Farewell To Dance Theatre Of Harlem's Arthur Mitchell (1934-2018)

I just learned of the death of Arthur Mitchell, at age 84, the co-founder of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, the first black male principal dancer with the New York City Ballet under George Balanchine, and the recipient of the MacArthur "genius grant" in 1994. R.I.P., Mr. Mitchell.

Dance Theatre Of Harlem At New York's City Center

As part of Dance Theatre of Harlem's 20th anniversary celebration, an all-Nijinska program has been scheduled for four evenings during the company's two-week engagement at City Center (June 21-July 2 [1989]).

These evenings will offer dancegoers the unique opportunity of seeing three Bronislava Nijinska ballets performed collectively; a first for an American company.

Although DTH has previously staged Les Biches, Les Noces and Rondo Capriccioso will be company premieres.

"When we did Les Biches five, six years ago," recalled artistic director/co-founder Arthur Mitchell, "Irina Nijinska"--the daughter of one of the greatest choreographers in Serge Diaghilev's Ballet Russes company--"said 'You know, I think it would be wonderful for the company to do Les Noces' and I said 'It's a nice idea.' This year her mother, who is the sister of [the late dancer/choreographer ] Nijinsky, is celebrating her, some say 98th; some say, 99th; some say, 100th birthday. I thought it would be a wonderful tribute [to her] to do that whole evening."

In addition, continued Mitchell, these works reveal "the diversity and the strength of the company" as well as providing balance to the repertoire by giving the audience "something historic and then something new."

One of the ballets--Rondo Capriccioso--has not been performed since its 1952 premiere. This season will mark its American debut.

Fortunately for DTH, Rosella Hightower, who originally danced the part of the Bird of Paradise, and, said Mitchell, "is one of the five great American Indian ballerinas," was able to reconstruct from memory the ballet, "a small piece for four people" that, further stated Mitchell, "even Nijinska's daughter didn't know [about]." Interestingly, she is the only ballerina to ever dance the role. (This time around, Stephanie Dabney, a DTH principal dancer, will be the new Bird of Paradise.)

Other ballets include Mitchell's John Henry, set to music by Milton Rosenstock, Dance Theatre's musical director and Balanchine's Allegro Brilliante, built on music by Tchaikovsky.

This article was originally published in the New York Amsterdam News (June 24, 1989).

Dance Theatre Of Harlem's Financial Woes

The Dance Theatre of Harlem announced January 31 [1990] that it has canceled its May concerts in New York because of a $1.7 million budget deficit. It is the first such cancellation in the company's 20-year history.

"We have had financial crises before," said Arthur Mitchell, DTH's artistic director and co-founder, "but never to this extent."

The current crisis, involving the layoff of the 55 dancers as well as technicians and a few administrative personnel, is linked to a series of domestic and foreign cancellations of performance dates. "Many of the sponsors that we are dealing with," explained Mitchell, in a telephone interview from Pasadena, California, where the troupe performed January 29-February 4 [1990], "are not private, commercial bookers. They are usually funded organizations themselves. They just weren't able to raise the money that they thought they would raise."

When the Dance Theatre of Harlem finishes up its tour--which will conclude in Washington, D.C. in March--the dancers will go on hiatus. At that point, they and other company personnel will be eligible for unemployment benefits. "If they can get other work," said Mitchell, "they are free to do that. They can teach, they can go to school, they can work in other areas. That's part of what Dance Theatre is about--preparing themselves for post-dance careers. But right now, the most important thing is that they should be dancing because that's what they are."

Despite DTH's financial situation, there are still long-range plans in the works, such as the building of office and dormitory space in the area surrounding the company's headquarters on 152nd Street, a project Mitchell calls "an Olympic Village of the allied arts here in Harlem." (The money, partly provided by the city, can only be earmarked for the capital expansion program.) And Mitchell still has his eye on the 1991 New York season. "Our fiscal year starts October 1. I hope that by that time, the monies will be available for us to continue. But you just don't stop planning."

This article was originally published in the New York Amsterdam News (February 17, 1990).

A Movie Deferred

If all goes well, Arthur Mitchell and the Dance Theatre of Harlem will be coming to a theatre near you--a movie theatre, that is.

It should be interesting to see what Hollywood does with a dramatic version of Mitchell's life story which producer Francine LeFrak, who bought the screen rights, has been trying to bring to the silver screen for years.

Ms. LeFrak, the daughter of New York real estate developer Sam LeFrak, recently hit pay dirt when she struck a deal with Jon Peters and Peter Guber to make the film in association with their production company, the Guber-Peters Entertainment Company. (Some of Guber-Peters's past films include Batman, The Color Purple, and Gorillas in the Mist.) During the shooting of the as-yet-untitled movie, Guber and Peters plan to be remotely involved.

The creative team, which includes Guber-Peters Executive Vice President Stacy Snider, sees the film project using one of two storylines: the rise of Arthur Mitchell at the New York City Ballet to become its first black principal dancer who would later create the Dance Theatre of Harlem (after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination) or a look at Mitchell in the 1990s and how he has influenced a new generation of dancers. The second approach would have multiple stories interspersed with numerous dance numbers a la the movie Fame.

The primary choice to play Mitchell is Denzel Washington, one of the hottest young black actors in Hollywood, who is presently appearing before the cameras as Malcolm X in Spike Lee's movie about the controversial black leader. According to Ms. Snider, Washington is interested in participating in the project, set to begin production sometime next year. The movie, which will be shot in New York and abroad, will take ten to fourteen weeks to shoot. Concludes Ms. Snider, with enthusiasm: "I'm sure we'll all be thrilled with the finished movie."

This unpublished article was written in November 1991.

( Note: The Dance Theatre of Harlem movie was never made.)