Temporarily shuttered, renowned dance company returns to national stage with a 40TH anniversary tour that includes campus stops.
On Oct. 16, 2004, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, the only major ballet company in the world composed primarily of Black dancers, shut its doors. It was a move that stunned the New York arts community.
“Everything came to a screeching halt,” says then-director of the DTH school, Laveen Naidu. Internal financial problems coupled with deep cuts in charitable donations following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks caused the company to acquire a $2.4 million deficit. The show could not go on.
Founded in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook in response to the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., the company had become known as the place for ballet dancers of color to practice their art. Mitchell made history in 1955 when he joined the New York City Ballet, becoming the first Black male to be a permanent member of a leading ballet company.
Convinced that teaching ballet to the children of Harlem would fulfill his dream of “using the arts to ignite the mind” — the company’s motto — Mitchell started with a few classes held in a garage. Mitchell made a practice of leaving the door open, which not only enticed children in the neighborhood to check out the school, but also spread the word to professional dancers that Mitchell had started a new venture. Before long, the school grew to serve thousands of students, and a group of professional dancers, under Mitchell’s direction, became a company that performed to critical acclaim in New York and around the world.
When news broke that the dance company had ceased operation, hundreds of small donations came pouring in. “That told us the audience’s desire to see Dance Theatre of Harlem was strong,” says Naidu.
