the origin of "love making." Before the production of written languages, dance was one of the methods of passing these stories down from generation to generation.

Another early use of dance may have been as a precursor to ecstatic trance states in healing rituals. Dance is still used for this purpose by many cultures from the Brazilian rainforest to the Kalahari Desert.

Sri Lankan dances goes back to the mythological times of aboriginal yingyang twins and "yakkas" (devils). According to a Sinhalese legend, Kandyan dances originate, 250 years ago, from a magic ritual that broke the spell on a bewitched king. Many contemporary dance forms can be traced back to historical, traditional, ceremonial, and ethnic dance.

Dance classification and genres

Dance categories by number of interacting dancers are mainly solo dance, partner dance and group dance. Dance is performed for various purposes like ceremonial dance, erotic dance, performance dance, social dance etc.

Dancing and music

Many early forms of music and dance were created and performed together. This paired development has continued through the ages with dance/music forms such as: jig, waltz, tango, disco, salsa, electronica and hip-hop. Some musical genres also have a parallel dance form such as baroque music and baroque dance whereas others developed separately: classical music and classical ballet.

Although dance is often accompanied by music, it can also be presented independently or provide its own accompaniment (tap dance). Dance presented with music may or may not be performed ''in time'' to the music depending on the style of dance. Dance performed without music is said to be ''danced to its own rhythm''.

Ballroom dancing is an art although it may incorporates many fitness components using an artistic state of mind.

Dance studies and techniques

In the early 1920s, dance studies (dance practice, critical theory, Musical analysis and history) began to be considered an academic discipline. Today these studies are an integral part of many universities' arts and humanities programs. By the late 20th century the recognition of practical knowledge as equal to academic knowledge lead to the emergence of ''practice research'' and ''practice as research''. A large range of dance courses are available including:

Professional practice: performance and technical skills

Practice research: choreography and performance

Ethnochoreology, encompassing the dance-related aspects of anthropology, cultural studies, gender studies, area studies, postcolonial theory, ethnography, etc.

Dance therapy or dance-movement therapy.

Dance and technology: new media and performance technologies.

Laban Movement Analysis and somatic studies

Academic degrees are available from BA (Hons) to PhD and other postdoctoral fellowships, with some dance scholars taking up their studies as ''mature students'' after a professional dance career.

Dance competitions

A dance competition is an organized event in which contestants perform dances before a judge or judges for awards and, in some cases, monetary prizes. There are several major types of dance competitions, distinguished primarily by the style or styles of dances performed. Major types of dance competitions include:

Competitive dance, in which a variety of theater dance styles—such as acro, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, and tap—are permitted.

Open competitions, which permit a wide variety of dance styles. A popular example of this is the TV program So You Think You Can Dance.

Dancesport, which is focused exclusively on ballroom and latin dance. Popular examples of this are TV programs Dancing with the Stars and Strictly Come Dancing.

Single-style competitions, such as highland dance, dance team, and Irish dance, which only permit a single dance style.

Today, there are various dances and dance show competitions on Television and the Internet.

Dance occupations

There are different careers connected with dancing: Dancer, dance teacher, dance sport coach, dance therapist and choreographer.

;Dancer Dance training differs depending on the dance form. There are university programs and schools associated with professional dance companies for specialised training in classical dance (e.g. Ballet) and modern dance. There are also smaller, privately owned dance studios where students may train in a variety of dance forms including competitive dance forms (e.g. Latin dance, ballroom dance, etc.) as well as ethnic/traditional dance forms.

Professional dancers are usually employed on contract or for particular performances/productions. The professional life of a dancer is generally one of constantly changing work situations, strong competition pressure and low pay. Professional dancers often need to supplement their income, either in dance related roles (e.g., dance teaching, dance sport coaches, yoga) or Pilates instruction to achieve financial stability.

In the U.S. many professional dancers are members of unions such as the American Guild of Musical Artists, the Screen Actors Guild and Actors' Equity Association. The unions help determine working conditions and minimum salaries for their members.

;Dance teachers Dance teacher and operators of dance schools rely on reputation and marketing. For dance forms without an association structure such as Salsa or Tango Argentino they may not have formal training. Most dance teachers are self employed.

;Dancesport coaches Dancesport coaches are tournament dancers or former dancesports people, and may be recognised by a dance sport federation.

