Dance Theatre Of Harlem Comes to The Broad Stage

The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage present Dance Theatre of Harlem for two nights only, April 20 and 21. Founded in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell (the first black principal dancer at the New York City Ballet) and Karel Shook, this beloved company promises a thrilling and eclectic program of neo-classical and contemporary ballet that is both of the moment and timeless. The program consists of Brahms Variations, choreographed by Robert Garland (2016), Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven, choreographed by Ulysses Dove (1993) and Vessels, choreographed by Darrell Grand Moultrie (2014).

The inspiration for the ballet, Brahms Variations, by resident choreographer Robert Garland, is Louis XIV, French Patron of the Arts, and Grandfather of the ballet canon. Arthur Mitchell was a big persona in Garland's life, a Harlem version of the French Monarch. So, the ballet is, in part, Louis the XIV's court meeting Harlem Swag.

Subtitled "Odes to Love and Loss," Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven was choreographed for the Royal Swedish Ballet in 1993 during a challenging period in Ulysses Dove's life. Having lost 13 close friends and relatives, among them his father, Dove himself explained, "I want to tell an experience in movement, a story without words, and create a poetic monument over people I loved." Set to Estonian composer Arvo Pärt's Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten, Dove's spare but demanding choreography invites dancer and viewer alike to live in each moment as if it were the last.

Darrell Grand Moultrie's Vessels is a dynamic tour de force that draws on the energy and artistry of a new generation of Dance Theatre of Harlem artists. In the grand tradition of dance he passes forward the knowledge and inspiration that underlie his roots as a creative artist at the same time he challenges them to honor and maintain their legacy and build on the promise of their potential.

Dance Theatre of Harlem was a revolutionary company when it was founded almost 50 years ago. New York Times explains, "With the creation of Dance Theatre of Harlem, black ballet dancers finally had a home, and a perception of what a classical ballerina could do and look like began to change. The dance company with deep roots in the Civil Rights era continues to empower young black dancers."

Tickets are on sale at www.thebroadstage.org or by calling 310.434.3200. Patrons may also support The Broad Stage's 10 Anniversary Season Celebration by upgrading their ticket for a Closing Night Dance Party with Honorary Chair Renae Williams Niles, for $100 a person. Once the curtain goes down on closing night, you'll have the opportunity to let loose and dance the night away with the cast and creative team.

Dance Theatre of Harlem at The Broad Stage made possible in part by a generous gift from Linda & Michael Keston.

About the program

Brahms Variations
Choreography: Robert Garland
Music: Johannes Brahms
Costume Design and Execution: Pamela Allen-Cummings
Lighting: Roma Flowers
World Premiere: Virginia Arts Festival, May 14, 2016

Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven - Odes to Love and Loss
Choreography: Ulysses Dove, The Estate of Ulysses Dove: Alfred Dove, Administrator
Music: Arvo Pärt (Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten, 1977)
Staging: Anne Dabrowski
Costume Design: Jorge Gallardo
Lighting Design: Björn Nilsson; Recreated by Peter D. Leonard
World Premiere: 1993, Dance Theatre of Harlem premiere: October 4, 2013

Vessels
Choreography: Darrell Grand Moultrie
Music: Ezio Bosso
Costume Design and Execution: George Hudako
Lighting Design: Clifton Taylor
This commission is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

About Dance Theatre of Harlem
Forty-eight years ago, Arthur Mitchell and his mentor, Karel Shook, founded Dance Theatre of Harlem as a beacon of hope for the youth in the underprivileged neighborhood where Mitchell grew up. An acclaimed principal dancer with George Balanchine's New York City Ballet, Mitchell took the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a call to action. Drawing on his expertise and his prominence as the first African American to be a member of a major U.S. ballet company, Mitchell's ground-breaking idea was to transform the lives of young people in Harlem by providing training in classical ballet. In a few short years his response to tragedy became a leading dance institution comprised of a touring company, training school and arts education program of unparalleled global acclaim. Now a singular presence in the ballet world, the Dance Theatre of Harlem Company tours nationally and internationally, presenting a powerful vision for ballet in the 21st century. The 16-member, multi-ethnic company performs a forward-thinking repertoire that includes classical and neoclassical works as well as innovative and bold new forms of artistic expression commissioned to connect to contemporary audiences.

About Virginia Johnson (Artistic Director)
A founding member of Dance Theatre of Harlem, Virginia Johnson was one of its principal ballerinas over a career that spanned nearly 30 years. After retiring in 1997, Ms. Johnson went on to found Pointe Magazine and was editor-in chief for 10 years.

A native of Washington, D.C., Ms. Johnson began her training with Therrell Smith. She studied with Mary Day at the Washington School of Ballet and graduated from the Academy of the Washington School of Ballet and went on to be a University Scholar in the School of the Arts at New York University before joining Dance Theatre of Harlem.
Virginia Johnson is universally recognized as one of the great ballerinas of her generation and is perhaps best known for her performances in the ballets Giselle, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Fall River Legend. She has received such honors as a Young Achiever Award from the National Council of Women, Outstanding Young Woman of America and the Dance Magazine Award, a Pen and Brush Achievement Award, the Washington Performing Arts Society's 2008-2009 Pola Nirenska Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2009 Martha Hill Fund Mid-Career Award.

About Arthur Mitchell (Co-Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus)
Arthur Mitchell is known around the world for creating and sustaining the Dance Theatre of Harlem, the internationally acclaimed ballet company he co-founded with Karel Shook in 1969. Following a brilliant career as a principal artist with the New York City Ballet, Mr. Mitchell dedicated his life to changing perceptions and advancing the art form of ballet through the first permanently established African American and racially diverse ballet company.

Born in New York City in 1934, Mr. Mitchell began his dance training at New York City's High School of the Performing Arts, where he won the coveted annual dance award and subsequently a full scholarship to the School of American Ballet. In 1955, he became the first male African American to become a permanent member of a major ballet company when he joined New York City Ballet. Mr. Mitchell Rose quickly to the rank of Principal Dancer during his fifteen-year career with New York City Ballet and electrified audiences with his performances in a broad spectrum of roles. Upon learning of the death of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and with financial assistance from Mrs. Alva B. Gimbel, the Ford Foundation and his own savings, Mr. Mitchell founded Dance Theatre of Harlem with his mentor and ballet instructor Karel Shook.

With an illustrious career that has spanned over fifty years, Mr. Mitchell is the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, a National Medal of the Arts, a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, the New York Living Landmark Award, the Handel Medallion, the NAACP Image Award, and more than a dozen honorary degrees.

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