Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) is the first Black classical ballet company, and one of New York City’s legendary ballet companies. It has a touring company and ballet school.
The Company is mostly African American and American Latin, with wonderful Brazilian, Cuban, and Haitian dancers. 🇺🇸 🇧🇷 🇨🇴 🇨🇺 🇭🇹 🇮🇹
Founded by Arthur Mitchell (New York City Ballet) and Karel Shook (Dutch National Ballet) in 1969, today the Company is led by Artistic Director Robert Garland. 🇺🇸
Rehearsal Director Juan Carlos Penuela is from Cali, Colombia. In Cali, the “Salsa Capital of the World” dance is cultural. Everyone dances. 🇨🇴
Dance Theatre of Harlem
Dance Theatre of Harlem Bids Farewell to Artistic Director Virginia Johnson at New York City Center
New York Premieres of William Forsythe’s “Blake Works IV;” and a new Tiffany Rea-Fisher ballet set to DJ Erica Blunt, inspired by Hazel Scott.
Incoming Artistic Director Robert Garland’s hit “Higher Ground,” and departing Artistic Director Virginia Johnson’s favorite Balanchine, “Allegro Brillante.”
Dance Theatre of Harlem has come all the way back.
NEW YORK CITY CENTER
Midtown, Manhattan
Wednesday-Sunday, April 19-23, 2023
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The BAAND Together Dance Festival 2022 Brings Ailey, ABT, Ballet Hispánico, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and City Ballet to Lincoln Center for Free!
Tuesday-Saturday, August 9-13, 2022
LINCOLN CENTER
🇦🇷🇨🇺🇨🇴🇩🇴🇫🇷🇲🇽🇵🇷🇺🇸
The BAAND Together Dance Festival Presents NYC’s Iconic Dance Companies Outdoors at Lincoln Center
DAMROSCH PARK
Lincoln Center
Tuesday-Saturday, August 17-21, 2021
Workshops 4pm, Shows 7:30pm
FREE
Dance Theatre of Harlem News
APRIL
Ballet
Dance Theatre of Harlem celebrates new Artistic Director Robert Garland and founder Arthur Mitchell’s 90th birthday with William Forsyth’s “Blake Works IV (The Barre Project), Garland’s “Return” set to James Brown and Aretha Franklin, and the debut of Balanchine’s “Pas de Dix;” at New York City Center in Midtown, Manhattan; from April 11-14, 2024. From $35. nycitycenter.org 🇺🇸 🇧🇷 🇨🇴 🇨🇺 🇭🇹 🇮🇹
Dance Theatre of Harlem Tickets
Tickets are sold through presenting theaters.
Dance Theatre of Harlem
466 West 152nd St
(between Amsterdam & Convent Ave)
Hamilton Heights, Manhattan
Subways
(A)(C) to 155th St (4 blocks)
(1) to 157th St (5 blocks)
Latin Dancers 2023-24
Part of being Latin is being Black (at least part). These DTH dancers are of direct Latin descent.
Lucas Castro is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. @lucascliim 🇧🇷
Sanford Placide is from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. @placidesanford 🇭🇹
Elias Re is from Milan, Italy. @elias_re 🇨🇺 🇮🇹
Ingrid Silva is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. @ingridsilva 🇧🇷
About Dance Theatre of Harlem
The first Black classical ballet company was founded by Arthur Mitchell in 1969.
Mitchell, a George Balanchine protégé, was New York City Ballet’s first African American principal dancer (1956-1968). The two seemed to inspire each other. Mitchell was the first international Black ballet star. He is especially remembered for his dancing in Balanchine’s “Agon” and as Puck in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Mitchell was inspired to found Dance Theatre by the death of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Mitchell danced through barriers and wanted to give other kids from his neighborhood the same opportunities.
Karel Shook (Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo, Broadway, New York City Ballet, Dutch National Ballet) was the first ballet master. Many of Shook’s students became legends including Mitchell, Alvin Ailey, Carmen de Lavallade, and Geoffrey Holder.
Dance Theatre of Harlem debuted in 1971 at the Guggenheim Museum. Both Balanchine and Jerome Robbins helped create repertoire. Robbins loved and studied African American dance traditions.
Today Dance Theatre of Harlem is a home of Balanchine Technique along with New York City Ballet, Boston Ballet, Washington Ballet and Miami City Ballet. That’s some good company.
The company’s signature ballet is Geoffrey Holder’s “Dougla.” It’s a wedding ballet and costume pageant set in Trinidad’s African-South Asian community, another golden thread in the rich quilt of diversity that is African American culture today.
Follow
dancetheatreofharlem.org
Twitter @DTHballet
Instagram @dancetheatreofharlem