After 25 years with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT), Misty Copeland, the first Black woman ever promoted to principal dancer in the company’s history, says she couldn’t have picked a better time to leave the spotlight.
In a deeply reflective interview with Gayle King on CBS Mornings, Copeland said her decision to step away from performing is pivotal for the arts when diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are being rolled back across the country.
Far from retreating, she believes this is the perfect time to shift her influence to shape the system.
“I think it’s the exact right time for me to be stepping off the stage,” Copeland said. “The impact that I can have off the stage is going to be greater than what I’ve done. It’s been 25 years that I’ve been a Black body on this stage… but it’s more than just being seen.”
Copeland, who rose from a modest upbringing in California to redefine what ballet looks like at its highest level, has long used her platform to advocate for broader access and representation in the arts.
Now, she says her focus will be on changing the structures that have historically kept ballet exclusive, from who teaches to who makes decisions in boardrooms.
“It’s the schools. It’s how we’re getting teachers who look like the children they’re serving,” she told King. “It’s about getting board members who represent a greater group of people. There’s so much work to be done and it’s exciting to me.”
Her words hit at the heart of a national debate: while ballet companies celebrate diversity in casting, many critics argue that real equity must start behind the scenes, in training programs, funding, and leadership.
Copeland’s next chapter seems poised to confront that reality head-on.
Her transition marks not an end, but an evolution. The dancer who once broke barriers at center stage is now preparing to rebuild the stage itself and make room for more faces, more voices, and more stories.
As she put it simply: “There’s still so much work to be done and I’m ready to do it.”
