After a storied, decades-long career, ballerina Misty Copeland — known just as much for her advocacy offstage as her accomplishments on — has retired from American Ballet Theatre.

Copeland, who last performed for the company five years ago, was honored in a final star-studded Fall Gala on Wednesday, featuring tributes from Oprah Winfrey and Debbie Allen. In her final appearance, Copeland performed excerpts from “Romeo and Juliet” and “Sinatra Suite,” as well as the world premiere of a pièce d’occasion choreographed by Kyle Abraham.

“Although I’ll be saying farewell to the stage, I’ll always be committed to opening doors, creating space, and making ballet a place where everyone belongs,” Copeland wrote in a public Instagram post ahead of her performance.

Winfrey saying that Copeland “m

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