The 46th Annual Bucksbaum Distinguished Lectureship

An Evening with Misty Copeland

Drake University’s Spring Bucksbaum Lecture to feature famed ballerina and diversity advocate Misty Copeland.

Date: April 2, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
Location: Knapp Center, Drake University
Registration: The event is free and open to the public with no registration required. A clear bag policy will be enforced at the venue.
Moderator: Sally Dix, president of Bravo Greater Des Moines.

Livestream: Can't make it to the event? Watch the event live at live.drake.edu

About the Speaker

Misty Copeland, an award-winning ballet dancer and cultural icon, will deliver the Spring 2025 Martin Bucksbaum Distinguished Lecture. Copeland will share her experience as the first Black woman to be named a Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theater and her work with The Misty Copeland Foundation.

Copeland is an award-winning ballet dancer and has performed some of the most iconic classical ballet roles, including Odette/Odile in Swan Lake; Juliet in Romeo & Juliet; Giselle; Manon; Coppelia; Kitri in Don Quixote; The Firebird, and more.

She established Life in Motion Productions, a company dedicated to telling diverse and inspiring stories. She’s an avid philanthropist and ambassador of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and MindLeaps, an arts education program based in Rwanda that helps young people get off the streets and into an academic setting to provide inspiration and enhance their lives.

In 2022, Copeland launched The Misty Copeland Foundation and its signature program, BE BOLD, to champion diversity, equity, and inclusion in dance, particularly ballet. The following year, she expanded her influence into athletic wear with the women’s line of Greatness Wins.

As a New York Times bestselling author, Copeland has written Life In Motion, Ballerina Body, Black Ballerinas, and a picture book titled Bunheads. She is also the author of the award-winning children’s picture book, Firebird.

For more information, please visit https://mistycopeland.com/ or follow Misty on Instagram and X at @mistyonpointe, and on Facebook and LinkedIn: @Misty Copeland.

Learn more about the Lectureship

• List of Previous Lectures, Dates, and Topics
• DVD Recordings available at Cowles Library
• Feedback Form & Mailing List
• Campus Directions

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The Martin Bucksbaum Lectureship Series is made possible by a gift from the late Melva and Martin Bucksbaum. The Martin Bucksbaum Lectureship Committee includes Dr. Kelly Bruhn (chair), Dr. Neil Hamilton, Mary Scanlon, Pam Bass-Bookey, Janis Ruan, Marcia Wanamaker, Eleanor Zeff, Bob Riley, Julie Stewart, Liz Hatfield, Dr. Richard Deming, Dr. Cassity Gutierrez, and Eva Kellen. Thanks to a recent additional gift from the Bucksbaums, the well-established lecture series now includes two lectureship tracks—the Bucksbaum Lectureship in Business, launched in Fall 2023, and the original Bucksbaum Distinguished Lectureship. 

Questions? For more information, contact Erica Hartschen, at 515-271-4990 or erica.hartschen@drake.edu.