Ethnicity and Classicism: A Beautiful Connection

At a time when the majority of schools throughout the country told black kids to go into jazz or modern dance, Mr. Mitchell became a principal and famed soloist with the New York City Ballet.

It was the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968 that changed the direction of Mr. Mitchell's career. He returned to the United States from his directorship of the National Ballet of Brazil determined to make a commitment: to the people of Harlem, the untapped talents of black artists, and the breaking of the traditional barrier against black dancers in the world of classical ballet.

The Dance Theatre of Harlem opened its ballet school the next year with an enrollment of 30. It now includes over 350 students from all areas of the country, and offers professional training in dance, music, chorus, stagecrafts and administration. In 1979, it was one of the first professional dance schools in America to be accredited.

The Dance Theatre of Harlem is now one of the most important companies in America, filling its programs with a distinctive blend of classical and ethnic traditions. The “black” ballet company has moved through the old barriers to become an artistic triumph in the mainstream of American dance.