Dance Theatre of Harlem’s U.S. tour performs in New Orleans

By Amyre Brandom-Skinner
Contributing Writer

The New Orleans Ballet Association is known for annually featuring world-class dance companies and artists on their main stage. NOBA is also nationally recognized for its educational programs that allow young people in the community to have access to arts programs. As the American Dance Theatre of Harlem celebrates a golden anniversary, the company will mark its 50th year with a performance in New Orleans, facilitated by NOBA. New works and classics will highlight the dance theatre’s rich history and honors founder Arthur Mitchell.

The American Dance Theatre of Harlem will be returning to the Mahalia Jackson Theatre of Performing Arts on Oct. 20. Tickets start at $35 and are available online at NOBAdance.com. A pre-performance talk with artistic director Virginia Johnson will be held before the program begins.

“The NOBA Center for Dance students have been working hard for four months to learn the work ‘Dougla’ to perform on stage with the Dance Theatre of Harlem. This is an inspirational moment for the audiences and a great show,” said Laura Burkhart, the director of Programming and Marketing for the New Orleans Ballet Association.

This special evening will feature four works selected to spotlight the legacy of the company. There will be masterworks by George Balanchine and Christopher Wheeldon, a restaging for the 1974 ballet, “Dougla,” and music by Count Basie and Duke Ellington.

“Dance Theatre of Harlem’s performance is a great experience, a lot of fun, and was put together just for our New Orleans audience,” Burkhart said. “It is a very uplifting show.”

New Orleans as well as New York, Miami, and Washington D.C. are one of only four U.S. cities where these works will premiere. Four guest artists from NOBA’s Center for Dance will be featured as part of the “Dougla” cast.

Former Dance Theatre of Harlem prima ballerina Virginia Johnson along with current dancers held a lecture for K through 12 students on Oct. 19. The dance theatre conducted master classes and workshops for the New Orleans dance community over the past week.

Since 1969, Dance Theatre of Harlem has worked to upload its mission to “transform lives through the power of its art and its vision of inclusion and access for all.” The legacy continues on as the organization has grown to become more than a dance institution. It is comprised of a school, professional touring company, and community programs.

With Johnson at the forefront, the focus is expansion and engagement. The company has toured nationally and internationally in 41 countries, 44 states, and more than 250 cities across North America.

Performing for nearly 60,000 audience members across the U.S. in 2017, the dance theatre continues to make strides in the dance community. The organization prides itself on being racially diverse with dancers from international and domestic backgrounds.

Company members provide positive role models for the students at NOBA’s Center for Dance. The New Orleans Ballet Association’s development program allows over 5,000 tuition-free classes and activities annually. These students look at the company members of Dance Theatre of Harlem and can imagine growing up to be a professional dancer.

“In addition to the Dance Theatre of Harlem audience, we have guest artists from the NOBA Center for Dance,” Burkhart said. “This is a very rare opportunity for these students and the community.”

This article originally published in the October 22, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.