On Wednesday, October 22nd, the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) hosted its “Fall GALA: A Celebration Honoring Misty Copeland” at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City.
As part of ABT’s landmark 85th anniversary season, Misty Copeland curated a special program that honored Misty’s extraordinary legacy.
Through a blend of dance and video, the evening traced her journey from her earliest influences to her defining performances and rise to Principal Dancer, and ultimately to her impact beyond the stage – as a cultural leader, advocate, and inspiration to the next generation.
Her story is woven into the broader tapestry of ABT’s history, celebrating the past while looking boldly toward the future. Honorary Grand Chair Caroline Kennedy welcomed guests to the theater before the performance.
Debbie Allen and Honorary Grand Chair Oprah Winfrey also took the stage to share reflections on Misty’s impact on dance and culture. This marked Copeland’s farewell performance, and the evening raised $6 million.
This journalist participated in red carpet interviews prior to the event.
Misty Copeland
For young and aspiring ballerinas, Copeland said, “I think it’s really about knowing why you are doing this and believing in yourself.”
“Really surround yourself with people who are going to encourage you, and who will be there for you on days when you are exhausted and when you don’t believe in yourself. Just really find the joy and the passion in this,” she acknowledged.
On being honored tonight, Copeland stated, “It’s pretty surreal. It’s amazing to have this platform and to have this moment and to have the career that I’ve had.”
“For young people, it is important to remember why you do it… for the joy, the love and the passion of it,” she added.
Copeland defined the word success as “opening doors, creating joy for people, and all of those things.”
Luigi Crispino
Dancer Luigi Crispino remarked, “It’s fantastic. I’m really excited to be here performing tonight, and let’s just get this show going.”
“Misty is one of the most amazing ballerinas of our time and she is a legend. I’m just really excited to be onstage with her tonight. I’ve always looked up to her, and she has always been a big inspiration. Congratulations to Misty on an amazing career,” he said.
Julie Halston
On being a part of this event, Halston said, “I am so excited. First of all, I do love ABT, and I’ve never seen Misty. Only in television situations and just on film, so this is very exciting.”
“It’s a major cultural situation, and we are all going to be crying tonight. It’s a chance to dress up and be beautiful, and see one of the great cultural institutions of our country,” Halston elaborated.
Bobby Newberry
Artist Bobby Newberry remarked, “It feels incredible to be here… Misty Copeland is an icon and she is one of my best friends. I am so grateful that I get to see her.”
Gayle King
Gayle King stated, “It feels great because we are here to cheer on Misty Copeland. Imagine, she is about to have one of the biggest nights of her life, and we all get to be a part of that!”
“Her son is going to see her dance onstage for the first time. He is 3.5 years old, and I am so excited to her; that’s why I am here,” King said.
“We are really grateful and excited to be a part of the night, and to cheer on Misty. She has done so much for ballet and outside of it. Her reach is so far in terms of community and everything else she represents. It is going to be a special night.”
James Whiteside
Principal dancer James Whiteside said, “It is so much fun. It will be an amazing event. Misty is one of the GOATs. Misty is a friend, I am a fan, and she is a huge inspiration to myself and many people.”
“I want people to be uplifted, inspired and to find beauty in the world,” Whiteside said.
Emily Tisch Sussman
Emily Tisch Sussman expressed, “I am so excited, honestly. We are seeing something unbelievably historic. Misty has broken boundaries in so many categories. She is such an inspiration, and honestly, she is the nicest person. I feel chills to be here to be able to celebrate not just the ballet but her in particular, as a person.”
“It is so much more than ballet. Misty crosses categories and boundaries. She has brought ballet into mainstream culture, and to be here for her last performance is unbelievable,” she added.
Marisa Tomei
On being a part of this event, Oscar winner Marisa Tomei stated, “It is very exciting to be here. Misty is a legend, she’s an inspiration,and a trailblazer.”
Zac Posen
Fashion designer Zac Posen remarked, “This is amazing, and I am so honored to be here tonight, especially to be able to celebrate Misty, ABT, and see an incredible performance.”
“I want to wish her well for the next chapter of her career, which I know is going to be exciting,” Posen said.
“This event is important because Misty broke barriers and she changed ballet. She is an amazing artist, and we are here in New York celebrating an incredible institution,” Posen added.
Katie Lee Biegel
“I am so thrilled to be here,” she said. “This is iconic New York to be here for ABT. Misty is a legend and I am really excited to be a part of this. I hope that people enjoy themselves.”
Phylicia Rashad
“I feel very privileged to be here. It’s wonderful,” Rashad admitted. “This is a historic night, and one that will go down in dance, theater, and arts history. This is a beautiful night. It is also the night of Diwali… this is a very auspicious evening.”
“I love Misty,” Rashad exclaimed. “She is a great dancer, and she is a great human being,” she added.
Jim Parsons
On being inspired by influential artists, Parsons stated, “I like watching documentaries about artists (whether they are dancers, musicians, and actors) more than anything I watch on television and film.”
“Any time I get to watch somebody who is such a master at their craft, whatever that may be, in this case it is ballet, it’s really inspiring,” he observed.
“It’s hard to not want to do better,” he admitted. “That can be in art or whatever it is that you do. Not every human gets a chance to be showcased like this but you can see the talent that they have and the work that they put into it. Lord, it can make you feel lazy at times, but hopefully, it will make you get up and go!”
On being able to live his own dream with “The Big Bang Theory,” Parsons said, “It was such a blessing! Honestly, it is something that I think about in a different level, the older I get and the more the time goes by.”
“The fact that I get to do what I do means the world to me,” he acknowledged. “I try to work hard at it to validate some feelings but I know how fortunate I am.”
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Parsons revealed, “Finding Peace.”
Regarding his definition of the word success, Parsons said, “Definitely being happy, that is success to me. I say that because there are obviously so many forms that success can take.”
“Even for a person like me, who a lot of people might know (and know the work I’ve done), and assume that makes me happy (and it does)… it’s still a very small fraction of the things in my life that make me happy, in a weird way,” Parsons elaborated.
“It’s the small things that make me happy in a day, and I consider that the real success. Today, honestly, the thing that made me feel successful was that I caught myself getting impatient while walking my dog so I slowed down and had a really long walk with her and it felt like a major success,” he explained.
Samantha Barry
Samantha Barry is the Editor in Chief of Glamour Magazine (and Global Editorial Director), and she is of the 2025 honorees for Glamour’s “Women of the Year” along with Demi Moore and Tyla. “We announced Demi Moore and Tyla as Glamour’s ‘Women of the Year’ and stay tuned,” she said.
“We are announcing more on Monday,” she foreshadowed. “The event is on November 4th at the Plaza in New York.”
“Misty’s legacy is just phenomenal,” she exclaimed. “This is such a lovely turnout for her in New York. She has built a legacy at such a young age, and she has changed ballet for so many young girls, and we are here to celebrate that today.”
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