Misty Copeland in Swan Lake. (Photo: Queensland Performing Arts Centre/Darren Thomas, courtesy of American Ballet Theatre)
After 25 years, famed ballerina Misty Copeland has retired from her career with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT). Copeland marked the occasion with a final performance, held on October 22 at Lincoln Center in New York, following a five-year hiatus from the stage.
“After 25 years with ABT, I took my final bow surrounded by the company and community that have shaped my life and career,” Copeland wrote in an Instagram post. “I’m deeply honored to continue my connection to ABT as a member of the Board of Trustees, supporting the next generation of dancers and storytellers who will lead this art form forward.”
Copeland first joined the ABT Studio Company, ABT’s junior company, in 2000, and later moved over to ABT as a member of the corps de ballet in 2001. By 2005, she was promoted to soloist and, in 2015, she became the first African-American woman promoted to principal dancer in ABT’s 85-year history. Since then, Copeland has been a staunch advocate for increasing diversity, representation, and inclusivity within the dance industry, as seen through the Misty Copeland Foundation, which she founded in 2021.
“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,” Copeland told The New York Times in an interview earlier this year. “So many young Black and brown people didn’t even know Lincoln Center was a place they could step foot in.”
Susan Jaffe, ABT’s artistic director, echoed the sentiment: “It was so important for children growing up and seeing somebody like Misty. Through her books, through her lectures, even her endorsements, she has really been a trailblazer.”
Copeland’s farewell performance honored that legacy, incorporating dances with her fellow ABT peers, speeches, film clips, and an onstage surprise by her husband and son. Notable guests like Oprah Winfrey, Debbie Allen, Jim Parsons, and Phylicia Rashad were in attendance alongside a sold-out audience of more than 2,500 people, for whom Copeland performed everything from a pas de deux from Romeo & Juliet to choreography set to Frank Sinatra’s songs “That’s Life” and “My Way.”
Still, Copeland has acknowledged that there is still more work to be done. Now, upon her exit from ABT, there is no longer a Black female principal dancer at the company. That’s partially why Copeland is pivoting toward her eponymous nonprofit, which aims to make ballet more affordable and accessible, particularly for children.
“I think I’ve just gotten to a place in my career where there’s only so much I can do on a stage,” Copeland told AP. “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.”
Famed ballerina Misty Copeland retired from her 25-year career with the American Ballet Theatre after a farewell performance at Lincoln Center on October 22.
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In 2015, Misty Copeland became the first the first African-American woman promoted to principal dancer in ABT’s 85-year history.
Misty Copeland in Romeo and Juliet. (Photo: Rosalie O’Connor, courtesy of American Ballet Theatre)
Misty Copeland in Firebird. (Photo: Rosalie O’Connor, courtesy of American Ballet Theatre)
Misty Copeland performing in “Coppélia” in 2014. (Photo: Naim Chidiac Abu Dhabi Festival via Wikimedia Commons, CC 4.0)
Misty Copeland: Website | Instagram
American Ballet Theatre: Website | Instagram
Sources: Misty Copeland broke barriers in ballet. Now she’s retiring and moving to ‘the next stage’; Misty Copeland Will Take Her Final Bow; Misty Copeland takes final bow with American Ballet Theatre; Misty Copeland Changed Ballet. Now She’s Ready to Move On; American Ballet Theatre, The Misty Copeland Foundation, and Lincoln Center Present Free Simulcast of Misty Copeland’s Historic Farewell From ABT at Alice Tully Hall On October 22, 2025
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