Misty’s Last Bow
Misty Copeland finished her legendary career as a ballet dancer with a wonderful performance.
© Rosalie O’Connor Photography, courtesy of American Ballet Theatre
Misty Copeland takes a bow after her farewell ballet performance on October 22, 2025.
When Misty Copeland joined the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) ballet company in 2001, she was ABT’s only Black woman dancer. Copeland became a star, inspiring many people to start dancing. So when she gave her last performance on October 22, the night became a celebration of a wonderful career.
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1982, Copeland began taking ballet classes when she was in middle school. In 1998, when she was 15, she won first prize in a ballet competition. That summer, she was awarded a full scholarship to a summer ballet program with the San Francisco Ballet in California. Two years later, she won a scholarship to take part in ABT’s summer program, followed by an invitation to join the ABT studio company for young dancers in training.
© Rosalie O’Connor Photography, courtesy of American Ballet Theatre
Misty Copeland dances with Calvin Royal III during her farewell performance on October 22, 2025.
In 2007, Copeland became the ABT’s first Black female soloist in 20 years. In a ballet company, a soloist is a dancer who is featured in leading roles and has the opportunity to dance alone during some performances.
In 2015, the ABT chose Copeland to become its first-ever Black principal dancer. The principal dancers are the highest-ranking members of a ballet company, performing the biggest and most difficult roles in every ballet. Copeland was featured in many ballets, including The Firebird and Swan Lake, which relied on their stars to play characters and tell a story with their movements.
© Hiroyuki Ito/Getty Images
Misty Copeland and the American Ballet Theatre perform the ballet Don Quixote in 2017.
During her long career as a dancer, Copeland used her fame to promote diversity in ballet. In 2021, she started the Misty Copeland Foundation. The foundation introduces children of all backgrounds to ballet and gives them an opportunity to learn this special form of dance.
For her final performance, in October, Copeland danced in portions of several ballets. Speakers at this event included business leader and TV host Oprah Winfrey and actor and dancer Debbie Allen. Both Winfrey and Allen spoke about how Copeland changed the face of ballet by opening the door for Black dancers.
“Misty didn’t just perform ballet,” Winfrey said. “She changed it. She redefined who belongs, who gets to be seen, and who gets to lead.”