;Choreographer Choreographers are generally university trained and are typically employed for particular projects or, more rarely may work on contract as the resident choreographer for a specific dance company. A choreographic work is protected intellectual property. Dancers may undertake their own choreography.

Dance by ethnicity or region

India

During the first millennium BCE in India, many texts were composed which attempted to codify aspects of daily life. In the matter of dance, Bharata Muni's ''Natyashastra'' (literally ''"the text of dramaturgy"'') is the one of the earlier texts. Though the main theme of ''Natyashastra'' deals with drama, dance is also widely featured, and indeed the two concepts have ever since been linked in Indian culture. The text elaborates various hand-gestures or mudras and classifies movements of the various limbs of the body, gait, and so on. The Natyashastra categorised dance into four groups and into four regional varieties, naming the groups: secular, ritual, abstract, and, interpretive. However, concepts of regional geography has altered and so have regional varieties of Indian dances. Dances like ''"Odra Magadhi"'', which after decades long debate, has been traced to present day Mithila-Orissa region's dance form of Odissi, indicate influence of dances in cultural interactions between different regions.

From these beginnings rose the various classical styles which are recognised today. Therefore, all Indian classical dances are to varying degrees rooted in the Natyashastra and therefore share common features: for example, the mudras, some body positions, and the inclusion of dramatic or expressive acting or abhinaya. The Indian classical music tradition provides the accompaniment for the dance, and as percussion is such an integral part of the tradition, the dancers of nearly all the styles wear bells around their ankles to counterpoint and complement the percussion.

Bhangra in the Punjab

The Punjab area overlapping India and Pakistan is the place of origin of Bhangra. It is widely known both as a style of music and a dance. It is mostly related to ancient harvest celebrations, love, patriotism or social issues. Its music is coordinated by a musical instrument called the 'Dhol'. Bhangra is not just music but a dance, a celebration of the harvest where people beat the dhol (drum), sing Boliyaan (lyrics) and dance.It developed further with the Vaisakhi festival of the Sikhs.

Dances of Sri Lanka

The devil dances of Sri Lanka or "yakun natima" are a carefully crafted ritual with a history reaching far back into Sri Lanka's pre-Buddhist past. It combines ancient "Ayurvedic" concepts of disease causation with psychological manipulation. The dance combines many aspects including Sinhalese cosmology, the dances also has an impact on the classical dances of Sri Lanka.

In Europe and North America

Concert (or performance) dance

Ballet

Ballet developed first in Italy and then in France from lavish court spectacles that combined music, drama, poetry, song, costumes and dance. Members of the court nobility took part as performers. During the reign of Louis XIV, himself a dancer, dance became more codified. Professional dancers began to take the place of court amateurs, and ballet masters were licensed by the French government. The first ballet dance academy was the Académie Royale de Danse (Royal Dance Academy), opened in Paris in 1661. Shortly thereafter, the first institutionalized ballet troupe, associated with the Academy, was formed; this troupe began as an all-male ensemble but by 1681 opened to include women as well.

20th century concert dance

At the beginning of the 20th century, there was an explosion of innovation in dance style characterized by an exploration of freer technique. Early pioneers of what became known as modern dance include Loie Fuller, Isadora Duncan, Mary Wigman and Ruth St. Denis. The relationship of music to dance serves as the basis for Eurhythmics, devised by Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, which was influential to the development of Modern dance and modern ballet through artists such as Marie Rambert. Eurythmy, developed by Rudolf Steiner and Marie Steiner-von Sivers, combines formal elements reminiscent of traditional dance with the new freer style, and introduced a complex new vocabulary to dance. In the 1920s, important founders of the new style such as Martha Graham and Doris Humphrey began their work. Since this time, a wide variety of dance styles have been developed; see Modern dance.

The influence of African American dance

African American dances are those dances which have developed within African American communities in everyday spaces, rather than in dance studios, schools or companies and its derivatives, tap dance, disco, jazz dance, swing dance, hip hop dance and breakdance. Other dances, such as the lindy hop with its relationship to rock and roll music and rock and roll dance have also had a global influence.

