Misty Copeland is retiring and moving to the next stage

Ten years ago this month, Misty Copeland sat in front of a hastily arranged news conference at American Ballet Theatre, fighting back tears of pride over her new role: principal dancer. “This is it,” she said, with emotion. “This has been my dream since I was 13.” The occasion was highly unusual — normally, when a dancer is promoted, a brief press release is issued. But this was Copeland, a crossover star with fame far beyond the insular world of ballet.

And now she was becoming the first Black female principal in the company’s 75-year history — just days after her New York debut as the lead in “Swan Lake” brought a refreshingly diverse, packed audience to the Metropolitan Opera House. Now, a decade and many accomplishments later, Copeland is retiring from the company she joined as a teenager.

“It’s been 25 years at ABT, and I think it’s time,” Copeland, 42, told the Associated Press last week ahead of Monday’s official announcement of her move. “It’s time for me to move to the next stage.” The company is planning a splashy farewell on Oct. 22, featuring performances by Copeland — for the first time in five years — and other dancers. There will be speeches and film clips. And Copeland, who’s been heavily involved in the planning, will get a chance to venture one more time onto that balcony in Verona; she’ll dance again in the beautiful “Romeo and Juliet” pas de deux. Honorary chairs for the evening will be Caroline Kennedy and Oprah Winfrey.

A lot has happened in a quarter-century. Copeland, whose success brought new energy to an art form that has always been overwhelmingly white, has authored a number of books, including a memoir and and several works for young people. The second installment of “Bunheads” arrives in September, and more are already planned in a series she calls “a reflection of my journey, showing the range of cultures and types of people that can be a part of the ballet world.” Copeland has also made a short film with her production company. And her philanthropic organization, The Misty Copeland Foundation, works on increasing diversity in the dance world and giving more kids who grew up economically disadvantaged, like she did, the chance to dance.

What does this moment mean? Is ballet a chapter that’s now ending for you?

You know, I’ve become the person that I am today, and have all the opportunities I have today, because of ballet, (and) because of American Ballet Theatre. I feel like this is me saying thank you to the company. So it’s a farewell. (But) it won’t be the end of me dancing. ... Never say never.

Who are some of the partners you’ve most enjoyed working with?

I think about my partnership with (former ABT principal) Roberto Bolle and him giving me so many opportunities to travel the world with him ... (Former ABT principal) Marcelo Gomes, he’s been such a such a big part of my journey, and of course Herman Cornejo. We’ve had a beautiful partnership throughout my career and I’m excited to dance with him again (at the October farewell,)

So you’ve got the foundation, you’ve got the writing career, the production company. Which of those areas do you think you’ll be focusing most on?

It’s been pretty evenly split between all of then. I think it just depends on what’s at the forefront and what needs my focus. ... But it’s exciting to be able to utilize dance in so many different mediums, and to me, that’s how you get true diversity - by giving people different entry points into learning about dance and feeling like they can be a part of it, which has been my goal. How do I bring dance to as many people as possible in a way that really works for them?

Associated Press