Thea Bowman dancers gain moves, confidence at Dance Theatre of Harlem workshop

Chicago Tribune

26-02-2025

'Kick, ball, change,' and 'Passé' were some of the step combinations Lindsey Donnell, with the Dance Theatre of Harlem, called out and demonstrated to the Thea Bowman Leadership Academy cheerleading and majorette teams.
The girls completed the steps as Donnell called them out, gaining more confidence with each run-through. Then, the snare drum, trumpet and upbeat lyrics flowed through the speakers, and the girls sped up their steps to 'Super Bad' by James Brown.
They ended the session with a Soul Train line, where in pairs they got to freestyle together while the others clapped as the line moved forward.
Three women with the Dance Theatre of Harlem visited Indiana University Northwest Tuesday to hold a Dancing in the Streets Workshop with the Thea Bowman Academy students. They taught the students an excerpt of a ballet called 'Return' by Dance Theatre of Harlem artistic director Robert Garland.
The dance troupe held a weeklong state-wide residency with events and workshops in Gary, Indianapolis, Greensburg and Bloomington. The residency ends Saturday with a performance at the Indiana University Bloomington campus.
Dance Theatre of Harlem aims to disprove the misconceptions people may have about ballet, Donnell said.
'A lot of people think ballet is very stuffy, unapproachable, boring so I love especially showing the youth that it's so much broader than we think,' Donnell said.
The Dance Theatre of Harlem was started in Harlem, New York City in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell, who was the first Black principal dancer at New York City Ballet in 1955, Donnell said.
'He broke a lot of barriers, a lot of racial barriers,' Donnell said. 'At the end of his career, he wanted to give back.'
Initially, Mitchell went to Brazil to help with the founding of the National Ballet of Brazil, Donnell said. But, after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Donnell said Mitchell returned to the U.S. and opened the Dance Theatre of Harlem, she said.
Mitchell started the dance school in his garage, and 50 years later it has grown in space and program to teach students of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds the art of ballet, Donnell said.
'Dance is such a part of Black culture, so I think it's really beautiful,' Donnell said. 'It feels so natural for us in an art form that hasn't always infused that.'
Kira Robinson, a dancer with Dance Theatre of Harlem, said she enjoys teaching people ballet combinations because after a few minutes they realize ballet can be free flowing.
'I love how much life and energy they have, and I feel like that gives me energy as well,' Robinson said.
Dance Theatre of Harlem member Ariana Dickerson, an IU-Bloomington alumna, said anyone interested in dance should keep an open mind and 'dive right in.'
'Release the self judgement and go for it,' Donnell said. 'I think a lot of times we as dancers and as humans expect perfection immediately but it's a process and you learn things along the way.'
Tuesday's dance workshop went really well with the students gaining more and more confidence as they practiced the steps, Robinson said.
Shannya Cardine, a junior and majorette co-captain, said she enjoyed the workshop, but the combination was more complicated than she anticipated. Aminah Jones, majorette captain, agreed, but she said she enjoyed learning something different.
'Overall, I liked the combination and it taught me something new,' Jones said.
Karen Fitzgerald-Tillman, the majorette team coach, said the students were invited to the workshop as an opportunity to learn a new style of dance.
At the end of the workshop, Fitzgerald-Tillman said she hoped the students, some of whom have goals of studying dance in college or opening their own dance studios, appreciate the lesson in ballet regardless of how many steps of the combination they master.
'I want them to open their minds and be receptive to something different, to be open to learning something new,' Fitzgerald-Tillman said.