Dance Theatre of Harlem Announces Return to the Stage

The renowned Dance Theatre of Harlem is poised to make a triumphant return to the New York stage following two seasons of successful digital programming with a week of performances at New York City Center. Following over a year of performances that both commemorated its 50th anniversary and paid tribute to its late, legendary co-founder, Arthur Mitchell, the company quickly pivoted to a digital platform amidst Covid-19 shutdowns and continued to innovate in the world of dance while keeping its artists, staff, and audiences safe. Now, Dance Theatre of Harlem continues its co-founder's monumental legacy as a participating company of the inaugural City Center Dance Festival with a bill of forward-thinking contemporary works and treasured classics that will take the esteemed organization into the next half century.

Dance Theatre of Harlem will kick off its homecoming season with its annual Vision Gala on Tuesday, April 5, 2022 with an evening titled With Gratitude..., celebrating DTH's return to the New York City Center stage. Expressing the company's immense thanks to all who supported them during this time of extraordinary change, the evening will feature the New York premieres of both a richly expanded version of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's recent hit Balamouk-featuring a live performance by Grammy-winning klezmer band The Klezmatics-and Resident Choreographer Robert Garland's newest ballet, Higher Ground, set to the timeless music of Stevie Wonder. Rounding out the evening's performances is Odalisques Variations from Petipa's Le Corsaire, staged by company artist Dylan Santos.

Emmy, Golden Globe, and Tony Award-winning dancer, actor, choreographer, director, and producer Debbie Allen is set to receive the Arthur Mitchell Vision Award at the 2022 Vision Gala performance. Presented annually to an artist whose legacy is founded on exceptional contributions to the arts community, the award is named for and was inaugurally received by Dance Theatre of Harlem co-founder Arthur Mitchell. Honorees to be recognized during the Gala Dinner at the Ziegfeld Ballroom include the Reginald F. Lewis Foundation, recipient of the Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Award, and Dr. Wendy Ziecheck, Dr. Donald J. Rose, and the NYU Langone Health/Harkness Center for Dance Injuries Medical Team who will each receive the DTH Chairman's Award. Bloomberg Philanthropies is the Lead Season Sponsor of the 2022 Vision Gala.

Two evenings of repertory performances follow the gala, adding a third New York premiere for an evening of thrilling works new to New York City audiences. Robert Garland's Higher Ground and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's Balamouk (extended version)continue on the bill, along with the addition of Passage, Claudia Schreier's creation originally slated for Dance Theatre of Harlem's 50th anniversary homecoming season, postponed due to the shutdown of live performances in New York. The breathtaking work, with live music from composer Jessie Montgomery, marks the arrival of the first enslaved Africans to the colony of Virginia in 1619.

Dance Theatre of Harlem's 2022 New York City Center Programming

TUESDAY, APRIL 5 at 7PM

2022 With Gratitude... Vision Gala

Higher Ground NY Premiere - Robert Garland

Odalisques Variations from Le Corsaire - Staged by Dylan Santos after Marius Petipa

Balamouk (extended version) NY Premiere - Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

Featuring live accompaniment by The Klezmatics

2022 Vision Gala Dinner and Dancing at the Ziegfeld Ballroom follow the performance. Tickets start at $1500. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit https://www.dancetheatreofharlem.org/special-events/ or email info@dwightjohnsondesign.com.

FRIDAY, APRIL 8 at 7:30PM

Higher Ground - NY Premiere Robert Garland

Passage - NY Premiere Claudia Schreier

Featuring live music by Jessie Montgomery

Balamouk (extended version) - NY Premiere Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

Featuring live accompaniment by The Klezmatics

SATURDAY, APRIL 9 at 2PM

Higher Ground - NY Premiere Robert Garland

Odalisques Variations from Le Corsaire Dylan Santos after Marius Petipa

Balamouk (extended version) - NY Premiere Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

Featuring live accompaniment by The Klezmatics

SUNDAY, APRIL 10 at 5PM

Higher Ground - NY Premiere Robert Garland

Passage - NY Premiere Claudia Schreier

Featuring live music by Jessie Montgomery

Balamouk (extended version) - NY Premiere Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

