One of the most dynamic moments of the 2026 Oscars was the performance of “I Lied to You,” featuring the cast of the film Sinners and special guests. One standout moment was ballerina Misty Copeland effortlessly commanding the stage 12 weeks after undergoing hip replacement surgery. She was pirouette-perfection in the Dance Theatre of Harlem “Firebird” costume, designed by Geoffrey Holder.
Copeland Retired Last Fall
Copeland danced with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) for 25 years. She made history when she became the First Black Female Lead Dancer dancer with the prestigious company in 2015. The 43-year-old dancer was originally set to perform Giselle for the last time with ABT in 2019. But a stress fracture in her back resulted in her having to pull out the day of the show. She told Dance Magazine,
“I had to pull out the day of the show, and I wasn’t sad. I thought, This is the sign I should not be doing this. Because every other time [getting injured], it’s devastating. Then the pandemic hit, and I needed that time to reassess what I wanted to do.”
In 2025, it did feel right for Copeland to take her last bow with ABT. In June, the author, wife, and mom made her official announcement that she would take her final bow on October 22, 2025, and retire.
She Had a Total Hip Replacement
Weeks after her retirement, Copeland underwent hip replacement surgery. As she was leading up to her final performance, her doctors actually advised her against dancing.
“I found out in preparation for the performance that I have bone spurs in my left hip and labral tear and loss of cartilage,” Copeland said in a NPR interview.
“And my doctors, they were just like, “I don’t think this is a good idea for you to push for this performance.” And I said, well, “I’ve already agreed to it.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, hip replacement surgery is a procedure to replace your natural hip joint with an artificial implant. Copeland had. total hip replacement, which means, “A surgeon will replace your entire hip with a prosthetic joint. They’ll replace the top of your thigh bone and the socket it fits into. Almost all hip replacement surgeries are total hip replacements.”
The dancer revealed her journey on Instagram last month.
Taking the Stage After Surgery
It can take 6 to 12 weeks to recover from total hip replacement surgery for most people. But it could take up to six months for those in recovery to walk without a limp. Copeland, however, is a dancer and an elite athlete. For her to perform at the Academy Awards was resilience in motion.
Cameron Goodson, a kinesiologist whose page is dedicated to explaining the biomechanics of athletes’ performances, broke hers down.
“Just 12 weeks ago, Misty Copeland’s natural joint was removed and replaced with titanium, and now she’s performing at the Oscars. First, she performs a deep external rotation that’s not just a foot turn. That is her central nervous system forcing surgically traumatized glutes to rotate a ball inside a metal socket,” he explains.
“Then she shifts her entire center of mass onto a single leg. She is forcing a three-month-old to absorb and stabilize 100% of kinetic load.”
Copeland’s appearance was transcendent, but the strength and resilience of her body elevated it to another level. Brava!
