Misty Copeland Shares Her No. 1 Piece of Advice for Young Dancers (Exclusive)

After taking her final bow as American Ballet Theater’s first Black female principal dancer, Misty Copeland is looking toward the future — and sharing advice for the next generation.

Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE at ABT’s 2025 Fall Gala, the prima ballerina, 43, opened up about the advice she would share with young dancers who hope to make history as she has.

“Try to find the joy,” she said. “It’s one of the hardest things in the world to do, but you have to remember the joy and why you do it.”

Soon after speaking with PEOPLE, Copeland celebrated her final ballet performance with ABT ahead of her retirement. The prima ballerina was on a five-year hiatus from her role.

At 32, she became the first Black female principal dancer in ABT’s history since the company’s founding in 1939.

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The final performance, which took place at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City, was titled “A Celebration Honoring Misty Copeland.” It included performances by Copeland and other dancers, speeches from esteemed guests and video montages of Copeland’s 25-year tenure with the company. The event was co-chaired by Caroline Kennedy and Oprah Winfrey.

Following her powerful retirement performance, Copeland spoke with PEOPLE in November about the “super emotional” moment she received her flowers from generations of Black dancers, including Debbie Allen, Virginia Johnson and Desmond Richardson, whom she said “have opened the doors for me to be on that stage.”

According to Copeland, it was a “very full-circle moment” that was only made better with the presence of her husband, Olu Evans, and their 3-year-old son, Jackson.

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“To have my husband and my son [there], it was just incredible,” she told PEOPLE. “I mean, I feel like he was a different boy the next day, having seen me dance for the first time and being on the stage. Literally, my husband and I were like, ‘Who is this transformed?’ ”

“It was really fascinating to see the shift in him, but it was amazing,” Copeland continued. “It was overwhelming, and I think that it takes me time to process things, and so I think this is something that I’ll be processing for a while.”

During that conversation, she went on to share that she intends to keep her son out of the spotlight.

“Definitely with my son, I wouldn’t have him probably be on camera for anything,” Copeland said. “But when it comes to my career and what I’m doing, I’m really open.”