Misty Copeland retires from ABT after 25 years

Misty Copeland danced her final performance with American Ballet Theatre on Oct. 22, 2025, at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater, marking the end of a 25-year tenure in which she rose from corps de ballet member to a principal dancer who reshaped the public face of classical ballet. The evening, an ABT gala curated in large part by Copeland, featured excerpts from roles that defined her career, speeches from colleagues and public figures, and a live simulcast to Alice Tully Hall for free public attendance.

Copeland, 43, performed a program that included a Swan Lake excerpt, the Juliet balcony pas de deux from Romeo and Juliet with Calvin Royal III, a modern duet in Wrecka Stow by Kyle Abraham, and Twyla Tharp’s Sinatra Suite with Herman Cornejo. Her 3-year-old son, Jackson, joined her onstage during curtain calls. Oprah Winfrey and Debbie Allen were among those who spoke at the gala; Winfrey said, "Misty didn't just perform ballet. She changed it."

The company had offered tickets at face values ranging roughly from $90 to $950, but third-party sellers listed some seats for as much as $4,000 in the days before the gala, prompting criticism that scalpers were profiting from...