American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Misty Copeland will bid farewell to the company with a final performance at ABT's Fall Gala October 22, at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. The gala will include a selection of works from Copeland's repertoire, as well as video tributes and surprise performances.
Misty Copeland joined the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company in 2000, and the ABT corps de ballet in 2001. She was promoted to soloist in 2007, and to principal dancer in 2015, becoming the first Black female principal dancer in the company's history. That same year she made her Broadway debut, when she joined the cast of On the Town in the role of Ivy Smith. Copeland's farewell performance will also be her first appearance on stage in five years.
Said Copeland in a statement: "I could never have imagined the life ballet would give me. To dance on the world鈥檚 greatest stages, with artists I admire so deeply, has been one of the greatest gifts of my life. My time with ABT has shaped me not just as a dancer, but as a person, and given me the platform to reach back and make space for others. This moment isn鈥檛 a farewell, it鈥檚 a celebration of everything we鈥檝e built together, and a step toward all the work that鈥檚 still ahead.鈥�
In 2021, Copeland established the Misty Copeland Foundation, with the mission of providing children in under-resourced communities to engage with dance and ballet. The foundation's BE BOLD dance initiative now conducts after-school programs at 15 community organization sites in the Bronx and Harlem.
鈥淢isty is a once-in-a-generation artist whose brilliance transcends the stage,鈥� said Susan Jaffe, Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre. 鈥淗er legacy at ABT is profound鈥攏ot only through the roles she鈥檚 redefined but also through the lives she鈥檚 inspired. Misty鈥檚 advocacy for inclusion, equity, and education ensures her impact will resonate far beyond this moment.鈥�
For more information about ABT's Fall Gala and Copeland's farewell performance, visit .
