I am working with the children that are refugees from Syria and Afghanistan and all over the world, honestly.
Like, wherever they're coming in.
You know, one of my favorite things to do is read with my girls, especially when they were younger.
We'd be in our pajamas, all snuggled in their beds, and we'd read until we couldn't keep our eyes open.
I mean, who am I kidding?
I was always the first one to go to sleep.
I'm basically keeping farmers hours.
I'm just shy of being nocturnal, but I'm getting off topic.
Reading is also a favorite of our first Little Big Shot.
Who's on a global mission to get more kids reading?
Meet Havana.
I've lived in five different countries so far because my parents are diplomats.
Each country I've lived in, I've seen too many girls not in school and not learning how to read, and that's why I'm fighting for girls' education around the world.
A girl with a book is a girl that is unstoppable.
I know, if we educate more girls, they can become leaders and they can be astronauts, whatever they want.
It just starts with reading a book.
People underestimate me every single day.
I may be tiny, but my voice is not.
Every single time I stand up for myself.
Other girls see me and they feel powerful to stand up for themselves too.
And that means Black Girl Magic is changing the world.
One girl is powerful, but a movement of girls is unstoppable.
Hi.
Hi.
Sit down here.
Hello, rainbow.
Havana, everybody.
Everybody, Havana.
Right?
Now, you may be the most traveled nine-year-old that I've ever met.
You've been more places than the average bear, don't you think?
I mean, go backwards.
Give me kind of like the history of your global travel path.
So first it was I was born in Cairo, Egypt.
Already cool.
Can anybody else say that?
Nope, not a single person here.
And then I went to Latvia and then Ukraine, then Latvia, then Mauritania, then Washington DC and now Germany.
Your view of the world is so much bigger than most people, don't you think?
And your parents are diplomats?
Yes.
So all the travels, you guys, like wherever you go, you're carnies like we are.
We go wherever the job is.
We pick up the whole family.
Absolutely.
I think for kids to grow up and really knowing the world like that is so important.
It is.
Very valuable.
That's amazing.
And you started a book club.
Yep.
Tell everybody the name of it, because it has an amazing name and what it means.
Rhymers or readers, hashtag 37 books.
So according to a scholastic study, black kids have 37 less books at home than the white kids.
So I wanted to make up the difference by giving 37 books to the black kids in my choir.
So I made up a book club.
Pretty good.
Pretty good thing to do.
And who's all in your book club now?
Well, I am working with the children that are refugees from Syria and Afghanistan and all over the world.
Honestly,
Like wherever they're coming in.
Yeah, yeah.
I know you told us where you've lived, but where, like?
I get the feeling.
Where have you visited might be like a doozy of a list.
Well, I've been to 32 countries.
What?
Do you live on a plane?
No.
What felt like the most exotic or different place?
Well, technically Australia because the koalas were, like, so beautiful.
And I got to pet one.
Yay.
That's amazing.
You know what's crazy?
I did not get on a plane until I was either 18 or 19.
We have the opposite experiences.
I grew up in a little farm town.
And I think I went to Wisconsin once.
And I was like, whoa!
Wisconsin's crazy!
And you've been all over the world.
And you're helping kids from all over the world.
It's not just books and your book club, although that's a big part of what you do.
But you're helping children in Ghana as well, right?
And is that with clothes and just whatever it is they might need?
I am going there for the refugees to help them learn English by playing games and English games and doing puzzles and stuff like that to help them learn English and get a good education.
Are all diplomats kids like this?
Well, you know Melissa, I think having a cultural broadening of sorts at a young age, it just helps all of us be better global citizens.
And the more we can help each other, there's less differences that we see, especially as children.
I think it's just a wonderful caring opportunity.
Amazing.
Well done on all of you guys.
Now, one of the books most recent books, actually that you've added to your book club list is Firebird, which is this one which is really great by Misty Copeland.
And why did you choose her book?
Because she's one of my idols, so she's really amazing and I really love ballet.
And also Misty is a wonderful and great leader in the world.
That's for sure.
You've actually talked to the author, to Misty, right?
She was about to go on the show for Nutcracker.
Right.
She did this video right before she went on stage.
And she was like, she was so proud of me.
Thank you for taking a stand for what you believe in and making books available to the youth in our communities.
It's so incredibly important, so thank you.
That's amazing.
Well, I love what you're doing.
I think everyone here loves what you're doing.
