Dance
Founded by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook in the aftermath of the assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Dance Theatre of Harlem was born in a New York neighborhood emblematic of the civil rights struggle, with the ambition of offering young Black dancers an elite training and a place on the stages of classical ballet from which they had long been excluded. The company quickly established itself through its boldness and rigor. Its repertoire moves between tradition and modernity, as demonstrated by this program, which brings together Donizetti Variations (1960) by Balanchine, works by Robert Garland artistic director since 2022 and by the Polish choreographer Robert Bondara, set to music ranging from Bach to Radiohead, as well as Blake Works IV (The Barre Project), a dialogue between William Forsythe and the alternative R&B of James Blake.
Program | A (February 11, 13, 14 at 8 p.m.; February 15 at 3 p.m.)
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Choreography: Robert Garland
Music: James Brown, Alfred Ellis, Aretha Franklin, Carolyn Franklin
Take Me With You
Choreography: Robert Bondara
Music: Radiohead
New Bach
Choreography: Robert Garland
Music: Johann Sebastian Bach
Blake Works IV (The Barre Project)
Choreography: William Forsythe
Music: James Blake
Program | B (February 12 and 14 at 3 p.m.; February 15 at 8 p.m.)
Nyman String Quartet No. 2
Choreography: Robert Garland
Music: Michael Nyman
Take Me With You
Choreography: Robert Bondara
Music: Radiohead
Donizetti Variations
Choreography: George Balanchine
Music: Gaetano Donizetti
Higher Ground
Choreography: Robert Garland
Music: Stevie Wonder