Inspired by a dream

Dance Theatre of Harlem is a leading dance institution of unparalleled global acclaim, encompassing a "Classically American® dance company, a leading arts education center and Dancing Through Barriers®, a national and international education and community outreach program. Each component of Dance Theatre of Harlem carries a solid commitment towards enriching the lives of young people and adults around the world through the arts.

Founded in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook, Dance Theatre of Harlem was considered “one of ballet’s most exciting undertakings” (The New York Times, 1971). Shortly after the assassination of The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mitchell was inspired to start a school that would offer children — especially those in Harlem, the community in which he was born — the opportunity to learn about dance and the allied arts. Now in its fourth decade, Dance Theatre of Harlem has grown into a multi-cultural dance institution with an extraordinary legacy of providing opportunities for creative expression and artistic excellence that continues to set standards in the performing arts.

Dance Theatre of Harlem has achieved unprecedented success, bringing innovative and bold new forms of artistic expression to audiences in New York City, across the country and around the world. In February 2004, DTH celebrated its 35th Anniversary, which began with an extensive U.S. tour, followed by a 7-week historic tour of the United Kingdom. DTH received the largest grant ever given to any foreign company by the Dance Consortium in England. Following the UK tour, the Company made its return to Greece, prior to the opening of the 2004 summer Olympics.

During the summer of 2003, the DTH Company made its inaugural engagement at the Lincoln Center Festival 2003, with the premiere of “St. Louis Woman: A Blues Ballet.” In 2002, DTH won the Manchester Evening News Award in Dance as a result of its outstanding performances in England and Manchester. In 2000, Dance Theatre of Harlem performed to sold-out houses in China, giving the country its first performances of Firebird, and conducted extensive outreach and educational activities in Mandarin Chinese. That same year, the Company returned to the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem, which marked DTH’s first performances on the stage in 25 years.

Dance Theatre of Harlem is located at 466 West 152nd Street in a newly-designated landmark district in Harlem. The building was designed by Hardy Holtzman Pfeiffer & Associates and received the New York City Department of General Services Award for Excellence. After a major gift from the Everett Foundation in October 1994, the building was officially re-opened and dedicated as The Everett Center for the Performing Arts. The historic site houses dance studios used by both the Company and the School.

 

DANCE THEATRE of HARLEM Facts

  • 1969 - Dance Theatre of Harlem was co-founded by Arthur Mitchell and the late Karel Shook in response to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. DTH was envisioned as an institution that would transform lives by providing access to quality arts and educational programming. DTH helps young people develop to their fullest potential as artists and as human beings by instilling discipline, self-confidence, a sense of creativity and self-esteem – all building blocks for success in life
  • 1971 - The Dance Theatre of Harlem Company had its debut at the Guggenheim.
  • 1984 - The Dance Theater of Harlem's ''Creole Giselle'' had its premiere in 1984 at the London Coliseum and became the first American ballet company to win the Laurence Olivier Award as best new dance production of the year. Arthur Mitchell, founder and director of the company, transferred the classic ballet ''Giselle'' from 19th-century Austria to the free black society of Louisiana in the late 18th century. The restaging was done by Frederic Franklin.
  • 1988 – Dance Theatre Harlem was the last American dance troupe to perform in the former USSR as part of a cultural initiative mutually sponsored by the US and USSR.
  • 1991 – Arthur Mitchell, and Anthony Dowell, director of the Royal Ballet, signed an agreement to help diversify the London troupe. The Chance to Dance program is modeled on DTH’s own outreach program, Arts Exposure.
  • 1992 - At the invitation of Mr. Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress, with full cooperation from all other political groups, DTH broke America’s thirty-year cultural ban to South Africa, resulting in a six week tour with performances and extensive outreach.
  • 1992 - DTH’s historic Tour to South Africa formally institutionalized the Dancing Through Barriers® program, (DTB®); a comprehensive educational and community outreach program which brings a variety of activities to schools and community centers around New York City
  • 1997- As part of the Walter Annenberg Arts and Education Initiative, DTH was one of the cultural institutions selected to help restore arts education in New York City's schools after two decades of cutbacks for classroom arts programs.
  • 2000 -Dance Theatre of Harlem performed to sold-out houses in China, giving the country its first performances of Firebird, and conducted extensive outreach and educational activities in Mandarin Chinese.
  • 2001 - First New York Season at The World Famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem, USA
  • 2002 - Returns to England after an absence of 14 years. By gracious permission of Her Majesty, The Queen, Dance Theatre of Harlem’s London season was dedicated to the Memory of Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon.
  • 2004 – In the wake of 911 which caused a redirection in philanthropic funding, for the first time in its history, DTHS suspended operations.  A substantial fundraising effort yielded over $1.6 million, $433,000 through government funding, and $1,118,000 through foundations, corporations and private donors, paved the way for DTH to reopen its doors within six weeks.
  • 2006 - At the invitation of First Lady Laura Bush, Dance Theatre of Harlem participated in Mrs. Bush’s Global Literacy Conference at the New York Public Library.  Over 60 leaders and education ministers attended the conference for panel discussions on how to improve educational opportunities around the world.  
  • 2006 – President George W. Bush and Mrs. Bush showcased an evening at the White House in honor of Arthur Mitchell and Dance Theatre of Harlem.
  •  2008 -The Kennedy Center/Dance Theatre of Harlem Pre-Professional Residency celebrated its 15th season at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The 20-week class series led by Robert Garland, Resident Choreographer and a member of the DTH faculty, serves over 90 students, ages 8-18 that live in the Washington, D.C. area.
  • The Dance Theatre of Harlem School (DTHS) continues to fulfill its founding mission by delivering the highest caliber of training to some of the most promising students from its own neighborhood in West Harlem and from around the world, including Argentina, Korea, Canada, England, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Brazil, St. Lucia, Germany, Jamaica, Russia, Ghana, Greece, and Japan. DTHS serves more than 25,000 students and their families each year through its school and education outreach programs and provides over half of its students with scholarships and/or tuition aid.
  • DTH alumni and distinguished collaborators span two generations of leaders. Our alumni are found in major dance companies around the world as well as in medicine, education, law, business, government, and various other professional fields: Virginia Johnson, editor-in-chief of Pointe Magazine; Eric Underwood, Royal Ballet-UK; Alicia Graf, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre; Robert Garland, DTH Resident Choreographer; and Naima Mora, winner of “America’s Next Top Model”, are well known DTH alumni.
  • DTH now offers the Firebird Curriculum, a brand new K-12 program for schools, integrating dance study, health and wellness concepts, critical and creative thinking with academic study. The curriculum uses DTH's signature ballet Firebird as its thematic basis and was developed in accordance with the NYCDOE Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts.
  • Dance Theatre of Harlem and Arthur Mitchell have received over 300 official citations for excellence including: National Medal of Arts and a Kennedy Center Honors Award to Arthur Mitchell, A Presidential Salute (to DTH Co-Founder, Karel Shook) on the Occasion of the Inauguration of the United States Department of Education, 4 Tributes by the United States House of Representatives,126 awards and honors from 18 States and 48 municipalities, 54 awards and honors from schools, educational institutions, and institutions of  higher learning, 40 awards and honors from Civic/Business Organizations, 36 awards and honors from Social/Cultural Organizations.