2010-2011 Presenters Kit (1271 KB)

Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble

Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble is the second company of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, a world-renowned ballet company of African American and other racially diverse artists. The DTHE repertoire is comprised of classical, neoclassical and contemporary ballet and encompasses modern dance and Afro-Caribbean techniques.

KEITH SAUNDERS -
DIRECTOR, DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM ENSEMBLE

Keith Saunders, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, began dancing in 1971 while a student at Harvard University. He began his ballet training in 1973 at the National Center for Afro-American Artists in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Mr. Saunders joined Dance Theatre of Harlem in 1975 and continued his development under the tutelage of Arthur Mitchell, Karel Shook and William Griffith. He became a principal dancer with DTH and performed a wide range of roles throughout the company’s repertoire for more than 17 years. He also danced with France's Ballet du Nord (1986) and BalletMet of Columbus, Ohio (1987-1989).

As a guest artist, Mr. Saunders appeared with Boston Repertory Ballet, Maryland Ballet, Eglevsky Ballet, Ballethnic Dance Company, and the David Parsons Company, among others. He has been a faculty member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem School, the BalletMet Dance Academy (where he also served as Education Director), the New Ballet School (now Ballet Tech), and the 92nd Street Y. In 2003, Mr. Saunders was Guest Artist-in-Residence in the Dance Department at the University of Wyoming, and he taught and choreographed at their Snowy Range Dance Festival from 2003 – 2008.

Keith Saunders was appointed Dance Theatre of Harlem's assistant ballet master in 1994 and ballet master in 1996. From 2004 - 2010, Mr. Saunders was director of Dancing Through Barriers®, Dance Theatre of Harlem's international education and outreach initiative, in addition to directing the DTH Ensemble.