Latest news with #DanceTheatreofHarlem
CBS News
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Celebrated New York dance company comes to Lesher Center
The Dance Theatre of Harlem was founded by Arthur Mitchell, partly as a means to create a more accessible style and presence of the art of ballet. Over a half a century later, the company is still carrying on the mission, delivering pretty darned exhilarating performances. The troupe's annual hometown run is a popular attraction throughout New York City, but it also tours across the country. The 18-dancer troupe, now led by Alex Garland, returns to Walnut Creek this weekend, continuing a longstanding relationship with the Lesher Center for the Arts. The program includes a variety of works and styles, from classical ballet to contemporary, urban and postmodern. According to reports, on this tour the company has been performing Garland's world premiere work "The Cookout," set to music by the late Jill Scott, the British Afro-funk band Cymande, and more. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday. Tickets ($89-$110) and more information are available at or (925) 943-7469.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gary Students Learn From Harlem's Finest at Dance Workshop
'And five, six, seven, eight!' Warming up to the tunes of Michael Jackson's 'Rock With You,' and James Brown's 'Super Bad' with stretches and steps, a room full of Gary students gathered in the student of Indiana University Northwest to boogie down with a few of Harlem's best dancers. The Dance Theatre of Harlem, a world-renowned professional ballet company, gave a dance workshop and panel at IUN on Tuesday while on its national tour. Three of the company's dancers were joined by a flock of dance and cheer teams from Thea Bowman's Leadership Academy for an hourlong workshop with choreography full of pliés, sauté, and kick-ball-chains. Steadily growing the students' confidence in their routine, they capped off with a stage performance, culminating with an old-fashioned Soul Train line. The Dance Theatre of Harlem was founded by Arthur Mitchell, who was the first Black principal dancer at New York City Ballet at the height of the Civil Rights Movement and credited for creating an inclusive space for Black dancers. Black women have traditionally been underrepresented in the performing arts, especially in ballet. Black women make up only about 4.65% of dancers in ballet representation. Obstacles such as expenses, limited representation, and lack of support from inclusive institutions contribute to the lack of diversity. The dance troupe has held events and workshops in Gary, Indianapolis, and across the state. The statewide tour will conclude with a performance on the Indiana University Bloomington campus on Saturday.'We love to connect with the community. Reach out to young dancers, help inspire them, help them grow, and hopefully help them come to our show,' dancer Lindsey Donnell said when asked why they chose to come to Gary. From the Gary Players to the William Marshall Players dance troupes, Gary's very own dance history stretches beyond the walls of IUN. For example, Roosevelt alum William Marshall, the namesake the players were named after, played the first black Dracula in 'Blacula,' Similarly, Emerson High School was the first performing arts school in Gary dedicated to teaching the arts and culture to students in the community. At a post-workshop panel discussion, the three Dance Theatre of Harlem dancers sat down to chat with students from Thea Bowman, talking about their career in the performing arts. Some said that they encourage double majoring in dance and a different major/discipline — instructor Kira Robinson, for example, said she was on a pre-med track while also pursuing dance. The dancers also encouraged the students to apply for scholarships and summer training camps to keep up their practice. Moreover, they stressed the importance of perseverance and self-care: taking care of the body and the mind. Troop members highlighted their favorite professional memories, with Donnell pointing to performing for former first lady Michelle Obama at the White House that honored African American women in the arts. Meanwhile, Gary resident and IUN graduate Cheyanne Johnson, who joined the dancers on the panel, recalled her favorite moment dancing for Tito and Joe Jackson as a kid. 'Be uncomfortable,' Johnson told the students, saying that is what allowed her to have the discipline to throw herself into new opportunities and grow in a different environment. She now owns a dance studio where she teaches teens and adults and encourages them to get out of their comfort zones and explore different dance forms. 'I didn't have a lot of representation in the media, so now being able to give back to my community in that way, and being a representation that I didn't get to see when I was younger, really means so much,' Robinson said. 'And I feel like that also keeps me going and keeps me inspired to give back to the younger generations.' Back at the student center, the Thea Bowman students reflected on the day's takeaways. Mishael Dixon, a dancer on the Thea Bowman cheer team, said that the experience was 'great' and allowed her to try a different dance style. 'With cheer, it's more like sharp moves. So today, it was more loose, and we got to be more free,' she said. 'And I enjoy getting out of our normal comfort zone.' For Shannya Cardine, co-captain of the cheer team, the experience hit close to home, as dance has always been a part of her life. 'I like to dance because my dad was a dancer,' she said. 'I just grew up on it, and I saw him dancing, and it rubbed off on me.' The post Gary Students Learn From Harlem's Finest at Dance Workshop appeared first on Capital B Gary.
Chicago Tribune
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Thea Bowman dancers gain moves, confidence at Dance Theatre of Harlem workshop
'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.
