THE MISTY COPELAND FOUNDATION INC

The Misty Copeland Foundation (MCF) continued to offer its signature BE BOLD program in 2024, serving over 700 children ages 5 to 12 at 15 community-based organizations in Harlem and the Bronx. BE BOLD was conducted over two 12-week semesters, with sessions meeting twice a week for one hour per class. The program also offered a truncated program during the summer months, running from 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the site.BE BOLD encourages children to explore dance components such as alignment, strength, sequencing, and teamwork. They also learn about the history of ballet and dancers of color. BE BOLD students explore elements of music, such as tempo and rhythm, as well as the musical instruments that provide live accompaniment to their dance lessons. By participating in the program, children develop positive mindsets and traits, such as leadership, curiosity, and kindness, gaining enduring skills and knowledge they carry with them beyond the classroom.During 2024, BE BOLD involved caregivers through a program orientation and an end-of-term celebration that showcased the children's creative growth. Additionally, the MCF provided families with free tickets and transportation to professional performances, promoting art appreciation among traditionally under-resourced audiences. Opportunities during 2024 included a gala performance by the Dance Theatre of Harlem, with a piece featuring the BE BOLD Program Director and Teaching Artists, as well as performances by Ballet Hispanico, Limn Dance Company, American Ballet Kids Program, and an ABT - Studio Company Rehearsal. Students also attended a rehearsal of Unite, the Ballet Festival directed by Calvin Royal III at The Joyce Theater in August.The MCF continued to forge collaborative partnerships to strengthen BE BOLD. In early 2024, the MCF worked closely with the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) to recruit and train student musicians who would become BE BOLD Teaching Artists. This relationship helps MSM students develop additional skills like improvisation, music cueing, tempo awareness and adjustment, and more.BE BOLDs active teaching artist roster in 2024 was 40 (25 dance educators and 14 musicians). Intensive teaching artist training remains a cornerstone of MCFs professional development initiatives. Day-long and weekend-long in- depth training workshops were held in September, February, and June.MCF has improved the continuity and consistency of program delivery across our community partner sites during the past year. To achieve this, the MCF made several programmatic, curricular, and pedagogical adjustments to the BE BOLD framework based on impact assessments, program analysis, and evaluations. In addition, the MCF created a new staff position, the BE BOLD Program Coordinator, to assist the BE BOLD Program Director. The Coordinator started in August 2024.BE BOLD Year 2 Impact ReportRigorous evaluation has been a vital component of BE BOLD since its inception. The findings guide program development. The MCF began collecting student data in fall 2024 and uses its new BE BOLD growth chart to track student progress across nine indicators: coordination and endurance, posture and placement, terminology, artistry, musicality, leadership, persistence and resilience, self-regulation, and joy. Teaching artists provide each student with one glow (a strength) and one grow (area for improvement) to encourage progress and effort. This information aids in program evaluation, as well as student engagement and growth.The MCFs Year 2 Impact Report was released in September 2024, demonstrating that across most components of childrens program engagement (affective, behavioral, and cognitive), BE BOLD students sustained their levels of engagement for the duration of the program year. Data shows that for nearly all students, participation in BE BOLD was associated with growth in qualities that the program seeks to cultivate in its students: leadership, curiosity, persistence, and appreciation of dance and music. The report contained site directors observations that childrens attendance increased when BE BOLD was offered, reflecting the program's popularity and positive impact on students lives. In addition, children expressed a strong desire for more program sessions, underscoring BE BOLDs success in reaching students and making ballet fun