See also

African American dance

''An American Ballroom Companion''

Backup dancer

Ballroom dance

Battle trance

Cheerleading

Circle Dance

Collective identity

Entrainment (Biomusicology)

Feather Award

Health risks of professional dance

Dance costumes

Dance criticism

Dance theory

Majorettes

Physically integrated dance

List of choreographers

List of dance style categories

List of dance topics

List of dance wikibooks

References

;Notes

;Further reading

Adshead-Lansdale, J. (Ed.) (1994) ''Dance History: An Introduction''. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-09030-X.

Carter, A. (1998) ''The Routledge Dance Studies Reader''. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-16447-8.

Charman, S. Kraus, R, G. Chapman, S. and Dixon-Stowall, B. (1990) ''History of the Dance in Art and Education''. Pearson Education. ISBN 0-13-389362-6.

Cohen, S, J. (1992) ''Dance As a Theatre Art: Source Readings in Dance History from 1581 to the Present''. Princeton Book Co. ISBN 0-87127-173-7.

Daly, A. (2002) ''Critical Gestures: Writings on Dance and Culture''. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 0-8195-6566-0.

Dils, A. (2001) ''Moving History/Dancing Cultures: A Dance History Reader''. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 0-8195-6413-3.

Miller, James, L. (1986) ''Measures of Wisdom: The Cosmic Dance in Classical and Christian Antiquity'', University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0802025536.

External links

Historic illustrations of dancing from 3300 B.C. to 1911 A.D. from Project Gutenberg

United States National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame

nan:Bú-tō

Category:Entertainment occupations Category:Theatrical professions

af:Dans ar:رقص an:Danza ast:Danza ay:Thuquña az:Rəqs bm:Dɔnke bn:নৃত্য bjn:Igal zh-min-nan:Bú-tō be:Танцы be-x-old:Танец bo:ཞབས་བྲོ། bs:Ples br:Dañs bg:Танц ca:Dansa ceb:Sayaw cs:Tanec co:Baddu cy:Dawns da:Dans de:Tanz nv:Azhish et:Tants el:Χορός es:Danza eo:Danco eu:Dantza fa:رقص hif:Dance fr:Danse fy:Dûns fur:Bal ga:Damhsa gv:Daunse gd:Dannsa gl:Danza gan:舞蹈 ko:춤 haw:Hulahula hi:नृत्य hr:Ples id:Tari ia:Dansa ie:Dansa is:Dans it:Danza he:ריקוד kl:Taparneq kn:ನೃತ್ಯ ka:ცეკვა csb:Tuńc kk:Би қимыл ky:Бий lo:ການຟ້ອນລຳ la:Saltatio lv:Deja lb:Danz lt:Šokis li:Dans ln:Mabína jbo:dansu hu:Tánc mk:Танц ml:നൃത്തം mt:Żifna mr:नृत्य arz:رقص mzn:سما ms:Tarian mn:Бүжиг my:ကခုန်ခြင်း nah:Mācēhualiztli nl:Dans nds-nl:Daans ne:नृत्य new:नर्तकी ja:ダンス nap:Ballo no:Dans nn:Dans nrm:Dans'sie nov:Danso oc:Dança pag:Sayaw pnb:ناچ pap:Baila nds:Danz pl:Taniec pt:Dança ro:Dans qu:Tusuy rue:Танець ru:Танец sah:Үҥкүү sa:नृत्यं sco:Dance sq:Vallëzimi scn:Abballu simple:Dance sk:Tanec sl:Ples ckb:ھەڵپەرکێ sr:Плес sh:Ples fi:Tanssi sv:Dans tl:Sayaw ta:நடனம் te:నాట్యము th:การเต้นรำ tg:Рақс tr:Dans uk:Танець ur:رقص vec:Bało vi:Nhảy múa fiu-vro:Tands wa:Danse war:Sayaw yi:טאנץ zh-yue:舞 zh:舞蹈

name	SingleTrackMind
background	solo_singer
birth name	Alexander Wong
origin	Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
genre	Alternative rock
occupation	Singer-songwriter, musicianJet ski racer (retired)
years active	2002–present
label	Power Records/PMP(''independent'')
website	http://www.singletrackmind.tv
notable instruments	}}

Alex Wong is a Malaysian independent musician and singer who performs under the stage name SingleTrackMind, and also a retired professional jet ski racer. To date (October 2007), he has released two full albums, earned three award nominations at the Anugerah Industri Muzik, and won eight international races in the 1990s for his jet ski team.

