A Generational Leap

The first Black dancer in the New York City Ballet (1955), and first Black principal dancer (the next year), Arthur Mitchell just shy of fifteen years later would found the Dance Theatre of Harlem (with Karel Shook).

Since he grew up in Harlem, founding this school and ballet company was a reflection of many seasons of Mitchell’s life. He had gained experience in the few years before founding ballet companies in Italy, Washington, D.C., and Brazil.

Mitchell’s life, although steeped in performance, was about the communication and transmission of dance, art, and a way of life to the generations coming after him.