If you love ballet, you can feel when a chapter closes and a new one opens. Misty Copeland the first Black female principal at American Ballet Theatre takes her final bow at ABT’s Fall Gala on October 22, 2025. It’s a bittersweet celebration of a path-breaking career that changed how young dancers, especially Black girls, picture themselves on the world’s biggest stages.
As we say thank you to Misty, a different kind of excitement is building around a new name many of us have been cheering for: India Bradley, now a soloist with New York City Ballet. Together, their stories tell a bigger truth about where ballet is heading, and who gets to lead it.
Why This Moment Matters
Misty’s retirement is not an ending so much as a landmark. She didn’t just dance the roles, she expanded the map. From her promotion to principal in 2015 to the way she brought ballet into mainstream conversations, Misty widened the doorway and refused to let it swing shut behind her. The visibility she created on and off stage helped shift the culture. That’s showing up now in the rise of artists like India Bradley who are carving their own lane, not as “the next Misty,” but as fully formed artists with their own point of view.
If you’ve followed my writing, you know I care about what this representation means in real studios and classrooms: the moment a child sees someone who looks like them dancing lead, and decides to keep going. That ripple effect is the real legacy.
Misty Copeland: A Career That Reframed the Stage
Let’s honor what Misty achieved. Across a 25-year career at ABT, she brought power, lyricism, and purpose to every role—while carrying the weight of “first.” That visibility came with extra eyes and expectations, and yet she kept showing up with grace and grit.
Even in recent years as she focused on family and the Misty Copeland Foundation, she stayed committed to opening doors, funding programs, and telling stories that make ballet more reachable for the next generation. Her farewell at Lincoln Center is a celebration of all of that work—and a reminder that her influence doesn’t end when the curtain falls.
For more of my thoughts and context on her impact, read:
- Misty Copeland Announces Retirement: A Farewell to the Prima Who Changed the Game – My Ordered Steps
- With Misty Copeland Announcing Her Retirement, Here Are 9 Black Ballerinas You Should Know – My Ordered Steps
India Bradley: Not “Next Misty”—Just India
India Bradley’s rise is its own story. Detroit-born, NYCB-trained, and now listed among the company’s Soloists, Bradley brings cool musicality, crisp lines, and a modern sensibility that glows in Balanchine and beyond. Her ascent isn’t a handoff; it’s a fresh chapter.
In 2024, India became the first Black woman in NYCB’s history to dance Dewdrop in The Nutcracker—a milestone that tells you how deep the change needs to go and how far we’ve come. Her dancing has range: buoyant allegro one day, long-legged lyricism the next. There’s an ease in the music that draws your eye before you even clock the step. She commands space without forcing it—one of those artists who can turn a phrase by shifting the breath inside a port de bras. That’s artistry you earn in class, onstage, and in the quiet hours when no one is watching.
Want to explore her official bio and current repertory? Start here: India Bradley | New York City Ballet.
How to Get Free Simulcast Tickets in NYC
Here’s the part I love sharing: if you’re in New York City, you can be part of Misty’s farewell night for free. ABT and Lincoln Center are presenting a live simulcast of the Fall Gala—Wednesday, October 22—at Alice Tully Hall. Complimentary tickets will be distributed day-of starting at 4:00 p.m. at the box office, two per person, first-come, first-served. The simulcast begins around 6:15 p.m. Arrive early, bring a friend, and soak up the energy of a historic night.
If You Go (NYC Simulcast Tips)
- Arrive early. Ticket distribution starts at 4:00 p.m. Lines will form. Bring water, a light jacket, and patience.
- Two tickets per person. If you’re coming as a group, coordinate your pickup strategy.
- Showtime. The simulcast is slated to begin around 6:15 p.m. Give yourself time to settle in.
- Make it a teachable moment. Prep students with a quick bio on Misty’s career and a look at India Bradley’s roles at NYCB: India Bradley | New York City Ballet and Misty Copeland Announces Retirement: A Farewell to the Prima Who Changed the Game.
The Thread Between Them
The headline is a “farewell” and a “rise,” but the story underneath is community. Misty and India are connected by more than timing. They represent a movement that says excellence and inclusion can live in the same sentence. Misty’s career showed how much the field needed to change; India’s presence at NYCB shows what happens when the door opens and the talent is ready to walk through.
And it’s not just them. Look around: there are Black ballerinas, choreographers, teachers, and leaders reshaping the landscape—on big company rosters and in local studios where kids fall in love with dance for the first time. For a wider view of that wave, revisit With Misty Copeland Announcing Her Retirement, Here Are 9 Black Ballerinas You Should Know.
For Dancers, Teachers, and Parents: What This Means Today
- Representation multiplies practice. When students see a stage that looks a little more like the world they live in, they show up more, risk more, and stick with it longer.
- Repertoire choices matter. Casting India as Dewdrop didn’t magically fix equity, but it signaled that gatekeeping isn’t a tradition worth keeping. Those choices trickle down to schools, recitals, and community programs.
- Access builds the audience. Free simulcasts, outdoor screens, student rush programs—these are not side projects. They’re how we grow ballet’s future. Misty’s farewell simulcast is a perfect example.
A Quick Look Back—And Forward
It’s easy to speak in headlines: “first Black principal,” “history-making farewell,” “rising soloist.” What sticks with me are the smaller pictures: a kid in the mezzanine clutching their program; the teacher who drove a carload to a student matinee; the studio parent who finally understands why tights might need to match a dancer’s skin tone; the company class where a young dancer realizes they’re not alone anymore.
Misty’s career gave us those images again and again. She didn’t just cross a finish line; she created a lane. And India is showing us that the lane can lead to many places—Balanchine, Robbins, new commissions, and roles we haven’t seen her take on yet. If you’re a dancer, keep training. If you’re a teacher, keep pushing for equity in your own sphere. If you’re an audience member, keep showing up. That’s how momentum turns into a movement.
Happy Dancing!
Taylor B.
