Ballet icon Misty Copeland has officially taken her final bow.
On Wednesday, October 22, the 43-year-old trailblazing dancer celebrated her last performance with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT), marking the end of an extraordinary 25-year journey. The event, titled “A Celebration Honoring Misty Copeland,” took place at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City as part of ABT’s Fall Gala.
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Copeland made history in 2015 when she became the first Black female principal dancer in the company’s 85-year history — a milestone that changed the face of classical ballet forever.
After a five-year break from the stage, Copeland returned to perform one last time, surrounded by her peers, fans, and supporters. The emotional evening featured dance performances, heartfelt speeches, and video tributes chronicling her groundbreaking career. The celebration was co-chaired by Caroline Kennedy and Oprah Winfrey, underscoring Copeland’s cultural and artistic impact.
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Ahead of the performance, Copeland told People that her advice to young dancers is to always “try to find the joy.” She added, “It’s one of the hardest things in the world to do, but you have to remember the joy — and why you do it.”
Throughout her career, Copeland has been an outspoken advocate for diversity and inclusion in ballet, working tirelessly to make the art form more accessible to people of color. In a June 2025 interview with The New York Times Magazine, she reflected on her legacy: “My whole career is proof that when you have diversity, people come together and want to understand each other and want to be a community together.”
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She also spoke about how her visibility has inspired new generations of dancers. “So many young Black and brown people didn’t even know Lincoln Center was a place they could step foot in,” she said. “When they see my poster on the front, they feel like it opens their minds up to a whole new world.”
Beyond the stage, Copeland’s influence has extended into writing, philanthropy, and production. She founded the Misty Copeland Foundation, co-founded Life In Motion, a production company, and authored several children’s books and memoirs, including her popular 2020 title Bunheads.
In her New York Times interview, she reflected on the barriers she faced in an art form long dominated by narrow beauty and body standards. “Black people have been told for generations, ‘You all have flat feet, your butts are too big, your thighs are too big,’” she said. “It’s about opening your mind to the possibilities of what can be created when you see something done on a body in a way that you’re not used to.”
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