Biography

Jet skiing

Being among Malaysia's earliest batch of competitive jet skiers, Wong had joined two professional jet-skiing teams. He started out under the Wong's Way Racing banner in 1987, His first championship was at the 1991 Dhananbalan Cup in Singapore, and he was elevated to professional status the following year. He went on to win the 1994 Philippine Championships in Cebu; the 1995, 1996 and 1998 Malaysian Championships; the 1995 Korean Championships in Pijin Island; the 1996 Australian Championship in Queensland; and the 1998 Asia Pacific King's Cup in Songkhla, Thailand. In 1998 he moved to Petronas Jet Sport Racing Team, but never won any championship since.

Music

''No Reason''

Wong moved on to music and performed his first stage appearance in the Rock the World III music festival in Kuala Lumpur in 2002. He released his first album, ''No Reason'' in 2003, while still being a member of Petronas Jet Sport. The album, which contained his debut single of the same title, earned him three nominations for Best New Local English Artist, Best Engineered Album and Best Music Video in the 2004 AIM. Wong finally concluded his jet-skiing career at the World King’s Cup Watercross in Thailand in 2006.

Since Rock the World III, SingleTrackMind held a total of 34 stage appearances throughout the year 2003 in conjunction with his debut album, including eight in China, Philippines, Thailand and Singapore. In the following three years, he remained active in live performances, having done another 34 gigs and stage appearances including those in Indonesia and Singapore. He was the opening act for Deep Purple's concert in Singapore in 2004 and the Malaysian leg of the INXS Switch On World Tour 2006 in Kuala Lumpur.

''[hey.]''

In 1 March 2007, SingleTrackMind released his second full album, ''[hey.]'', which featured ''One Day'', an English remake of Indonesian song ''Mungkin Nanti'', originally performed by Peterpan, alongside first single ''Seventeen (God at the Beach)'', which was penned by the artist himself as a dedication to an acquaintance of his who died suddenly. According to him on the Malaysian English Top 10 aired on 28 October 2007, ''Seventeen'' was so titled and made the seventh track of his album because 17 July was the acquaintance's birthday. SingleTrackMind also finished a six-leg Indonesian tour in Bali, Surabaya, Jakarta and Bandung, in mid-August.

Besides this, the album, which nine of its ten tracks were recorded in Los Angeles, had two tracks (''Still The Same'' and ''Light Fades'') which would be featured in American indie film ''The 3rd Doorway''.

Discography

{{infobox discography | type	studio | Name No Reason | Other info | from Album | Released 2003 | Format CD | Label Fat Boys Records | Writer | Producer | Director | Chart position | Sales | Certification | Tracks Thirteen | Bonus tracks | Singles "No Reason", "People in My Own World" }}

{{infobox discography | type	studio | Name [hey.] | Other info | from Album | Released 1 March 2007 | Format CD | Label Power Records/PMP | Writer | Producer Bob Koszela | Director | Chart position | Sales | Certification | Tracks Ten | Bonus tracks | Singles "Seventeen (God at the Beach)", "One Day" }}

Notes and references

External links

SingleTrackMind's official website

Alex Wong's profile at www.Jetskimalaysia.com

Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:Malaysian musicians Category:Malaysian singers Category:People from Sarawak

ms:SingleTrackMind

Jeanne Sakata is an American film, television and stage actress and playwright.

Her appearances include supporting roles in episodes of ''Knots Landing'', ''LA Law'', ''Port Charles'', ''Providence'', ''Family Law'', ''ER'', ''Desperate Housewives'' and others. Her first appearance on the big screen was in 1992 in the erotic thriller Poison Ivy. In 2005 she appeared in a minor role as a field reporter in XXX: State of the Union

Sakata has performed in many stage productions, working often with East West Players (EWP) in Los Angeles. In 2002 she won the Ovation Award for Lead Actress in a Play, for her performance in Chay Yew's ''Red,'' at EWP. In 2007, her first play, ''Dawn's Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi'' premiered at EWP.

