Listen to Misty Copeland and Nia Sioux Exchange Voice Notes Courtesy of a New Company: Sisters
Imagine recording a humble voice note expressing your deepest admiration and gratitude for your biggest dance role model. Now imagine sending that voice note—and getting one in return with that role model’s encouragement and advice.
Sisters Justice and Nia Faith understand the power of that kind of communication. The two Forbes “30 Under 30” honorees have spent years building experiences connecting girls and young women with women leaders in the arts, business, sports, STEM, and more. Now, with the launch of their new company, Sisters, they’re expanding their mission further through in-person events and original media online.
The company’s flagship digital series, Sisters Notes, connects young women with their role models through voice-note exchanges. Its very first, which went live on August 26, was between none other than ballet and advocacy icon Misty Copeland and dancer, singer, and actress Nia Sioux. (Give it a listen below!)
“Sisters started with my own experience meeting Misty Copeland when I was 12 years old,” explains the younger of the two Faith sisters, Nia, who trained seriously in ballet for many years. “Being able to meet someone who overcame the barriers I was facing transformed what I saw as possible for myself. It made me think about the incredible things I could do both within and outside of dance.”
Nia’s experience learning from Misty, she says, was transformative, and they remain in close touch. (She and Justice are proud young patrons of The Misty Copeland Foundation and are co-chairs of its annual spring benefit.) As both sisters’ careers evolved, they found themselves in two different kinds of rooms: ones filled women leaders in their fields and others with ambitious girls and young women. When they did see intergenerational conversations, Nia says, wisdom flowed in one direction, or the adult world was simplified for girls instead of opened to them. “But we want girls to be part of the conversation, and for the women to recognize that these girls have something to say.” So with the goal of “connecting the dots” between girls and women leaders, the Faiths formed their own company.
The idea for voice-note exchanges came from Nia and Justice’s own experiences as siblings. “We thought, what a cute mechanism to communicate by sharing voice notes—something that we all love to hear from one another,” says Justice. “It goes beyond just reading a quote. It actually sounds like this is your sister speaking to you.”
In addition to Copeland and Sioux’s exchange, dance fans can look forward to features of more performing artists. (Check out the Sisters launch video, which includes a cameo by National Ballet of Canada second soloist Erica Lall and Howard University dancer Jasmine Grant-Campbell!) Each recording will be published on the company’s Instagram page, so if you’re ever in need of some motivation, lend your fellow dance sisters an ear.
