Think about recording a humble voice word expressing your deepest admiration and gratitude on your largest dance function mannequin. Now think about sending that voice word—and getting one in return with that function mannequin’s encouragement and recommendation.
Sisters Justice and Nia Religion perceive the ability of that type of communication. The 2 Forbes “30 Underneath 30” honorees have spent years constructing experiences connecting ladies and younger girls with girls leaders within the arts, enterprise, sports activities, STEM, and extra. Now, with the launch of their new firm, Sisters, they’re increasing their mission additional by means of in-person occasions and unique media on-line.
The corporate’s flagship digital sequence, Sisters Notes, connects younger girls with their function fashions by means of voice-note exchanges. Its very first, which went dwell on August 26, was between none apart from ballet and advocacy icon Misty Copeland and dancer, singer, and actress Nia Sioux. (Give it a hear beneath!)
“Sisters began with my very own expertise assembly Misty Copeland once I was 12 years previous,” explains the youthful of the 2 Religion sisters, Nia, who skilled significantly in ballet for a few years. “With the ability to meet somebody who overcame the boundaries I used to be dealing with remodeled what I noticed as doable for myself. It made me take into consideration the unbelievable issues I may do each inside and outdoors of dance.”
Nia’s expertise studying from Misty, she says, was transformative, they usually stay in shut contact. (She and Justice are proud younger patrons of The Misty Copeland Basis and are co-chairs of its annual spring profit.) As each sisters’ careers advanced, they discovered themselves in two completely different sorts of rooms: ones crammed girls leaders of their fields and others with formidable ladies and younger girls. After they did see intergenerational conversations, Nia says, knowledge flowed in a single course, or the grownup world was simplified for women as an alternative of opened to them. “However we would like ladies to be a part of the dialog, and for the ladies to acknowledge that these ladies have one thing to say.” So with the aim of “connecting the dots” between women and girls leaders, the Faiths fashioned their very own firm.
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From left: Nia Religion, Misty Copeland, and Justice Religion on the 2025 American Ballet Theatre Fall Gala. Photograph by Bryan Bedder/Getty Photos for ABT, courtesy Sisters. -
From left: Nia Religion and Nia Sioux. Photograph courtesy Sisters. -
From left: Misty Copeland and Nia Religion in 2015. Photograph courtesy Sisters.
The concept for voice-note exchanges got here from Nia and Justice’s personal experiences as siblings. “We thought, what a cute mechanism to speak by sharing voice notes—one thing that all of us love to listen to from each other,” says Justice. “It goes past simply studying a quote. It truly seems like that is your sister chatting with you.”
Along with Copeland and Sioux’s change, dance followers can stay up for options of extra performing artists. (Take a look at the Sisters launch video, which features a cameo by Nationwide Ballet of Canada second soloist Erica Lall and Howard College dancer Jasmine Grant-Campbell!) Every recording shall be revealed on the corporate’s Instagram web page, so for those who’re ever in want of some motivation, lend your fellow dance sisters an ear.
