The Dance Theatre of Harlem was inspired by a dream. A dream of Martin Luther King. Shortly after Dr King’s tragic death, Arthur Mitchell and Karl Shook formed a company in a church basement. Their aim? To change lives – in particular the lives of children born and raised in New York’s Harlem. Their tool? Dance. Now in operation for nearly half a century, the multiethnic company is made up of fourteen extraordinary, extremely versatile dancers. Boasting a repertoire spanning classical and contemporary pieces, it never loses sight of its Afro-American heritage and never ceases to breath fresh air into the classical ballet language.

The company will perform as part of the Days of Dance festival twice. Each of the two rich programmes – Brahms Variations / A short ballet / Change / Coming together and Vessels / Chaconne / Dancing on the front porch of heaven / Return – reveal the company’s different facet. Despite their different styles, they are equally inspiring and simply show how universal the language of dance is.