Special to the New Journal and Guide
Norfolk
The Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) ranks today among the top companies in the world. Long a favorite of Hampton Roads audiences, DTH will perform May 3, 4 and 5th at Norfolk’s Chrysler Hall as part of the Virginia Arts Festival season.
Born in a church basement, Dance Theatre of Harlem was a seemingly impossible dream brought to life. Founded by the great dancer Arthur Mitchell at the height of the 60s Civil Rights Movement, DTH was created as a truly democratic ballet company that would welcome gifted artists who had been rejected because of race.
Mitchell had his own calling to ballet as a child in Harlem. His mother enrolled him in tap classes, and then a guidance counselor encouraged him to audition for the High School of Performing Arts. He excelled there and earned a scholarship to the prestigious School of American Ballet – which brought him to the attention of the great choreographer George Balanchine.
It was Balanchine, who invited Mitchell to join his legendary New York City Ballet.
It was practically unheard of a Black male dancer on the classical ballet stage. Mitchell gained acclaim, taking on roles that would forever become associated with his grace and strength. After dancing with New York City Ballet in the 1950s, Mitchell performed on Broadway, and went on to create a new dance company in Brazil. But with the tragic death of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mitchell returned to Harlem with the dream of giving back to his community.
Partnering with choreographer and teacher Karel Shook, Mitchell cobbled together a company, holding rehearsals in a garage with the doors open so people could see the unusual sight inside: Black people dancing classical ballet. The company made its official debut on January 8, 1971, at New York’s Guggenheim Museum. It was an act of defiance against centuries of bias, and an act of hope for the future. And it was the beginning of an institution that would forever change the art of ballet.
Among the gifted young dancers who found fame with Dance Theatre of Harlem was an astonishing Norfolk-born ballerina named Lorraine Graves. Graves, who passed on March 21, 2024, danced with the company for nearly 20 years, creating indelible performances in such classics as Creole Giselle, Firebird and more, and mentoring many young dancers here and across the nation.
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