On Wednesday night, Misty Copeland will tie the ribbons on her pointe shoes, gracefully spin and twirl and delight audiences at Lincoln Center and around the world. But just for one last time: Copeland, the first Black female principal at the American Ballet Theater and one of the art form’s biggest crossover stars, is retiring after 25 years with the company.
Her retirement is, in many ways, not surprising. Copeland, 43, has been away from the stage for five years, focusing on her family and working with her namesake organization, the Misty Copeland Foundation, which aims to bring greater diversity, equity and inclusion to the dance world.
Copeland has worked hard to pry open the white world of ballet to Black and brown communities. As she told The New York Times Magazine in June when she announced her retirement, her 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.”
“So many young Black and brown people didn’t even know Lincoln Center was a place they could step foot in,” she said.
When Copeland takes her last bow tonight, she’ll leave behind a changed dance landscape. Here’s a look back at her consequential career.
Aimee Ortiz covers breaking news and other topics.
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