Start a conversation about the performance or encourage reflection, using these questions as inspiration.
Arthur Mitchell, the first African American principal dancer at the New York City Ballet, co-founded Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) in 1969 as a response to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. More than half-century later, the company has inspired, performed for, and educated generations of dancers and remains deeply committed to Mitchell’s belief that “ballet belongs to everyone.”
- How can an artist engage with social justice?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of using dance to connect and collaborate across culture and lived experience compared to other artistic mediums (music, painting, poetry, photography, etc.)?
DTH focuses on community outreach, education, and engagement in their internationally historic neighborhood of Harlem, NYC.
- In what ways can the cultural tradition of dance shape our identities? How might early interaction with dance一or any other cultural practice—inform one’s identity?
- What specific way could you support an arts business and/or arts education in your community?
Under the new direction of legendary choreographer, and former DTH principal dancer, Robert Garland, the company is advancing Mitchell’s vision while developing unique collaborations with artists worldwide. (This season will feature material from renowned American dancer and choreographer William Forsythe and electro-soul musician James Blake.)
- How might you imagine collaboration (especially across mediums or traditions) might change an artist or arts institution?
- Imagine you are the director of a new dance company; how would you use physical space under your supervision (studios, galleries, performance halls, or public displays) to cultivate a welcoming space for a diverse, global community?
- What programs would you design for those spaces to encourage artists and communities to participate?
DTH, Robert Garland, and Arthur Mitchell are crucial to ballet, African American, and U.S. history. According to Dance Magazine, “The impact of Dance Theatre of Harlem extends far beyond the stage. The company represents the amalgamation of culture present in evolving art forms and what it looks like when the reality of a diverse country is in fact, exalted in its most expressive art form.” Other ballet trailblazers include: Raven Wilkinson (the first Black woman dancer at Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1955), Lauren Anderson (the first Black female principal dancer with the Houston Ballet in 1990), and Misty Copeland (the Black female principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre in 2015).
- How does the timeline for these ballet trailblazers compare to other cultural milestones in the Civil Rights movement?
- Who is a trailblazer in your life, culture, or current line of study?