References

External links

Category:American television actors Category:American film actors Category:American actors of Japanese descent Category:American dramatists and playwrights of Asian descent Category:American people of Japanese descent Category:Living people

name	Misty Copeland
birth name	Misty Copeland
birth date	1982
birth place	Kansas City, Missouri,United States
disappeared date
death date
resting place coordinates
residence	New York, New York,United States
nationality	American
ethnicity	African American
citizenship	United States
education	San Pedro High School
occupation	Dancer
employer	American Ballet Theatre
home town	Los Angeles, California,United States
title	Soloist
website

Misty Copeland (born 1982) is an American ballerina, described by many accounts as the first African American female soloist for the American Ballet Theatre (ABT), one of the three leading classical ballet companies in the United States (along with New York City Ballet and San Francisco Ballet). However, Anne Benna Sims and Nora Kimball, who were with the ABT in the early and mid 1980s respectively, preceded her. In this role as the third African-American ballerina and first in two decades with ABT, she has endured the cultural pressure associated with it.

Copeland is considered a prodigy who rose to stardom despite not starting ballet until the age of 13. By age 15, Copeland's mother and ballet teachers, who were serving as her custodial guardians, fought a custody battle over her. Meanwhile, Copeland, who was already an award-winning dancer, was fielding professional offers. The 1998 legal proceedings involved filings for emancipation by Copeland and restraining orders by her mother. Both sides dropped legal proceedings, and Copeland moved home to begin studying under a new teacher who was a former ABT member.

In 1998, Copeland won the Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Award as the best dancer in Southern California. After two summer workshops with the ABT, she became a member of the Studio Company in 2000, a member of the corps de ballet in 2001, and a soloist in 2007. Stylistically, she is considered a classical ballerina and was regarded as such during her early years in the ABT. As a soloist since the autumn of 2007, she has been described as having matured into a more contemporary and sophisticated dancer.

Early life

Copeland was born in Kansas City, Missouri and raised in the San Pedro community of Los Angeles, California. She is of African, German and Italian descent. Copeland is the youngest of Sylvia DelaCerna's four children from her first marriage. Her siblings from that marriage are Erica Copeland, Douglas Copeland Jr., and Christopher Ryan Copeland. She also has two younger half-siblings, Lindsey Monique Brown (a track star at Chico State University) and Cameron DelaCerna, one each from her mother's second and third marriage. Sylvia DelaCerna, a former Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader, had studied dance.

Copeland never studied ballet or gymnastics formally until her teenage years. However, she did enjoy choreographing flips and dance moves to Mariah Carey songs in her youth. Copeland's natural presence and skill came to the attention of her drill team coach, Liz Cantine, at Dana Middle School in San Pedro. She was first introduced to ballet in classes at her local Boys & Girls Club. DelaCerna allowed Copeland to go to the club after school until the workday ended and Cynthia Bradley, a former working dancer with companies in San Diego, Virginia and Kentucky, taught a free ballet class there once a week. Bradley invited Copeland to attend classes at the small local ballet school, San Pedro Dance Center. However, Copeland initially declined the offer because her mother did not have a car, and her oldest sister Erica was working two jobs. Copeland began her ballet studies at the age of 13 at the San Pedro Dance Center when Cynthia Bradley began picking her up from school. Soon after she and her mother moved to a motel in Gardena, California they signed a management contract as well as a life-story contract, and Copeland moved in with Bradley. She spent the weekdays with the Bradleys near the coast and the weekends at home with her mother, a two-hour bus ride away. By the age of fourteen, Copeland was the winner of a national ballet contest and won her first solo role.

The Bradleys introduced Copeland to books and videos about ballet. When she got to see Paloma Herrera perform at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Copeland began to idolize her as much as she did Mariah Carey. After three months of study Copeland was en pointe. The media first noticed Copeland when she drew 2,000 patrons per show as she performed as Clara in the ''The Nutcracker'' after only eight months of study. A larger role in ''Don Quixote'' and a featured role in ''The Chocolate Nutcracker'', an African American version of the tale that was narrated by Debbie Allen, soon followed.

When she was fifteen years old, Copeland won first place in the Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards and subsequently began her studies with Diane Lauridsen of Torrance's South Bay Ballet at the Lauridsen Ballet Center. The competition was held at the Chandler Pavilion on March 24, 1998, and Copeland said it was the first time she ever battled nervousness. The winners received scholarships between $500 and $2500. Copeland's victory in the 10th annual contest among gifted high school students in Southern California secured her recognition by the ''Los Angeles Times'' as the best young dancer in the Greater Los Angeles Area.

