Arthur Mitchell

IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Written By The Studio Kiama

by Alex McLachlan

 

Principal Dancer . Groundbreaking Choreographer . Company Founder

Arthur Mitchell was an American ballet dancer and choreographer.

Mitchell co-founded the Dance Theatre of Harlem and was the first African American principal dancer in a major ballet company - the New York City Ballet.

New York City Ballet dancer Arthur Mitchell in 1963 performing a jump in retire

New York City Ballet dancer Arthur Mitchell in 1963. (Photo by Jack Mitchell / Getty Images)

Born in 1934, Mitchell’s mum initially enrolled him in tap classes at the Police Athletic League. Mitchell was a talented artist from a young age and was selected to attended the High School for Performing Arts in New York, where he found his passion as a ballet dancer. He received a scholarship to the School of American Ballet and performed in Broadway Musicals until 1956 when he joined the New City Ballet, under George Balanchine. By 1962, Mitchell had climbed the company ranks to become a principal dancer.

Famous (or infamous…) Russian-American choreographer George Balanchine created several roles specifically for Mitchell. Most notably an iconic pas de deux in Agon (1957) and the role of Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1962). Mitchell made his debut in a lead male role in Balanchine’s “Western Symphony,” replacing Jacques d’Amboise, who was making a film. Years later, Mitchell recalled hearing gasps and at least one racist comment from the audience when he entered the stage that night. Read Allegra Kent’s recount of performing Balanchine’s Agon with Mitchell in Moscow in 1962.

Mitchell left the New York City Ballet in 1966 to appear in several Broadway shows, and helped found ballet companies in Spoleto, Washington, D.C., and Brazil.

George Balanchine and Arthur Mitchell

George Balanchine and Arthur Mitchell. (Photo by www.dancetheatreofharlem.org)

In 1968, after the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King, Mitchell returned to Harlem determined to form inclusive dance spaces. In 1969 he and Karel Shook founded the Dance Theatre of Harlem, an integrated school, whose associated company made its debut in 1971 in New York City. As the company was getting it’s footing, Balanchine bestowed Mitchell with the rights to several of his ballets. This gave The Dance Theatre of Harlem an undeniable foundation of classic repertoire.

 

Dance Theatre of Harlem Co-founders Karel Shook & Arthur Mitchell in 1971. (Photo by Marbeth / dancetheatreofharlem.org)

 

At the height of the civil rights movement, in a graceful moment of artistic resistance, he created a haven for dancers of all colors who craved training, performance experience and an opportunity to excel in the classical ballet world.

- Djassi DaCosta Johnson, New York dancer, choreographer, writer, photographer and filmmaker

The company had its first regular seasons in New York and London in 1974. By 1979, DTH was touring internationally with a repertoire of 46 ballets. In 1988 it visited Russia, the first American ballet company to do so after the fall of the Soviet Union, performing sold out shows in Moscow, Tbilisi, and Leningrad. The company also toured South Africa at the end of Apartheid in 1992. DTH was breaking racial and political boundaries wherever they travelled and offered its educational programs wherever they performed. As the company grew, Mitchell turned his attention to putting together a wide-ranging repertoire of classic and contemporary works.

Mitchell instructs young ballerinas at the school on W. 152nd St. (Photo by Craig Warga / NY Daily News Archive)

After 35 years building a lasting legacy in the dance world, DTH was disbanded in 2004 due to financial trouble. This was attributed to the lack of attendance in theatres, caused by the emerging digital age and waning interest in performance art. Incredibly, the troupe was revived in 2012 under ex-DTH principal dancer and founding member, Virginia Johnson. Johnson took over from Mitchell as artistic director in 2013. The company and school continue to breathe new life into ballet and to celebrate Mitchell’s belief that ballet belongs to everyone.

DTH dancers performing in the 2020 short film Dancing in Harlem. (Photo by dancetheatreofharlem.org) Watch here.

Since its inception, the Dance Theatre of Harlem has contributed massively to the modernisation of contemporary ballet in America and has provided opportunities to BIPOC dancers for more than 50 years.

Arthur Mitchell passed away in 2018, leaving a lasting legacy that continues to help and inspire young dancers around the world.

Arthur Mitchell in New York the mid-1980’s. (Photo by Oliver Morris / Getty Images)

 

SOURCES

The Studio Kiama
Previous

Yoga & Appropriation
Next

Ballet in Film