Dance Theatre Of Harlem Is Annenberg Center's Artist-in-Residence This March

Annenberg Center Live and NextMove Dance present the intenationally-acclaimed Dance Theatre of Harlem, Friday, March 1 (8 PM) and Saturday, March 2 (2 PM and 8 PM). The program includes the world premiere of Philadelphia native and DTH Resident Choreographer Robert Garland's Nyman String Quartet #2; Harlem on My Mind (Darrell Grand Moultrie; choreographer); and Change (Dianne McIntyre, choreographer). Tickets are available at AnnenbergCenter.org or 215.898.3900.

JUST ANNOUNCED: On Thursday, February 14, at 6:30 PM, Dance Theatre of Harlem will take over Pointe Magazine's Facebook page for a special Facebook Live stream of an open rehearsal led by Robert Garland, which will preview his Nyman String Quartet #2. Go to https://www.facebook.com/PointeMagazineOfficial/ to view this special sneak peek before its world premiere on March 1.

The preeminent Dance Theatre of Harlem is the Annenberg Center's 2018-19 Artist-in-Residence. In addition to the three public performances the residency will consist of a Student Discovery performance for local school students (For more information and to order tickets, call 215.573.8827 or email groups@ac.upenn.edu.); a college student masterclass; workshops for high school students; and post-performance Meet and Greets with select company dancers.

Dance Theatre of Harlem

For 50 years, the mission of Dance Theatre of Harlem has been to provide access to the art of ballet for all. Incorporating an international touring company, a training school and a celebrated arts education and community engagement program called Dancing Through Barriers, DTH is recognized as a leading dance institution of unparalleled global acclaim. Compelled by the assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the legendary Arthur Mitchell started a school with his teacher, Karel Shook, in 1969. Mitchell's idea was to offer children in the Harlem neighborhood where he grew up, the means to change their futures by challenging themselves against the rigors of the classical art form of ballet. In 1971, only two years after its founding, The New York Times called Dance Theatre of Harlem "one of ballet's most exciting undertakings." Now in its fifth decade, DTH has established an extraordinary legacy that is based on thrilling performances and artistic excellence. As an organization, DTH provides opportunity where none has existed before, becoming a vivid manifestation of the power of art to transform lives. Through performance, training and education, the impact of Dance Theatre of Harlem continues to be felt across the globe.

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, Johnson went on to found Pointe Magazine and was editor-in-chief for 10 years. A native of Washington, D.C., 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. She went on to be a University Scholar in the School of the Arts at New York University before joining Dance Theatre of Harlem. 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.

Robert Garland (Resident Choreographer)

"Gloria," Robert Garland's 2012 ballet celebrating Dance Theatre of Harlem's rebirth is a transcendent work that relies as much on imagination as steps." (The New York Times) Robert Garland was a member of Dance Theatre of Harlem, achieving the rank of principal dancer. After creating a work for the DTH School Ensemble, Arthur Mitchell invited Robert Garland to create a work for main company and appointed him the organization's first Resident Choreographer. He is also Director of the Professional Training Program of the DTH school, and the organization's webmaster. In addition to choreographing several ballets for DTH, Garland has also created works for New York City Ballet, Britain's Royal Ballet, Oakland Ballet and many others. His commercial work has included music videos, commercials and short films, including the children's television show Sesame Street, a Nike commercial featuring New York Yankee Derek Jeter, the NAACP Image Awards, a short film for designer Donna Karan, and the "Charmin Cha-Cha" for Proctor and Gamble. Garland began his ballet studies at the Philadelphia School for the Performing Arts in North Philadelphia. He also studied at the School for The Pennsylvania Ballet, and, at the age of 15, became the youngest member of Philadanco, under the direction of founder Joan Meyers Brown. Garland holds a BFA from the Juilliard School.

The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts serves as a major cultural destination and crossroads connecting Penn and the greater Philadelphia region through innovative human expression in theatre, music, dance, and film, serving an annual audience of almost 50,000. The Annenberg Center also serves as a key resource for the arts at Penn, connecting master artists with Penn students in support of and as an enhancement to the arts curriculum. Student performing arts groups are also key users of the Annenberg Center's multiple performance and rehearsal spaces, while also staffing many operational roles throughout the academic year. In reflection of Penn's core values as a world-respected academic institution, the Annenberg Center emphasizes artistic and intellectual excellence, diversity, and rigor in its presentations; prioritizes broad inclusiveness in the artists, audiences, and groups it serves; manages outstanding performance, conference, and meeting facilities; and stresses comprehensive event planning, production support, and customer service. The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is a major provider of performing arts access for school children and actively engages a broad range of primary, secondary, and post-secondary student audiences and inclusive constituencies from the campus, community, and greater Philadelphia region. Visit www.AnnenbergCenter.org.

NextMove Dance Artistic Director Randy Swartz created the first annual dance series in Philadelphia at the Walnut Street Theatre in 1970. In 1983, he launched the Dance Celebration series at the Annenberg Center for a 32-year run and initiated a new annual series at the Prince Theater in October 2015. Dance Affiliates, renamed NextMove Dance, is recognized as one of the nation's finest dance presenters. Known internationally for award-winning presentations for almost four decades, NextMove Dance provides a wealth of opportunities for the Delaware Valley community to interact with the artists through talk-backs, master classes, artistic collaborations, workshops, children's programs and much more. Visit www.nextmovedance.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.