|
When talking about ballet in the 20th century few people have had more
influence or access to the great stages of New York City
than dancer and choreographer Arthur Mitchell. His life in
dance charts the history of ballet and its increasing
diversity. From the 1950’s when he became the first
African-American dancer for the NYC Ballet to later becoming
founder of his own Dance Theater of Harlem.1969, one year
after the death of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., would
give birth to the world’s first black classical ballet
company.
“At the time, it was believed that people of color couldn’t participate
in this art form, that we didn’t have the skill or ability,”
says Glass, executive director of DTH since 2016. “Arthur
Mitchell was out to prove those naysayers wrong, and he did.
He inspired what’s possible in the world.”
The Dance Theater of Harlem is ensuring a lack of black ballet dancers
will not continue into another generation. "If you don't see
someone reflective of you, then young dancers may not even
consider ballet,” says Glass.
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has respectfully awarded DTH a $4
million gift to support the organization’s capacity building
efforts, which will include improvements to salaries for
artists and staff; investments in fundraising infrastructure
and leadership, innovative artistic and community building
initiatives and more. This gift, the largest in DTH’s
history, will immensely support the organization in
realizing its future vision and attain operational
stability, over the next five years. “We are eternally
grateful to The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for steadfastly
believing that the expression DTH brings to the art form is
unique and necessary," says Glass.
Glass’s passion for art began at an early age and would routinely bring
her back and forth to the Toledo area. “The people of
Toledo influenced me at a young age. My beloved godmother,
Kate Jackson, was both an AKA and a LINK. She was very
involved in the community and I remember her taking me to
the Ebony Fashion Fair shows,” says Glass recalling her
early memories of the Glass City.
Around the age of five, Anna moved with her family to Saginaw Michigan
where she grew up and studied ballet at the nearby Flint
Institute of Music. She later attended high school at
Interlochen Arts Academy and Marian High School in
Bloomfield Hills.
“I didn’t grow up visiting my grandparents; they passed away before I
was born. I grew up visiting Aunt Kate and Uncle Jack in
Toledo. They really taught me quite a bit about our black
heritage and the importance of upholding our culture,”
states Glass when asked about her Toledo connection.
“I have only worked for predominantly black institutions and I think it
was their influence in upholding our culture that shepherded
me in that direction.
There are two opposing opinions in the ballet world about the image of
dancers on stage: The first being the idea that an ensemble
of dancers, or corps de ballet, should look identical
onstage. The second opinion is ballet should depict a
celebration of human diversity and movement.
Celebrating the latter, The Dance Theater of Harlem’s 18 multi-ethnic
dancers will perform
Saturday,
February 15, 2020 at 8 PM – 11 PM at Toledo’s own
historic Valentine Theatre.
DTH will be dancing their NEW ballet Passage,
commissioned by the Virginia Arts Festival in partnership
with American Evolution for their 50th Anniversary and the
2019 Commemoration, recognizing the 400th anniversary of a
series of pivotal events in America’s history that continue
to define our nation’s path.
Inspiration—as well as pure passion through movement—is what Glass
promises DTH will bring to its Toledo audience Valentine’s
Day weekend. First audiences will see an exquisite trio
called Odelise, an excerpt from
LeCorsaire. LeCorsaire is a ballet with an
extremely problematic story by nature. As an important
ballet in the canon of classical ballet works, it has been
re-staged by a young dancer in the company named Dillion
Santos. “He has flipped the toxic nature of this ballet,
revealing only the beauty true of classical dancing. He
takes away the story and leaves you with the raw emotion of
dance,” states Glass excitedly. “It is phenomenal seeing
our dancers performing this work. The way Santos staged this
ballet truly showcases the strength and power of women of
color.”
Next the audience will experience This Bitter Earth
choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. “This is not the
typical way one is accustomed to hearing ‘This Bitter Earth’
as the rich vocals of Diana Washington are layered in as a
backdrop to this passionate duet,” explains Anna. “The
music by Diana Washington is overlaid with an alluring yet
haunting score by Composer Max Richter that will have your
heart beating with excitement."
The next piece audiences will enjoy was commissioned to commemorate the
400th anniversary of the first arrival of the enslaved
Africans to this country. It premiered last year at the
Kennedy Center and at the Virginia Arts Festival. The
ballet is entitled Passage choreographed by
Claudia Schreier with original music by Jessie Montgomery -
two talented black women respectively. “It is powerful
beyond measure. A story of resilience reflective of how we
got to this country. It is about hope. It is really, truly,
one of my favorite ballets and is a highlight of this
program,” shares Glass.
The performance will close with a work by female choreographer,
Annabelle Lopez Ochoa entitled Balamouk. “It
is a fun and joyful piece about people of different
backgrounds coming together and it is perfect for a company
that looks like Dance Theater of Harlem,” states Anna.
Dance Theater of Harlem will have a Dancing in The Streets Event
taking place at Owens Corning Headquarters Friday February
14 to kick-off Valentine’s Day Weekend. Smiling, Anna
states, “We will teach you excerpts of a select ballet while
dancing to Aretha Franklin and James Brown. We then give
folks an opportunity to dance and we will end by all doing
one big soul train line together in the streets...it’s so
fun!”
“We always try to do community engagement wherever we go. It is a really
big piece of who we are and what we do at DTH. The best way
for you to truly represent that ‘the ballet belongs to
everyone’, is by being in community with others says
Glass.
While performing arts on television and cell phones streaming apps are
becoming increasingly diverse, progress in the world of
ballet is painfully slow. The percentage of classical black
ballet dancers around the world is still minimal. When
asked how the residents of Toledo can support DTH and
diversity in ballet Anna says, “If you know of a young child
who is interested in dance, sponsor a student and send them
to Dance Theater of Harlem for the summer. It is an
investment in your own community. I’d love to see more
students from Toledo coming out to New York to study.”
“Let’s start by selling out the Valentine Theater, Toledo family. You
can watch so much on television these days, but I think it
is more important than ever for our communities to help our
youth develop the habit of experiencing life and art. There
is something special about seeing beauty live right in front
of you in living color.”
|
