Misty Copeland is one of the many stars selected to join the coveted 2026 Met Gala host committee. And beyond getting a behind-the-scenes look into the biggest night in fashion, the ballerina recently revealed the deeper significance of this appointment in a conversation with USA Today.
The arts are such an important part of my life, and having a relationship with the Met Museum, it was really meaningful to me,” Copeland told the outlet. “To me, it’s not just about this party that everyone wants to be at, but like, what is it that we’re really saying? How is it impacting our society and our communities?”
She continued: “My son, like, lives at The Met. It’s an important part of our everyday existence, and what it means for him to walk into a space like the Met Museum and feel like he could see himself reflected in the art. It’s really powerful that they came to me in early stages to see it take shape, and just through my own experiences in terms of what it means to have a diverse body within the art form. It just makes sense, and I’m proud to be a part of this year.”
Copeland and fellow committee members A’Ja Wilson, Teyana Taylor, and others will help the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Costume Institute host stars at its annual fundraiser. Themed “costume art,” Vogue also tapped Beyoncé, Venus Williams, and Nicole Kidman to serve as co-chairs. Though the organization has not revealed the dress code for the evening’s event, Copeland shed light on the 2026 exhibit’s theme, which reportedly “explores depictions of the dressed body across The Met’s vast collection, pairing garments with artworks to reveal the inherent relationship between clothing and the body.”
“Yes, [the theme is] costume art, but really focusing on bodies and the range of bodies throughout history and how that’s influenced art, the art that you see, specifically with women as well,” she noted.
She added, “My relationship with fashion has definitely evolved throughout my career as a professional ballerina. I think realizing that we’re putting in so much of the training and work within our bodies. So I really consider our bodies like the first costume that we wear, and we experience. But the costume is such a big part of the storytelling,” she shared in a video spotlighting the parallels between fashion and dance. “In fashion, you can tell stories, and it can reflect your personality, your mood, all of these things without even having to say a word. And I think that’s something that drew me to dance, because I was expressing myself without having to verbalize it. So they’re very closely connected.”
Through the years, Copeland also revealed how her relationship with her own body has changed. Since concluding her tenure at the American Ballet Theater, the dancer and author revealed that she has been immobile following a recent hip replacement surgery.
“It’s all a part of getting older and being an athlete. It’s a good lesson to experience something like this. It’s part of accepting the beauty of having a body and how strong and powerful it is, and what we can come back from,” she shared. “I’m not retired in any way from anything. The only thing is that I’ve left American Ballet Theatre (ABT). Even though I’m not dancing at ABT right now, I still have the same mindset in terms of prioritizing wellness overall and what that looks like.”
As she recovers from surgery, Copeland remains involved in the arts and dance community by serving on the boards of Lincoln Center and of The Shed. Similarly, she’s continuing her work to make ballet an accessible and inclusive space for dancers of all backgrounds through her eponymous foundation, which currently hosts three dance programs in Harlem and the Bronx.
