DTH Spotlight

Sharayna Ashanti Christmas

Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) became the soil from which I grew, not only as a dancer, but as a Black woman learning to take up space with purpose, faith, and conviction. Within its walls, I learned that dance was more than movement, it was memory, resistance, and love in motion. It was how we told the world we were here.

Spending over fourteen years at the DTH School, during the 1990s, quietly shaped how I move through the world. Though I couldn’t see it then, it was preparing me for the work I would do one day. The structure, will, and imagination nurtured in those studios became the foundation for Muse 360, the intergenerational arts institution I built at 22 after graduating from Morgan State University.

The connection between my time at DTH and the work I do now is woven into everything I am. I describe myself today as an artist and cultural worker, but those identities were first formed in the studios of DTH. Growing up there, from age 3 through high school, taught me the power of discipline and the weight of legacy. The values I carry from DTH still guide me: honor your craft, uplift your community, and create spaces where the next generation can see themselves reflected in extraordinary ways.

Watching my niece, Grace, attend the Dance Theatre of Harlem School feels like a full-circle moment. She began last fall in Level Four and now studies under Miss Sekyi, who was one of my very first dance instructors during my elementary years. The connection feels both surreal and deeply special.

DTH isn’t just a school, it’s a family, one that continues to shape generations with love, discipline, and legacy.

I hope young people, including my niece, come away from institutions like DTH with a deep sense of themselves and their place in a larger cultural story. The discipline required can be demanding, but it prepares them for life, shaping not just their craft but their vision of what is possible. DTH carries a legacy that resonates far beyond Harlem, a history of artists who have transformed their communities and the world.