But I happen to know an author, activist, and artist who's very excited to meet you.
So, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the first African-American female principal dancer with the prestigious American Ballet Theater, Misty Copeland.
Oh, my god, there was a really long intake from you, are you okay?
Are you okay?
You make me so proud and that's what.
That's why i do what i do.
You know it's to make the next generation more than us, and you are proof of that and you just make me so proud.
Um Well, I love everything you stand for.
I love that you're a true artist.
And you just do so much more.
You go so above and beyond.
I think everybody, that's why you are such an icon to so many people.
And I have loved your book.
I have read it at home.
It's just amazing.
And it's very weird.
I'm going to read you something that I love so much from your own book.
Because I think this is a sentiment that runs very deeply in both of you.
My hopes are that people will feel empowered to be whatever they want to be, to feel that they have no limits, just endless dreams that are reachable.
No matter what that dream is.
Oh no, I'm getting choked up.
No matter what that dream is, you have the power to make it come true with hard work and dedication, despite what you look like or struggle with.
Oh my god.
And that is.
That's like you put that, oh, I'm the worst.
I'm the worst.
But I read that to my girls.
And it made us talk about it for like an hour of just what it is to be represented in everything you see, to be represented in the world.
So I want to thank you.
And that you're both doing that is incredible.
Helping other kids read is one of the most generous and impactful things that anyone can do.
And the fact that you're helping displaced children is so inspirational.
So I am donating 50 copies of my book to your book club to help you to continue your unbelievable mission.
And on behalf of myself and Little Big Shots, I'd also like to donate 10000 to your book club so that you can continue doing all of the incredible work that you're already doing.
Oh my gosh.
Thank you so much.
You know what, Havana?
I think someday somebody's going to write a book about you.
That's what I guess.
Misty, will you stay with us?
I think there's another little big shot you might like to meet.
We'll be right back.
If you spend half your life doing something, you're probably going to be pretty good at it.
If I'd spent half of my life working on bird calls, I'd have pigeons all over me, which is also one of my worst nightmares.
But I'm getting off topic again.
My next guest has spent half of her life doing gymnastics, and she totally lives up to her name.
This is Dynamite.
My name's Erin.
I'm eight years old and I'm from North Carolina.
When I walk into the gym, I feel like this is where I was born to be.
For my age, I'm one of the top gymnasts in the nation.
I love gymnastics because it makes me feel free.
My nickname is Dynamite because dynamite comes in a tiny package, just like me.
Gymnastics doesn't come easy for me.
I have to work really hard.
I practice gymnastics so much now I'm homeschooled.
When I'm at home, I'm always thinking about gymnastics.
I do squat for five minutes, flip five times squat for five minutes, and it goes over and over and over again.
My dream for the future is to win a gold medal in the Olympics.
I had a dream about being in the Olympics and I was doing skills that I don't even practice.
I'm going to keep practicing until I reach that goal.
Oh, my God!
I didn't know that was coming or happening.
Oh, my gosh.
Holy dynamite.
I did the exact same entrance during one of our rehearsals, but I just didn't tape it, so I can't prove it.
You think that's true?
Thank you for even pretending that you think I could do that.
OK.
Are you in the gym every day practicing?
Every day except one day.
One day you take off?
Yes.
OK.
I feel more rested.
And when you go for a practice or a rehearsal, how long are you in there for?
Sometimes eight hours and sometimes four hours.
Really?
Holy smokies.
That's intense, because I was going to say, what do you do in a PE class?
Your gym teacher would be like, I got nothing.
I got absolutely nothing.
What are you working on now, where you're like I don't have it yet, but I want to work to get this particular move?
On low beam, I'm working back handspring, step out, lay out, step out, lay out, step out.
Is that possible?
Wait, say that again.
I have to follow that.
What are you working on?
Back handspring, step out, lay out, step out, lay out, step out.
How do you keep yourself?
I mean, I used to do, I say this, I used to do gymnastics, but not like you.
When you're doing all of that, how do you keep Like, do you know in space like, when you're in the air, do you know exactly where your body is?
Do you just have great awareness of where you are?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Even when I did back hamstrings, I was always like, run, cartwheel.
And then somewhere around here, I'm like, best of luck!
And I could do it, but I literally was like, I don't know.
I don't know if I'm up or down.
I just kind of hurled myself backwards.
It was more just aggressive than talent.
Because you do bars, you do tumbling, you do balance beam.
