Ballet legend Misty Copeland came out of retirement for an electrifying performance at the 98th Academy Awards ceremony. The iconic ballerina closed out the performance of “I Lied to You,” the Oscar-nominated song from Sinners.
Led by singer and actor Miles Caton and musician Raphael Saadiq, the cast of Sinners welcomed a star-studded ensemble of Black performers, such as Brittany Howard and Shaboozey, to recreate the riveting “Pierce the Veil” scene from the movie. In this part of the film, Caton’s character Sammie soulfully sings at a Mississippi juke joint, opening a portal that ties together the history of music and dance. From traditional Zaouli masked performers to break dancers, we can see past, present, and future figures reveling together.
Though she was not in the movie herself, Copeland’s presence on the Oscars stage is seamless. “In the movie, Misty is referenced by the red ballerina [a dancer who leaps and twirls across the frame during the surreal “I Lied to You” sequence], a choice that was very intentional, echoing her iconic Firebird costume,” creative producer Serena Göransson (and wife to “I Lied to You” co-writer Ludwing Göransson) told Vogue. “We used to joke on set, ‘Maybe one day we’ll get to do this with the real Misty Copeland.’”
Copeland’s appearance was the ultimate example of the dancer’s vision of how resilience can turn pain into beauty. Having taken her final bow with the American Ballet Theatre last October, Copeland underwent hip replacement surgery. “Since then, I’ve been focused on healing—physically, mentally, and patiently,” she wrote on Instagram, recounting how she had to learn to walk again. “Recovery isn’t glamorous, but every small step matters.” She even choreographed her own moves to keep herself safe within her body’s current limitations.
For her performance, Sinners’ director Ryan Coogler wanted Copeland to wear a costume that represented one of the iconic roles that she danced in her career. “And I think Firebird really connected to the film and the song in particular, in which there are all of these different spirits of history and culture and music and dance coming up.” The chosen design was a costume created by Geoffrey Holder for the 1982 production of Firebird at Dance Theatre of Harlem.
While Copeland’s performance at the Oscars comes on the heels of her calling out Timothée Chalamet’s comments (“no one cares”) about opera and ballet, her participation was not related to that controversy. Her being part of the number had been planned for months, even as she continues doing physical therapy. “I just felt like it was a really important moment that I didn’t want to miss,” Copeland says. “It’s an incredible opportunity to put ballet on this stage and for it to be seen in a different light.”
You can watch Copeland setting the Oscars stage ablaze below.
Ballet dancer Misty Copeland came out of retirement for an electrifying performance at the 98th Academy Awards.
This beautiful performance is only months after having hip replacement surgery and relearning how to walk.
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The iconic ballerina closed out the performance of “I Lied to You,” the Oscar-nominated song from Sinners.
Copeland set the Oscars stage ablaze with her appearance:
Misty Copeland comes out of retirement to put Timothée Chalamet in his place during a live ‘Sinners’ performance at the #Oscars. pic.twitter.com/EhUIOEw8jg
— New York Magazine (@NYMag) March 15, 2026
Watch the full performance here:
Sources: Ballet, Dead? Not on the Oscars Stage, Where Misty Copeland Just Wore a Piece of Dance History
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