Copeland studied at the San Francisco Ballet School after winning the Spotlight award. While training with Bradley she selected the workshop with the San Francisco Ballet over offers from the Joffrey Ballet, Dance Theater of Harlem and three other companies. As a student, Copeland had a 3.8/4.0 GPA through her junior year of high school.

Custody case

Copeland lived and trained with Cynthia and Patrick Bradley for nearly three years, ending in 1998. During that time she pursued independent study for tenth grade. After Copeland returned from her summer 1998 San Francisco Ballet experience, her mother informed her that she would be staying with her and not resuming her study with the Bradleys. Copeland was distraught with fear that she would not be able to dance. She had heard the term emancipation while in San Francisco; the procedure was common among young performers. The Bradleys introduced Copeland to Steven Bartell, a lawyer who explained the emancipation petition process. Copeland says she understood the process as a way to make everything better. The Bradleys encouraged her to be absent when the emancipation petition was delivered to her mother. Copeland ran away from home for three days and stayed with a friend.

After her mother reported Copeland missing, she was told about the emancipation petition. Three days after running away, Copeland was taken to the police station by Bartell, who filed emancipation papers. Copeland's mother subsequently applied for a restraining order, which included the Bradleys' five-year old son who had been Copeland's roommate. The order was partly intended to preclude contact between the Bradleys and Copeland, but it did not have proper legal basis, since there had been no stalking and no harassment.

In late 1998, a custody controversy occurred involving Copeland. The case was highly publicized in the press (especially ''Los Angeles Times'' and ''Extra''), starting in August and September 1998. Parts of the press coverage spilled over into op-ed articles. In the case, which was heard in Torrance in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, DelaCerna claimed that the Bradleys had brainwashed Copeland into filing suit for emancipation from her mother, and DelaCerna, who was represented by Gloria Allred, filed a series of restraining orders against Bartell, the lawyer who filed the emancipation charges on behalf of her daughter. Allred claimed that the Bradleys had turned Copeland against her mother by belittling DelaCerna's intelligence. The Bradleys were not intimidated by the suits and said they were willing to enforce the management contract, which gave them authority and rights to twenty percent of Copeland's earnings until she became eighteen, via the legal system.

After DelaCerna stated that she would always make sure Copeland could dance, the emancipation papers and restraining orders were dropped. Even though she had dropped the temporary restraining order request, DelaCerna wanted the Bradleys out of her daughter's life. Later in 1998, Copeland, who claimed she did not even understand the term emancipation, withdrew the request after informing the judge that such charges no longer represented her wishes. Eventually, Copeland re-enrolled at San Pedro High School on pace to be a part of her original class of 2000 and began ballet study with Lauridsen Ballet Centre, although it was now restricted to afternoons in deference to her schooling. Afterward, all parties appeared on Leeza Gibbons' ''Leeza'' show. In 2000, DelaCerna stated that Copeland's earnings from ballet were set aside in a savings account and only used as needed.

American Ballet Theatre

As of 2008, Copeland has been the only African-American woman in the dance company for her entire American Ballet Theatre career, nor is there a male African-American since the departure of Danny Tidwell in 2005. In an international ballet community with a lack of diversity, she is a rare African-American ballerina, and although she has been shielded from several issues, she endures the difficulties of cultural isolation as the second African-American ABT soloist ballerina. Since she is often credited as the first African-American ABT soloist ballerina in the press, some describe her as the Jackie Robinson of classical ballet. Copeland also feels that since the ballerina is the focus of the ballet, her role as a trail-blazing performer and role model has extra significance. She is included in the 2004 picture book by former ABT ballerina Rosalie O'Connor that is entitled ''Getting Closer: A Dancers Perspective'' (ISBN 0-8130-2768-3). Copeland's performances with American Ballet Theatre are sponsored by Susan Fales-Hill.