You spend a lot of time on the balance beam.
Is that ever scary for you, or are you just too used to it?
I'm used to it.
You're a tough cookie.
I like it.
Does everybody want to see Dynamite?
You want to go set up?
Ladies and gentlemen, what you are about to see should not be tried at home.
Hold on to your leotards.
This is dynamite.
Oh my gosh.
That was so amazing.
Oh my gosh.
You absolutely live up to your name.
Oh my gosh.
We'll be right back.
On days when you're feeling down, put your headscarf on and look in the mirror and say to yourself bald is beautiful, because you too are beautiful inside and out.
It's about using her difference to help others and using her difference to make other kids go to sleep proud of the way they look.
This is what I do, and it makes me feel better about the way I look.
When life puts an obstacle in front of you, there's only two choices.
You can deny that there is an obstacle, or you can accept it.
Or you can do what my next little big shot did and turn your obstacle into a big beautiful, life-affirming cause and spend your day giggling and helping others.
Personally, I like the third option.
This is Rosie.
Dear Jacob, dear Kate, dear Olivia, my name is Rosie Quinn and I'm eight years old.
I was diagnosed with alopecia universalis at two and a half years old.
And I lost all of my hair in three weeks.
Thank you so much.
Thank you for singing.
Bravo.
Bravo, bravo for Rosie, bravo.
I know what you're going through.
At first, I didn't care about my baldness.
I went up to bald men and said, hello, you're bald just like me.
We're twins.
They would always smile and I would smile too.
But at the age of four, kids started to point and stare.
They would ask me if I was a boy or a girl or even a baby.
It made me cry and I wanted to hide.
When Rosie was first diagnosed, we didn't understand how to help her grow up feeling confident and loving herself, especially in a society that puts so much emphasis on external beauty.
We also felt helpless because we didn't know how to help her and make her smile again.
I'm shaving my dad's head with this eraser.
It has spiky things on it.
Yeah, me too, because it's just hair.
When you shave it, you can feel some air.
Oh, awesome.
Okay, everyone take a seat.
Painting was the only thing that made me happy and forget about being bald.
To me, it's like wiping away all of my sadness with each swipe of my paintbrush.
One day, my parents turned my favorite painting into a headspace.
As soon as she put on that headscarf, Rosie became Rosie again.
And it was beautiful for me as a parent to witness her smiling again.
Perfect.
There you go.
Oh, you got the turtle.
That's a nice one.
She looked at herself in the mirror for five minutes and she immediately asked can I give this to all the bald kids?
For the first time since I lost my hair, I felt beautiful and I wanted to share that beauty with the bald kids everywhere.
That's why I started Coming Up Rosies.
Inside your Coming Up Rosies Smile Kit, you will find a blank canvas, paints, and paint brushes.
We package up these smile kits and we send them to hospitals all throughout the U.S.
The children do their paint on the canvas and they take a picture, email us the image.
Two weeks later, I have a finished scarf and then we mail it directly back to the child.
I hope that scarf returns a smile to your face.
On days when you're feeling down, put your headscarf on and look in the mirror and say to yourself bald is beautiful, because you too are beautiful inside and out.
It's about using her difference to help others and using her difference to make other kids go to sleep proud of the way they look.
This is what I do, and it makes me feel better about the way I look.
You don't need to hide.
You were born to stand out.
Stay strong, stay beautiful, and keep smiling.
Love, Rose.
I told you Rosie makes everything better.
To support Rosie with her amazing work.
Our friends at Kali Power are donating 10000 to her and her parents.
They're also giving her a year's supply of Kali Power pizza.
And our whole audience is leaving here with Kali Power pizza.
Pretty good.
It's delicious.
That is so exciting.
Thanks, Miss Melissa.
You're so generous to give us $10,000 for coming to Rosie's, and this will help us grow so much.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Simply put, dancers dance seven days a week, hours and hours a day.
People talk about good lines or good feet, but they often don't understand the strength, endurance and commitment that ballet demands.
Ballet's exquisite grace and beauty can only be achieved through a dancer's blood, sweat and tears, something my next Little Big Shot knows all about.
This is Corbin.
My family's like a really big sports family.
My dad was an NFL football player.
I used to play football with my dad.
It was always so much fun.
As I got older, I felt like I wanted to try something else.
When I walked into the dance studio for the first time, I felt like I was where I was meant to be.
Dancing changed my life.
