Watch Misty Copeland take her final bow at American Ballet Theater
Misty Copeland, the first black woman to be a principal dancer at the famed American Ballet Theater, has taken her final bow for the company.
For Misty Copeland, the word “perfection” is always on her mind.
But the ballerina, who was the first black woman to be a principal dancer at the prestigious American Ballet Theater, took her final bow with the company in October 2025. Her one-word theme for next year is “accuracy.” She prioritizes consistency in her health and wellness journey and listens to her mind and body over striving for perfection.
Copeland is affiliated with American nutritional supplement and vitamin brand Nature Made and spoke at the company’s panel discussion on January 22nd. Before the event, USA TODAY spoke with Copeland about motherhood, health, and why she needed hip replacement surgery after her farewell performance.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Question: Ballet is known to be a physically demanding sport. How has your relationship with health and the way you take care of yourself changed since you retired last fall?
Answer: I’m not sure if much has actually changed since “retiring”.
What do you think about that word?
I haven’t retired from anything. The only thing is that I left American Ballet Theater (ABT). Having been an athlete and dancer for 30 years and professionally for 25 years, I have learned a lot about myself, taking care of my body, and what that means to me. For me, it’s a holistic lifestyle choice. It’s not about diet or exercise fads. Ballet taught me how to approach life. Even though I’m no longer dancing with ABT, I still have the same mindset in terms of prioritizing my overall health and what that looks like. I think the big change was having hip replacement surgery 4 weeks ago. So, I couldn’t move. But that’s all part of getting older and being an athlete. Experiencing something like this is a good learning experience. It’s part of accepting the beauty of having a body, how strong and powerful it is, and what you can bounce back from. In other words, nothing has changed. Because throughout most of my career, I’ve had pretty clear ideas about messaging and the importance of being a positive role model for the next generation, the importance of being physically active, being part of a sport or art form, and making it accessible to everyone. It’s definitely still a big part of my daily life.
Did you experience hip pain while dancing?
Yes, when I was preparing for my farewell performance. I’ve never had hip pain throughout my career, but when I was preparing to return to the stage last year, it was really bad. And the actual performance was really painful. Then I found out I had to have a hip replacement.
How do you deal with that? You’re having a hard time, but it’s also important emotionally. Even though you’re saying goodbye, another side of your head is dealing with this pain. What was that like?
It’s hard to know, but maybe I’m like this because I’m an athlete? Is it because you’re a ballet dancer? Or am I like this because I am who I am? I feel like I’m good at breaking things down and focusing on the task at hand. I’ve had injuries throughout my career and also had to deal with outside noise. Specifically, as athletes, we’re good at focusing on the task at hand and not letting it affect anything else.
How does that translate into balancing parenting and personal health while caring for young children (Jackson, 3, and husband Ol Evans)?
When you think about health, it’s really a holistic approach. It doesn’t have to be difficult. These should easily fit into your routine. It’s not like, “Oh, I’m going to take all my vitamins at this time.” It’s, “How can I organically fit this into my lifestyle?” You need to keep things simple, basic, and easy, especially when you have kids. Our partnership with Nature Made was so beautiful and natural. Because they have the same idea of a holistic approach. It’s not like a vitamin or supplement comes in to save you…it’s something that supports the way you’re already living.
You are on the Met Gala committee. How did it go?
Art is a very important part of my life, and my involvement with the Metropolitan Museum of Art was really meaningful to me. For me, it’s not just this party that people want to be a part of, but what do we really want to say? How does it impact our society and community? My son lives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s an important part of our daily lives, and what it means to him to walk into a space like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and feel like you see yourself reflected in the art. It’s really powerful that they came to me at an early stage and watched it take shape, and what they taught me through their own experiences in terms of what it means to have diverse bodies within an art form. It’s well deserved and I’m proud to be a part of it this year.
This year’s theme is costume art.
Yes, it’s costume art, but it focuses on the body and its range throughout history, and how that has influenced art, especially women’s art.
I told you that “retirement” is not the right word. I’m about to leave ABT. What’s next for you in terms of performance or involvement with dance on the back end?
Throughout my career, I have not only been on stage as a performer, but I have also been an advocate and spokesperson for change and diversity in the art form. I will continue to do that work forever. I recently joined the board of American Ballet Theatre. I serve on the boards of Lincoln Center and The Shed, and I also founded the Misty Copeland Foundation. We have three programs in the Bronx and Harlem that aim to bring dance to communities that don’t have access to or opportunities to participate in dance. It’s so ingrained in my DNA that dance will always be a part of it. It has given me every opportunity and it has made me the person I am today. Through my production company, feature films and various animated series are in the works, and I continue to write books. I think I’m currently reading my 11th book. But again, they’re all within the same theme and message. The importance of art and physical activity, health and wellness, and giving back to the community.
