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A <i>Real</i> American Role Model

She made headlines and history by becoming the first African-American female principal dancer at the prestigious American Ballet Theatre, she debuted on Broadway in the hit showand launched her MindLeaps Girls' Program in Rwanda, which uses dance to prepare disadvantaged youth for school.
Tavis Smiley
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PBS talk show host, PRI radio host, NYT bestselling author

PBS talk show host, PRI radio host, NYT bestselling author
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Glamour's Magazine's Women of the Year honoree Misty Copeland visits the Empire State Building's 86th floor observatory in honor of Glamour Magazine's "Women of the Year Awards" on Monday, Nov. 9, 2015, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Glamour's Magazine's Women of the Year honoree Misty Copeland visits the Empire State Building's 86th floor observatory in honor of Glamour Magazine's "Women of the Year Awards" on Monday, Nov. 9, 2015, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Ballet dancer Misty Copeland has had quite the year in 2015. She made headlines and history by becoming the first African-American female principal dancer at the prestigious American Ballet Theatre, she debuted on Broadway in the hit show On the Town and launched her MindLeaps Girls' Program in Rwanda, which uses dance to prepare disadvantaged youth for school. It is no surprise that she landed on Time's list of 100 Most Influential People. She's putting an exclamation point on her remarkable year by performing in ABT's new production of The Nutcracker, which runs through December 20th at Costa Mesa's Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

In the clip below, the trailblazing ballerina speaks on accepting her newfound responsibility as a role model and mentor for young girls.

For more of our conversation, be sure to tune in to Tavis Smiley on PBS. Check our website for your local TV listings: www.pbs.org/tavis.

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