Early ABT career

Copeland auditioned for several dance programs in 1999, and each made her an offer to enroll in its summer program. Copeland performed with the ABT as part of its 1999 and 2000 Summer Intensive programs. During the summer of 1999, the topic of whether Copeland would stay if invited came up, and she responded affirmatively, although her mother insisted finishing high school was important. During that summer, she was told that she would likely be invited to stay after she graduated in 2000 and by the end of the summer she was asked to skip her senior year and join the studio company. Copeland returned to California for her senior year, even though the ABT arranged to pay for her performances, housing accommodations and academic arrangements.

She studied at the Summer Intensive Program on full scholarship for both summers and was declared ABT’s National Coca-Cola Scholar in 2000. In the 2000 Summer Intensive Program, she danced the role of Kitri in ''Don Quixote''. Of the 150 dancers in the 2000 Summer Intensive Program, she was one of six selected to join the junior dance troupe. She joined the ABT Studio Company in September 2000, and became a member of its Corps de ballet in 2001. As part of the Studio Company, which is the ABT's second company, she performed a duet in Tchaikovsky's ''Sleeping Beauty''.

Corps de ballet

Early career reviews mentioned her as more radiant than higher ranking dancers. As a corps dancer she had the opportunity to dance alongside her longtime idol Paloma Herrera. Starting in 2003, she began to be favorably reviewed for her roles as a member of the corps in ''La Bayadère'' and William Forsythe's ''workwithinwork''. Recognition continued in 2004 for roles in ballets such as ''Raymonda'' and ''workwithinwork'', and the 2004 season is regarded as her breakthrough season. In 2005, her most notable performance was in George Balanchine's ''Tarantella''. In 2006, she received a notable mention for her role in ''Cinderella'', and she was acknowledged for her meticulous classical performance style in ''Giselle''. That year, she also returned to Southern California to perform at Orange County Performing Arts Center. Copeland's "old-style" performance continued to earn her praise until her promotion to soloist in 2007.

Soloist

Copeland was appointed soloist in August 2007, which was announced in July 2007. Standing at , she is one of the youngest ABT soloists, and she has been a standout among her peers. In the early fall 2007 New York City Center season, in which avant-garde ballets works were performed, she presented a Balanchine ''Ballo Della Regina'' role. Her solo in this work was highly regarded although, as one of Balanchine's later works, ''Ballo Della Regina'' is not regarded as one of his best productions. Her performances of Twyla Tharp works in the same City Center season were recognized, and she was described as more sophisticated and contemporary as a soloist than she had been as a corps ballerina. As a corps member she had been recognized for prior performances of Tharp's work. Her summer 2008 Metropolitan Opera House season performances in ''Don Quixote'' and ''Sleeping Beauty'' were well-received.

In 2008, Copeland won the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship in the Arts, which funds study with master teachers and trainers outside of the American Ballet Theatre. The two-year fellowships are in recognition of "young artists of extraordinary talent with the goal of providing them with additional resources in order to fully realise their potential". During the 2008–09 season, she received publicity for roles in Twyla Tharp's ''Baker's Dozen'' and Paul Taylor's ''Company B''.

In March 2009, Copeland spent two days in Los Angeles filming a music video with Prince, for the first single from his 2009 studio album ''Lotusflower'', which was a cover of the "Crimson and Clover". Prince caught her by surprise with a next-day invitation to participate in unchoreographed movements. She described his instructions as "Be you, feel the music, just move" and upon request for instruction "Keep doing what you’re doing". During the summer, her Annenberg Fellowship resulted in training for her performance in Balanchine's ''Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux'' adaptation of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ''Swan Lake'' "Pas de Deux". She also began taking acting lessons. That fall, she performed in the ABT's first trip to Beijing November 12 –15. The six-performance engagement was the first by an American ballet company at the new National Center for the Performing Arts.

