NEW YORK (AP) — Misty Copeland hangs up her pointe shoes Wednesday, putting a final exclamation point on a trailblazing career in which she became an ambassador for diversity in the very white world of ballet — and a crossover star far beyond.
Copeland will be feted in grand style as American Ballet Theatre devotes a gala evening to her retirement after 25 years with the company. Copeland joined ABT as a teenager and became, a decade ago, the first Black female principal dancer in its 75-year history.
In a way, the gala will be both a return and a departure for Copeland. She’ll be dancing with the company for the first time in five years. During that time, Copeland has been raising a young son with her husband.
She’s also been continuing her career as an author — the second volume of her “Bunheads” series appeared in September — and working to increase diversity in the dance world with her namesake foundation, including “Be Bold,” an afterschool program designed for young children of color.
But Copeland decided to dust off the pointe shoes so she could have one last spin on the ABT stage — including a duet as Juliet, one of the most passionate roles in ballet. Though she has not closed the door on dancing altogether, it’s clear an era is ending.
“It’s been 25 years at ABT, and I think it’s time,” Copeland, 43, told The Associated Press in an interview in June, when she announced her retirement. “It’s time for me to move to the next stage.”
She added: “You know, I’ve become the person that I am today, and have all the opportunities I have today, because of ballet, (and) because of American Ballet Theatre. 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.”
The evening at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater will be streamed live to nearby Alice Tully Hall across the plaza, with attendance free to the public — another sign of Copeland’s unique brand of fame in the dance world.
Copeland was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in San Pedro, California, where she lived in near poverty and through periods of homelessness as her single mother struggled to support her and five siblings.
For a future professional dancer, she came to ballet relatively late — at 13 — but soon excelled and went on to study at the San Francisco Ballet School and American Ballet Theatre on scholarship opportunities. After a stint in the junior company, Copeland joined ABT as a member of the corps de ballet in April 2001, becoming a soloist six years later.
In June 2015, Copeland was promoted to principal dancer. Unlike other promotions, which are announced quietly, Copeland’s was announced at a news conference — a testament to her celebrity. Only days before, she’d made a triumphant New York debut in “Swan Lake” in the starring role of Odette/Odile, drawing a diverse and enthusiastic crowd to the Metropolitan Opera House.
In the AP interview, Copeland acknowledged that it’s striking that when she leaves ABT, there will no longer be a Black female principal dancer at the company (on the male side, acclaimed dancer Calvin Royal III was promoted to principal in 2020).
“It’s definitely concerning,” Copeland said. “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.”
She also noted this is an especially trying moment for anyone working in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion.
“It’s a difficult time,” she said. “And I think all we can really do is keep our heads down and keep doing the work. There’s no way to stop the people that feel passionate about this work. We will continue doing it.”
