Misty Copeland, John LegendPhoto: Lawrence Sumulong
Dinner and a show at Lincoln Center is a time-honored tradition, and this week’s Summer Gala paid homage in spectacular fashion. The evening was a season opener of sorts for Summer in the City: the performing arts center’s eight week-long festival of free and pay-what-you-can events and performances that will officially begin on June 10. On Monday evening, Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall was abuzz thanks to a crowd who turned out to toast honorees Misty Copeland and Stavros Niarchos foundation president Andreas C. Dracopoulos.
A radiant Copeland arrived in a Michael Kors Collection ensemble, with a triangle bralette peeking out from underneath a satin lapel tuxedo jacket. The ballerina, dance advocate, and 25-year veteran of American Ballet Theatre was being honored as the inaugural recipient of Lincoln Center’s Luminary Award which recognizes extraordinary performance artists with a legacy of civic vision.
“I never imagined that this is what the next chapter would look like, but it makes complete sense,” Copeland told Vogue after posing for photographers with philanthropist and doyenne of dance education, Jody Gottfried Arnhold, and Donald Borror, the director of Pasculano Collaborative for Contemporary Dance. “ To have a seat at the table and have a real impact in a way that’s behind the scenes and not on the stage; it’s exactly what I saw for myself in terms of using dance as a platform and the stage as a jumping off point to be able to do more beyond performance.”
Guests soon sat down to dinner on the grand promenade. There, leaders from arts organizations around the plaza and beyond—including American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, the National Black Theater, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and the New York Public Library—applauded as Dracopoulos was recognized for the Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s support of the forthcoming gardens and amphitheater coming to Lincoln Center West in 2028.
For act two of the evening, attendees took their seats in David Geffen Hall’s Wu Tsang Theater. A surprise performance by singer-songwriter Alice Smith—whose haunting vocals permeated Ryan Coogler’s Sinners—gave way to the pinnacle of the evening: Copeland’s acceptance of her accolade from Studio Museum director Thelma Golden.
“To receive this honor? I was shocked,” Copeland had told Vogue earlier that evening. But on stage, as she spoke of Lincoln Center’s role in the fabric of the city, the lives of future generations, and as a source of joy for its patrons of all ages, it was clear that the honor was rightfully in her hands. A piano concert and tribute to Copeland by John Legend followed shortly after, signifying final curtain on the glittering gala night.
As some guests headed home—and others to the after-party—Copeland’s musings about her next act lingered in the air. “To be on the Board of Trustees as an artist that has called Lincoln Center home for the last 25-plus years, and to be a Black woman, it’s very meaningful,” she said. “And there will be more performing. I’m done at American Ballet Theatre, but I’m not done with dancing.”
