Culture for the Culture
Life in Motion Productions was co-founded by world-renowned ballerina and activist Misty Copeland and two-time Emmy-winning writer and producer Leyla Fayyaz, with the mission of bringing more diverse representation of artists within the traditional and new media landscapes. Life in Motion seeks to expose audiences to inspiring and entertaining art and culture-based stories, past, present, and future, in an impactful, empowering way.
-
![]()
Misty Copeland on Her Short Film ‘Flower’ and Transitioning From the Ballet Stage to the Big Screen
-
![]()
HollyShorts Film Festival Announces Lineup Packed With Projects From Eva Longoria, Tom Hanks, Queen Latifah, Tom Holland, Ben Proudfoot, Alden Ehrenreich And More
-
![]()
Famed ballerina Misty Copeland spotlights Oakland, social issues in new film
-
![]()
Misty Copeland is putting on for her village of dancers by paying it forward
-
![]()
Ballerina Misty Copeland Previews ‘Flower,’ First Project for Her Life in Motion Productions (EXCLUSIVE)
Meet Our Co-Founders
-
Misty Copeland is a Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre, the first Black woman to be promoted to the position in the company's 75-year history in 2015. She 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; and Firebird.
Copeland is an avid philanthropist and is an ambassador of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, of which she is also an alum, and is the founder of The Misty Copeland Foundation. She is a bestselling author of several adult and children’s books and is co-founder of Life In Motion Productions, as well as the athletic wear brand Greatness Wins.
Copeland is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Time Magazine Time 100 Most Influential People in the World, Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year, Black Girls Rock! Award, and most recently, the Spingarn Medal, the NAACP’s highest honor.
-
Leyla Fayyaz is an Emmy-Winning journalist, writer and producer with nearly two decades experience in broadcast television, working for major media companies like Sony Music, Cablevision, Fox Entertainment/ O&O, Disney/ABC and Viacom/Comedy Central. Fayyaz began her career in the entertainment industry as a professional ballerina with American Ballet Theatre upon winning the Grand Prize at the very first Youth America Grand Prix competition.
She is an alumnus of the HARID Conservatory and recipient of their Jeannot B. Cerrone Award for outstanding artistic achievement.
In 2015, Fayyaz co-founded Life in Motion Productions with Misty Copeland with a goal of bringing more representative voices to multimedia platforms, with a focus on dance-based narratives.