When I'm dancing, I feel free.
I feel like I can be me.
Ballet is actually a lot harder than football and you have to have a lot of muscle and strength.
A lot of people don't understand that because football is like more of a manly sport.
When I'm dancing I can feel my parents in the crowd and I know that they're proud of what I've done, because my dad brags at the table about me to my brothers.
It makes me happy that my family's happy because they're proud of me and what I've done.
Corbin, I mean this in the best way, but you even walk like a dancer.
There's people that dance, but then when someone is a dancer, everything's a little better.
Yeah.
Do you think that because you're so good that sometimes people don't think you have to work for it?
Well, that's a lot of the time people tell me that, but like it's really like hard and it takes so much work to do.
Oh, yeah.
No, I don't think they're right, but it's like I think, when you're as good as you are, people are like well, he can just dance.
Yeah.
You talked about your dad played.
Your mom and dad are up there, that he played professional football.
You said it's more of a man's sport.
What do you mean by that, just how it's perceived?
Yeah, well, people say a lot of the time that it's a lot easier than other sports.
And it's like- That dancing's easier?
Yeah.
And that it's like for girls and it's not meant to be like a man's work, but it's actually really, really athletic.
And people don't really get that unless you really... It's crazy athletic.
Yeah.
I mean, I also love that you guys, you're obviously an athletic family.
You have three boys, right?
Yes.
Yes.
So you have like no food in your house.
No milk.
It's like as you're unpacking groceries, there's just three boys sitting there like that.
Do they all play sports?
Yes.
Yes.
When you were training and playing, because I know there's sometimes a lot of football players will take ballet for strength training and agility.
Did you ever do any ballet?
Actually, I did do some ballet, not a lot of ballet.
But Corbin, he used to play.
Like the games are played the little kids play first and then the big kids play after that.
And his brother would play in the games after him.
And Corbin would play in his game, take his uniform off and then come halftime in his brother's games.
He would perform at halftime.
That's right.
He would dance at halftime.
So it was always in his blood.
Yeah, I would say so.
How many hours a day do you practice?
I would say about like eight.
Really?
Yeah.
You dancers are crazy.
How do other kids that are your age, what do they think of your style of dance, of ballet?
In my state where I live, a lot of the people who I know are actually really supportive of my dance.
When I first started, people were like, dancing?
Really?
You're a dancer.
But now it's more like people understand.
Yeah, i love that you're not only showing them that anyone can do it if they want to, also that you're really good at it.
Thank you and um, if i could be honest, i love talking to you, but i'm also dying to see you dance.
Um, and if it's okay, there's someone here today that also wants to watch you dance.
It's missy copeland, and is that Okay if she would come and watch you dance?
Okay, once again, Missy Copeland!
Missy's coming out!
I mean, I don't usually double surprise people, but come on.
Oh, my gosh.
I am so excited to watch you.
You are stunning.
Thank you.
And the way that you articulate your art form and express what it means, like, it's so beautiful.
Thank you.
All right, why don't you go get ready?
You are all in for such an amazing experience.
Misty, do you have any questions about what he's going to do or you know if any of the moves like the spins?
I think you just, you guys just call them spins, right?
Yeah, yeah.
Twirls?
No.
OK, I think that should be fine.
Twirls and spins, don't be afraid to ask me.
Ladies and gentlemen.
Corbyn.
Oh, my gosh.
I mean, holy.
If anyone wasn't a fan of ballet before, they are certainly one now.
I want to thank Misty Copeland for being here with us today and being such an inspiration, and for not making fun of me when I asked about spins.
Well, Herman, you are just, you're spectacular.
I hope that I'm not retired by the time you're big enough to dance with me.
But I know how much hard work and sacrifice goes into being a dancer as well as being a boy and being a brown boy and being in ballet and your strength and your humility and your dedication it's setting an example for so many to come after you um so i don't even know if you want these but i have a pair of fine point shoes that I'd like to give to you.
Yes.
Also on behalf of myself and Little Big Shots, I'm giving you a check for 10000 to help you continue on your dance journey and with your training.
I can't wait to see where your career takes you.
Amazing.
Missy Copeland and Corbin, everyone.
We'll be right back.
Elvis Presley was a very important part of my childhood.
My mom, Sandy McCarthy, is a diehard fan and she made sure that we had a deep appreciation of the king.
My first little big shot knows what I'm talking about, but has taken his appreciation of rock and roll to the next level.
