Audiences watched American ballerina Misty Copeland give her final bow with the American Ballet Theater (ABT), saying farewell to the stage and hanging up her pointe shoes for the last time on Oct. 22.
Copeland danced with ABT for 25 years, slowly making her way up through the ranks. She first joined the company in 2000 at just 17 years old. 15 years later, Copeland made history when she became ABT’s principal dancer, becoming the first Black woman to do so in the history of the company.
Copeland’s journey was a bit unconventional according to ballet standards. Many dancers begin their journey as toddlers, but Copeland didn’t begin her studies until she was 13. Her website details her entire career path.
Copeland was discovered by dance teacher Cindy Bradley at her local Boys and Girls club. In an interview with Palos Verdes Pulse, Bradley explained how she coaxed a then shy, young Copeland to participate in dance class. Once Copeland was out on the dance floor, Bradley immediately understood her talent.
“I looked up at her and although she was really tiny, I saw a halo of light shining all around her, and I just had a feeling that this was one of the most special students I would ever teach,” Bradley said to Palos Verdes Pulse.
Eventually, Copeland moved in with Bradley’s family to further her ballet training. With five siblings, a single mother and temporary living situations, Copeland simply didn’t have the resources to pursue ballet while living at home. Doing so allowed Copeland to focus on dance without the stress of her home life. Bradley served as a mentor to Copeland both in dance and in life, giving her the support and opportunities that eventually led her to ABT.
“When I lived at Cindy’s house, I started to develop physically because I was getting nutritious food,” Copeland said in an interview with WAMU American University Radio. Later on she adds, “It also was the first time I was in a stable environment that wasn’t chaotic, that I could hear myself think. It was peaceful.”
A defining moment of Copeland’s career was in 2012, when she was given the alternate principal role in choreographer Alexei Ratmansky’s Firebird. She described it as an important moment for Black dancers all over the world.
“I remember just knowing the audience had completely shifted and changed that night,” Copeland said in an interview with CBS News. “Seeing young and old and Black and Brown and everything in between step into the theater because they felt that they could be in there, they were represented.”
Racism within ballet, and dance as a whole, isn’t new. Black and Brown dancers are institutionally excluded from professional spaces, and classism often keeps Black people and people of color from seeing professional theater productions.
One example of these exclusionary practices are the colors of pointe shoes, or lack thereof, that are available to dancers. In a clip from her online masterclass, Copeland explained how she had colored her own pointe shoes brown to match her skin tone due to a lack of options. Most pointe shoes come in the color European Pink.
Knowing this makes Copeland’s success as a ballet dancer even more significant. The backlash and ridicule that comes from being a Black performer in a predominantly white field is no small feat and only adds to the challenges Copeland faced.
“[Black dancers are] being told they don’t fit in,” Copeland said in a 2015 profile interview with 60 Minutes. “They won’t have a successful career. They don’t have the bodies. Even to this day, I hear that I shouldn’t even be wearing a tutu. I don’t have the right legs. My muscles are too big.”
These criticisms are just a small part of the challenges Copeland faced throughout her professional career. Despite these difficulties, Copeland remains successful in dance and has solidified her impact in the world of ballet.
An unforgettable performer, Copeland said farewell to the stage and ABT at her Fall Gala Celebration, celebrating 25 years of excellence with the company and the cultural impact she has left in ballet. Though she said goodbye, Copeland will remain a worldwide legacy and a reminder to dancers all over the world — especially Black dancers — that they deserve to take up space on the stage.
Sydney Easterday is an Arts & Entertainment Intern for the fall 2025 quarter. She can be reached at seasterd@uci.edu.
Edited by June Min and Annabelle Aguirre