In October 2010, she performed at the Guggenheim Museum to David Lang's music. During the New York City and New Jersey portions of Prince's Welcome 2 America tour, Copeland took a few nights off from her 2010 role in ''The Nutcracker'' at Brooklyn Academy of Music and performed a pas de deux en pointe to "The Beautiful Ones" as the opening number at the Izod Center and Madison Square Garden. Prince had previously invited her onstage at a concert in Nice, France. Copeland was also featured in T-Mobile's ads for the BlackBerry in 2010. In February 2011, in honor of Black History Month, Copeland was selected by ''Essence'' as one of its 37 Boundary-breaking black women in entertainment. That same month, she toured with Company B, which performed at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London. On April 13 2011, she performed alongside Prince on the ''Lopez Tonight'' show, dancing to the song "The Beautiful Ones." Her Summer 2011 ABT performances were part of a new Alexei Ratmansky ballet as well as a reprisal of ''Giselle'' pas de deux. In the Ratmansky piece, Copeland earned praise for her May and June Metropolitan Opera House performances: "Misty Copeland was a luminous, teasingly sensual milkmaid. I’ll never look at her the same way again," She performed Ratmansky to a Metropolitan Opera audience that included ''Black Swan'' star Natalie Portman. She reprised the role in July at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles with a performance described as "sly". As a flower girl, she was described as glittering in ''Don Quixote''. In August, she performed at the Vail International Dance Festival in the Gerald Ford Amphitheater in Vail, Colorado.

While aspiring to be a principal dancer, Copeland has numerous goals as a dancer, in terms of leading roles. She aspires to perform lead roles in ''Giselle'', Nikiya and Gamzatti in ''La Bayadère'', Juliet in Romeo and Juliet as well as Odette/Odile in ''Swan Lake''.

References

External links

Copeland archive at ''Los Angeles Times''

Copeland at American Ballet Theatre

Copeland's commercial for Blackberry Bold

"Crimson and Clover" video

The Loop 21: Interview with Misty Copeland

1997 Copeland video

Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:People from Kansas City, Missouri Category:American ballet dancers Category:Ballerinas Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:American Ballet Theatre soloists

name	Li Cunxin
birth name	李存信 (Lǐ Cúnxìn)
birth date	January 26, 1961
birth place	Qingdao, People's Republic of China
spouse	Elizabeth Mackey (1981–87)Mary McKendry (1987–present) }}

Li Cunxin (born 26 January 1961) is a Chinese-Australian former ballet dancer and current stockbroker.

Early life

Li was born into poverty in the Li Commune near the city of Qingdao in the Shandong province of People's Republic of China. At the age of eleven and a half, he was selected by Madame Mao's cultural advisors to attend the Beijing Dance Academy, where students endured 16-hour days of training.

He was one of the first students from the Beijing Dance Academy to go to the United States with Zhang Weichang.

International incident

During the 1970s, he joined Ben Stevenson's Houston Ballet company as an exchange student. He began to question his allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party, and began a relationship with an aspiring American dancer, Elizabeth Mackey. They rushed their marriage so that Li could remain in the United States while avoiding deportation. Li wanted to be able to return to China to visit his family, but the Party detained him at its Houston Consulate. This caused a 21-hour international incident at the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Houston, when the Federal Bureau of Investigation surrounded the consulate while American and PRC diplomats debated the issue. Li was eventually allowed to stay, but his Chinese citizenship was revoked.

Career

Li moved to Melbourne in 1995, joining the Australian Ballet as a Principal Artist. Li retired from ballet in 1998 at the age of 37.

Personal life

Li Cunxin married the Australian dancer Mary McKendry in 1987. They have three children: Sophie (1989) Thomas (1992) and Bridie (1997).

Currently Li works as a senior manager for a large stockbroking firm in Melbourne and is also a popular motivational speaker. He was named the 2009 Australian Father of the Year.

''Mao's Last Dancer''

In 2003 Li published his autobiography, ''Mao's Last Dancer''. It has received numerous accolades, including the Australian "Book of the Year" award. In 2008, the children's version of this book, ''Mao's Last Dancer: The Peasant Prince'' (illustrated by Anne Spudvilas), won the Australian Publishers Association's Book of the Year for Younger Children and the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards Children's Book Award.

''Mao's Last Dancer'' was adapted into a 2009 feature film of the same name by director Bruce Beresford and writer Jan Sardi.

References

Mao's Last Dancer ISBN 0-670-04024-X.

External links

Official site

Biography at BookBrowse

Interview at ballet.co.uk (2003)

Transcript of ABC interview (2004)

Video of Li Cunxin speaking at Saxton Speakers Bureau

Li's speaker biography at ICMI

Category:Chinese dancers Category:Chinese ballet dancers Category:Australian people of Chinese descent Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:Australian books Category:2003 books Category:Show business memoirs Category:Maoist China

fr:Li Cunxin pt:Li Cunxin zh:李存信 (舞蹈家)