Coco Kopelman Reflects on Her Time at the School of American Ballet: "It Was Like a Degas Painting"
Close your eyes and think about your favorite artist. Is it Mió? Or Picasso? Twombly or Carvaggio perhaps? Now think about how their work makes you feel, where they've brought you, and how they've shaped your life.
Coco Kopelman has sat on the board of the School of American Ballet (SAB) for nearly 30 years. Last night, she was honored at the school's 90th Anniversary Ball (alongside Suki Schorer, who is one of the last dancers and SAB teachers to have been personally trained by George Balanchine), but, some may say that her relationship with the school began many years ago when she was a young girl fascinated by Degas.
"As a child, I would spend time at the impressionist wing of the Met. I loved Degas and the feeling his works gave me; the aspirational dream of being a ballet dancer," Kopelman tells T&C. "There were certain paintings that depicted students sitting on the side, or a mother brushing the hair of their daughters before a performance. I remember these, some sketches, some finished paintings, and they are images that remain in my head."
Those paintings moved Kopelman to take action: she became a pupil at the school from 10 to 14 years old, when the studios were far less grand than its Lincoln Center home today. "I saw these beautiful young girls with mothers brushing their long manes. 'This is a Degas painting' I thought." There was one studio room in particular that caught Kopelman's attention. "It was dedicated to the older students and was sometimes used with Mr. Balanchine. I would see luminaries on the stage there, and I knew them all because I had seen them all perform. From then on, I knew what the school and dance meant to me. I have a clear memory of starting as a timid 10-year-old who didn't know if they'd belong. When I made it, the message was 'you belong here' and I felt exhilarated."
Flash forward to the mid-90s, and Kopelman got involved with the School of American Ballet theater in a different capacity after a board member noticed her interest in the institution's benefits. Today, she's been a part of the school's mission to nurture dance students and maximize their ability to pursue their passions professionally for nearly 30 years.
"I've learned so much having been on the board," she says. "When I started, the school was very traditional and still adhering to the philosophies of George Balanchine. Tradition at the school continues, but along the way, the mood of the country is changing and things are becoming more elastic. It's not just about doing a Balanchine ballet, but how these students can be the best they can be in their bodies and minds. I respect the School of American Ballet, and how it's adapted to being a modern institution."
Kopelman recently addressed an obstacle for students: the demand for pointe shoes, and the need for students to acquire many of them throughout their careers. With her husband, Arie Kopelman (who also serves as Chanel's Vice Chairman of the Board), she started the Coco F. Kopelman Pointe Shoe fund which will essentially provide assistance to students who might otherwise be 'priced out' of ballet. "I've been speaking to Arie for years about the Pointe Shoe fund. Beyond tuition, pointe shoes are another financial burden. You have to get them replaced frequently, and you can get injured dancing on worn shoes," she says. "The board is given a wishlist that includes everything from helping finance scholarship and endowment, and I think this was one area that really appealed to me also."
For Kopelman, this fund, as well as serving on the board of the School of American Ballet, is a labor of love that ultimately preserves a form of beauty essential to society. "For dancers, you're not reaching out to the world when you dance. You're doing something for yourself. At the school, you learn a craft that is relevant for life," Kopelman says. "I knew I wasn't going to be a dancer, but I still think about those lessons from my youth."
And to think: it all started because of those quiet moments with the work of a French painter who loved dance.
To learn more about the Coco F. Kopelman Pointe Shoe fund, please visit Sab.org.
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