This is Finley.
Hi, my name is Finley and I'm from Bernie, Missouri.
Most kids listen to pop music and rap music, but I love to pay tribute to rockabilly artists.
When I did my first show in front of a crowd, I was five.
I just kept performing and I just kept getting more popular, and now I get to perform all over the world.
When I was four years old, I saw a billboard of Elvis and I went home and looked him up and I fell in love with his music.
In order to look like Elvis, the main thing is dyeing my hair, and I also have to dye my eyebrows, because they're also blonde, you know, and it'd look weird if they were blonde.
I try to study every move he does and the way he touches his nose and all that stuff.
And he did this a lot.
He just did that a ton.
Maybe his nose was itching that day or something.
I love rockabilly music so much that now, every day when I go to school, I wear my hair in a pompadour like this
It's important to me to share this kind of music with the younger generation.
Like at my school, I've taught a lot of kids.
None of them knew about Elvis or Johnny Cash or Jerry Lee, but now they've heard me talk about it so much.
They all know who they are.
And are they digging it?
Not really, but they know at least.
Before I go on stage, I'm always really excited because I love the crowd's reaction and I love rockabilly and blues music.
Hi!
Hi!
How are you doing?
Good.
How are you?
Good.
That's an entrance.
I love anyone who has their own style.
It's just immediately, I'm like, oh, I should do something better.
When did you first just go, this is it?
We was going on a family vacation.
And I was already taking guitar lessons.
And I saw a billboard of Elvis.
And I asked my mom who it was.
And I went home and looked him up.
And I fell in love.
How old were you?
I was only four.
You saw him, and you just said that.
Yes.
And it's never changed.
I mean, you love all different musicians, but Elvis is really your main thing.
Did you start singing right away?
I went home and found out that there was Elvis tribute artists and I decided that's what I wanted to do.
Well, you're certainly doing it, aren't you?
Now, what's the biggest group of people you've ever played in front of?
2,000 people.
Where?
Oh, my god.
I thought you were going to say, like, 20.
It was in Las Vegas.
I love that you can say you've played Vegas.
That's so awesome.
Now, how many, I mean, I know you're crazy on the piano.
But you don't just play piano, right?
No, I play five instruments, and I'm learning two more.
That's great.
That's amazing.
So you play piano.
I play guitar.
I play ukulele.
I play bass, and I play drums.
And what are the two other ones you would learn?
I'm learning harmonica and saxophone.
Oh, that's great.
Now, do you think your look is kind of like an amalgamation of all the different greats?
Is it Cash?
Is it Presley?
Is it a little bit of different people?
Or do you stick straight to Elvis?
Normally whenever I do a show, I do the first half as Elvis.
In the second half, I'll do all my other tributes.
So I usually wear something like this that's, you know, something like a little bit like Johnny Cash would wear and something a little bit like Jerry Lee would wear.
I love Johnny Cash.
And what was your first, like how old were you when you had your first Elvis?
I was only four years old whenever I got my first award.
Do you still have it?
Yes, we do, actually.
I was going to say, that's what you want to keep.
Are you thinking about any new tributes?
I'm actually learning two new tributes.
Who is it?
Can you say?
It's Elton John and Freddie Mercury.
Oh!
That's awesome.
When you're doing different people, do you get kind of into character to get into whichever musician you're paying tribute to?
I would say so, because you have to move like them and sing like them.
How, when this started at four, did you think that this was going to continue?
At first we thought it would just be a little bit, but it was every day, all day long, and he never stopped.
And he would make us all sit around if we got that first little outfit.
The whole family had together, and he performed for all of us over and over.
Did you ever get to meet anyone that was close to Elvis?
I got to meet his cousin, Louise Smith.
And I actually became really good friends with her.
Did you really?
And she died in August.
I'm sorry.
He has really good friends with her.
And she even gave me one of Elvis' guitar picks.
You think maybe for her and for all of us, would you play something for us tonight?
Yes.
I won't scream too much.
And if I do, I think you're used to it.
I think you're used to it.
How about we hear fiddling?
It's going on Baby shake, baby shake Shake, baby shake What you thinkin'?
Hold on, she ain't goin' on All right, guys, I'm Yolanda.
I mean, come on!
Are you kidding me?
I mean, whoo!
That's how you do it.
Good night, everybody!
Welcome to the Little Big Shots YouTube channel.
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