Close Sidebar close
Valdosta State University – The Bonfire
  • Home
  • Campus Life
  • Academics
  • Students
  • Alumni
  • Community
  • Valdosta State Homepage

  • Home
  • Campus Life
  • Academics
  • Students
  • Alumni
  • Community
  • Valdosta State Homepage
Valdosta State University – The Bonfire
Valdosta State University – The Bonfire
    Campus Life

    Meeting Misty: A VSU Experience

    April 6, 2018

    Misty Copeland, left, and John Stephen, right, smile for a photo at an on-campus event. 

    Meet John Stephen. 👋

    John works as a communications specialist in the Office of Communications at VSU.

    John is also a dancer and a ballet enthusiast.

    John recently met American ballet star, Misty Copeland, at VSU, and this is what he had to say about it.

    _____________________

    There she was, right in front of me, the five-foot-two ballet goddess herself. Dressed in her Under Amour gear and all smiles, Misty Copeland breezed into the dance studio at the University Center around lunchtime on Tuesday, April 3, and graciously greeted the VSU dance students who were eagerly waiting to take class with her.

    I was there not as a dancer but as a communications specialist for VSU, ready to observe and gather information on her much-anticipated campus visit. But as a former dancer and lover of all things ballet, I was on cloud nine. The one and only Misty Copeland — the Beyoncé of the dance world, the world-renowned ballerina who is featured on massive billboards and in high-end fashion commercials, and the one who has graced the most prestigious stages around the world — was right here in Valdosta at our university. (If you don’t know her, Google her and prepare yourself to be amazed.)

    I’ve followed Misty’s career for years, watching as she stunned audience after audience with her irresistible dancing and overcame so many obstacles to become the first female African-American principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre (ABT) in New York City. It felt surreal to see her in real life, not on a screen or even from a distant balcony but in the up-close-and-personal setting of a local dance studio.

    Misty was everything I expected her to be and more. I almost fainted watching her flawlessly execute the dance combos only a few feet away from me. She was kind, generous, and down-to-earth when she chatted with all of us after class. (She really was so chill and easygoing. Stars, they’re just like us!) Her keynote talk that ended her day at VSU had me laughing and crying and feeling so inspired. So in case you’re wondering, yes, she is as great as everyone says she is — a living legend in my book.

    And the whole experience happened right here at Valdosta State University, not in the Big Apple or La La Land. As a VSU alumnus and now a university employee, I’ve had a lot of big-city experiences at our mid-sized university, like meeting science guru Ira Flatow and sharing the Front Lawn with Gov. Nathan Deal. And because Valdosta and VSU have a special small-town, small-school feel, the experiences we have here are usually more intimate and personal than the ones we might have in bigger cities — experiences, for example, like getting to hang out with one of the most celebrated ballet dancers of our time. No. big. deal.

    _____________________

    • What Red Symbolizes for VSU

    • Pauley Perrette Shares Her #VState Experience

    You Might Also Like

    Treasures From The Archives: Explore VSU’s Yesteryears In Photos

    October 16, 2019

    Meet Sigma Gamma Rho!

    August 12, 2021

    Meet Iota Phi Theta!

    August 12, 2021

    No Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

About The Bonfire

The Bonfire is the blog of Valdosta State University. Here accomplishments are celebrated, hard work is applauded, new experiences are encouraged, and, most importantly, Blazer stories are told. Join us as we live, laugh, discover, and make a difference together around the Bonfire.

Latest Posts

  • Young Alumni Spotlight: Abria Bonner

    March 7, 2022
  • VSU Love Stories

    February 14, 2022
  • Meet Sigma Gamma Rho!

    August 12, 2021
  • Meet Iota Phi Theta!

    August 12, 2021
  • Meet Phi Beta Sigma!

    August 12, 2021
Tweets by Valdosta State

Instagram

  • We can't wait to see all of our Blazers back this fall for something like this 🤩🫶

#VState #BlazerNation
  • Tell us one good thing that happened to you today 😄
  • LIVE NOW: As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re talking with Abria Bonner, Staff Counselor at VSU’s Counseling Center, about resources for students, techniques for managing stress and anxiety, how to talk to your friend about their mental health, and so much more.
  • There’s no commencement like a #VState commencement 🎓

Congratulations again Spring ‘22 grads!
  • Today is the day we’ve been waiting for 🎓🎉 Class of 2022 we are so proud of all of you!
  • It’s commencement week! 🎓

#VStateGrad

Follow @ValdostaState

(C) 2019 Valdosta State University. All Rights Reserved.