Reflecting on Misty Copeland’s Legacy as She Prepares to Retire From American Ballet Theatre (1388 hits)
Editor Lydia Murray
Read Dance Magazine‘s interview with Misty Copeland on her career so far, retiring from American Ballet Theatre, and what excites her about the future of ballet Misty Copeland’s final bow at American Ballet Theatre—after 25 years at the company, 10 of them as a principal dancer—marks the end of an era. The first African American woman to reach the company’s top rank, she has changed the face and culture of ballet, moving the art form forward. And despite changing social and political tides, her legacy seems poised to endure.
Copeland, whose last performance with ABT is scheduled for October 22, introduced the world to a new kind of ballerina. She achieved the success denied many Black female ballet dancers before her, and her voice was as clear and valued offstage as it was onstage. An artist of technical and artistic brilliance, she has advocated for racial justice, empowered artists to take charge of their own careers, and revealed the physical and emotional effort behind the beauty of ballet.
By opening doors for Black and brown dancers and publicly overcoming adversity, Copeland transcended dance. She fostered a sense of belonging. Through her visible hard work and determination, she challenged one of ballet’s elitist norms: that women can only wield power through the illusion of effortless strength, and that success should appear not as the product of overt striving, but only as a kind of innate gift.
