On a glittering night at Lincoln Center in New York City, Misty Copeland took her final bow as a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre (ABT), closing a chapter that has forever changed the face of ballet in America. The fall gala on October 22, 2025, wasn’t just a retirement party—it was a celebration of a woman who, over a 25-year career, became both a trailblazer onstage and a force for inclusion off it.
The scene at the David H. Koch Theater was electric. Golden confetti rained down as Copeland, 43, was showered with hugs, flowers, and standing ovations from colleagues, friends, and family. Her 3-year-old son, Jackson, clad in a tiny tuxedo, joined her onstage for a curtain call, embodying the next generation Copeland hopes to inspire. For those unable to afford the $5,000 gala tickets, ABT streamed the event live to Alice Tully Hall, making sure hundreds more—many from communities Copeland has long championed—could witness her farewell for free.
Copeland’s journey to this moment was anything but typical. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in San Pedro, California, she spent her childhood in near poverty, at times homeless as her single mother struggled to provide for Misty and her five siblings. She only discovered ballet at age 13—a late start in a field where most dancers begin as toddlers—but her talent was undeniable. By 18, she’d joined ABT’s corps de ballet. Six years later, she became the company’s second African American female soloist, and in 2015, she broke the ultimate barrier as ABT’s first Black female principal dancer in its 75-year history.
“Misty didn’t just perform ballet,” Oprah Winfrey told the audience during the gala, as reported by the Associated Press. “She changed it. She redefined who belongs, who gets to be seen, and who gets to lead.” Debbie Allen, another luminary who paid tribute that night, echoed those sentiments: “She’s inspired millions of people around the world and hopefully, American Ballet Theatre will not wait another 50 years before they have another beautiful Black principal dancer.”
Copeland’s final performance was a carefully curated journey through her favorite roles. She began as Juliet in the balcony pas de deux from “Romeo and Juliet,” partnered by Calvin Royal III—himself a history-maker as ABT’s first Black male principal dancer in two decades. The pair later reunited for a modern duet in Kyle Abraham’s “Wrecka Stow,” a world premiere created for the occasion. For her last dance of the night, Copeland chose Twyla Tharp’s “Sinatra Suite,” sharing the stage with longtime partner Herman Cornejo. The program, which doubled as a celebration of ABT’s 85th anniversary, featured film clips and tributes that underscored her impact on the company and the wider dance world.
Yet Copeland’s legacy extends far beyond the stage. Throughout her career, she’s been an outspoken advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in ballet—a field long dominated by white dancers and rigid traditions. As she told CNN, “I’ve experienced difficulties being a Black woman when you stand out, especially in the corps de ballet when it’s supposed to look uniform, and everyone kind of in the same tones wearing pink tights, which represent the color of your skin. And that wasn’t always the case.” For a decade, Copeland was the only Black dancer among roughly 100 in the company. She often had to color her pink pointe shoes with foundation to match her skin tone, a practice she highlighted in a viral 2023 TikTok video. That same year, she launched a petition—“Let’s Make a Pointe!”—urging Apple to diversify its pointe shoe emoji, calling out the subtle ways dancers of color have been excluded.
Her advocacy didn’t stop with symbolism. Copeland created the “Be Bold” afterschool program through her foundation, aiming to make ballet accessible for children of color. She’s also authored books, including the “Bunheads” series, and used her celebrity to open doors for others. “Although I’ll be saying farewell to the stage, I’ll always be committed to opening doors, creating space, and making ballet a place where everyone belongs,” Copeland wrote in a public Instagram post before her final show.
Susan Jaffe, ABT’s artistic director, summed up Copeland’s dual impact: “On stage, she broke barriers and redefined what it means to be a ballerina, inspiring generations with her artistry, strength, and grace. Off stage, she has used her voice to open doors and expand access to ballet and the arts. Her impact is still being defined, but there is no question it will be felt for decades to come.”
Copeland’s influence is already visible in the new generation of dancers. India Bradley, promoted this month as the first Black female soloist at New York City Ballet, credits Copeland for blazing a trail: “She has completely left a snail trail for us to glide down a lot easier than the women before her,” Bradley told CNN. “People don’t think of Black women in a way where we are an option to be soloists and principals and higher ranks in these companies. I genuinely just—before Misty—don’t think that they thought of us in that way. And I think that she forced it to happen.”
Still, barriers remain. When Copeland steps away, ABT will once again have no Black female principal dancer. At New York City Ballet, Bradley is the first Black woman soloist, but there’s never been a Black woman principal. At the Paris Opera Ballet, there’s just one Black ballerina in the highest rank. Copeland herself acknowledged the ongoing struggle in her June interview with the Associated Press: “It’s definitely concerning. I think I’ve just gotten to a place in my career where there’s only so much I can do on a stage. There’s only so much that visual representation … can do. I feel like it’s the perfect timing for me to be stepping into a new role, and hopefully still shaping and shifting the ballet world and culture.”
Copeland’s celebrity has reached far beyond ballet’s traditional audience. She’s appeared in a Prince music video, toured with the musician, written a best-selling memoir, and served as a guest judge on “So You Think You Can Dance?” Her performances have drawn record crowds, with traffic gridlocking highways as fans clamored to see her dance. In 2015, her promotion to principal dancer was announced not quietly, as is customary, but in a public news conference—a sign of her unique standing in American culture.
As she steps away from regular performance, Copeland isn’t closing the door on dance entirely. “It’s been 25 years at ABT, and I think it’s time,” she told the Associated Press. “It’s time for me to move to the next stage. I feel like this is me saying ‘thank you’ to the company. So it’s a farewell. (But) it won’t be the end of me dancing. … Never say never.”
For now, the ballet world pauses to honor a woman who not only danced with unmatched artistry but also opened doors for those who will follow. Every flower tossed at her feet, every cheer from the audience, is a testament to a legacy that’s only just begun to unfold.
