Dance Theatre of Harlem to Celebrate 45th Anniversary with Annual Vision Gala, Billy Joel, Patti LaBelle & More

In celebration of its 45th anniversary, Dance Theatre of Harlem's 2014 New York City season at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall was announced today by executive director Laveen Naidu and artistic director Virginia Johnson. There will be six performances from April 23 through April 27. The season will be highlighted by the New York City premieres of three new works. The first, past-carry-forward choreographed by Thaddeus Davis and Tanya Wideman Davis, considers the legacy of the Great Migration of African Americans from the agrarian South to the industrial North in the early part of the twentieth-century. The second is the acclaimed Dancing On The Front Porch of Heaven, which will be seen for the first time in New York since it was created in 1993 by Ulysses Dove for the Royal Swedish Ballet. Subtitled "Ode to Love and Loss," it was choreographed during a challenging period in Ulysses Dove's life, during which he lost 13 close friends and relatives, including his father. The New York premiere of Pas de Dix From Raymonda, choreographed by Marius Petipa with music by Alexander Glazunov, will be a special tribute to the late Frederic Franklin, who was an artistic advisor to DTH.

There will also be a revival of DTH resident choreographer Robert Garland's New Bach, which premiered in New York City in 1999. Set to Johann Sebastian Bach's Violin Concerto in A minor, New Bach pays homage to George Balanchine. Several beloved ballets from last season will be part of the season's repertoire, including Gloria, Return, Contested Space, and BLACK SWAN Pas de Deux.

Tickets are on sale at the Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Office, Broadway at 60th Street, Ground Floor, Monday - Saturday 10AM-6PM, Sunday 12PM-6PM OR CenterCharge (212) 721-6500 OR www.jalc.org OR www.dancetheatreofharlem.org.

Also announced are details about DTH's highly anticipated annual Vision Gala, with this year's theme "Live The Moment." Musical icons will take center stage at this year's Vision Gala on Tuesday, February 25th with Grammy Award-Winning and internationally renowned recording artists Billy Joel as the 2014 Honorary Chair and Patti LaBelle as the Arthur Mitchell Vision Award honoree. Additional honorees include: Jody Gottfried Arnhold, Founder of the Dance Education Laboratory at the 92nd Street Y and member of the Arts Advisory Committee for the New York City Department of Education, who will receive The Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Foundation Medal; and Valentino D. Carlotti, senior partner at Goldman, Sachs & Co, who will receive the Virtuoso Award. The gala, with all proceeds benefiting the DTH School's Next Generation and Community Engagement Funds, will be held at Cipriani 42nd Street. There will be a reception at 6:30PM and program at 7:30PM, which will include dinner and performances by the DTH Company and DTH School.

For ticket information or to purchase a table at the gala, please contact the event producer, Dwight Johnson Design at 212-889-4622 or ShaRon Williams Duncan, Director of Individual Giving, at (212) 690-2800 ext. 434.