Featuring live accompaniment by The Klezmatics

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Robert Garland was a member of the Dance Theater of Harlem Company, achieving the rank of principal dancer. After creating a work for the DTH School Ensemble, Arthur Mitchell invited Robert Garland to create a work for the Dance Theatre of Harlem Company and appointed him the organization's first Resident Choreographer. He is also the Director of the Dance Theater of Harlem School. In addition to choreographing several ballets for DTH, Mr. Garland has also created works for New York City Ballet, Britain's Royal Ballet, Oakland Ballet, and many others. His commercial work has included music videos, commercials, and short films, including the children's television show "Sesame Street," a Nike commercial featuring New York Yankee Derek Jeter, the NAACP Image Awards, a short film for designer Donna Karan, and the "Charmin Cha-Cha" for Procter & Gamble. Mr. Garland holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The Juilliard School in New York City.

The Klezmatics are world-renowned and Grammy-winning superstars of the klezmer world, revitalizing the music that is steeped in Easter European Jewish tradition and spirituality for a new century. In the course of over twenty years, they have released nine albums and collaborated with numerous musical luminaries, including Arlo Guthrie, Itzhak Perlman, Chava Alberstein, Ehud Banay, Allen Ginsberg, and Ben Folds Five, among others. Their work has extended to numerous theatre, film, dance, and television projects, including Tony Kushner's A Dybbuk and It's An Undoing World, and Pilobolus Dance Theatre's Davenen. They have performed in over twenty countries and reached millions more through performances on "Late Night with David Letterman," PBS' "Great Performances," BBC's "Rhythms of the World," "Sex and the City," and various NPR programs. They have garnered numerous awards and accolades, including a 2006 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album, a New York Jewish Music Award, a GLAMA, two German Critics' Awards, and have topped the Billboard world music charts on many occasions.

Annabelle Lopez Ochoa is a Colombian-Belgian choreographer who completed her dance education at the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp, Belgium. Following a 12-year career as a dancer in various European companies, Annabelle transitioned to a career focused on choreography in 2003, becoming an award-winning and sought-after choreographer around the world. She has created works for over 60 dance companies, including The Washington Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, English National Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, San Francisco Ballet, New York City Ballet, Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, and Ballet Moscow. She is a versatile choreographer, with pieces ranging from contemporary to flamenco, hip-hop to classical ballet, and also creates work for theater, opera, musical theater, and art installations. Annabelle is the recipient of numerous accolades for her work, recently recognized with the 2019 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award.

Jessie Montgomery is a composer, violinist, and educator. She is the recipient of the Leonard Bernstein Award from the ASCAP Foundation, and her works are performed frequently around the world by leading musicians and ensembles. She currently serves as composer-in-residence for the Sphinx Virtuosi, the flagship professional touring ensemble of The Sphinx Organization, which supports young African American and Latinx string players. Jessie began her violin studies at the Third Street Music School Settlement, one of the oldest community organizations in the country. A founding member of PUBLIQuartest and currently a member of the Catalyst Quartet, she continues to maintain an active performance career as a violinist, appearing regularly with her own ensembles, as well as with the Silkroad Ensemble and Sphinx Virtuosi. She holds degrees from The Juilliard School and New York University, and is currently a Graduate Fellow in Music Composition at Princeton University.

Dylan Santos grew up in São Paulo, Brazil and started his ballet training at Centro de artes Pavilhão D in his city. At age 15, Dylan was selected to compete at the Youth American Grand Prix where he was awarded scholarships to study ballet around the world. At 16, he moved to Boca Raton, Florida to study at the Harid Conservatory. His ballet training continued under Claudio Munoz and Director Stanton Welch at the Houston Ballet. By 19, Mr. Santos landed his first professional job with the Orlando Ballet under the direction of Robert Hill and Deidre Miles Burger. Dylan has performed professionally with State Street Ballet, Columbia City Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and Paris Opera Ballet. Mr. Santos joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem in 2013 and has worked with choreographers and ballet guest artists such as Wendy Whelan, Craig Hall, Charla Genn, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Carmen De Lavallade. He has danced lead roles in George Balanchine's Swan Lake, Serenade, Valse Fantaisie, Glinka, Agon, and Four Temperaments, and has performed works by Nacho Duato, Ulysses Dove, Stanton Welch, Francesca Harper, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Hellen Picket, and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.

Claudia Schreier is the recipient of the 2018 Princess Grace Award for Choreography, the 2018 NEFA National Dance Project Award, the 2018 Dance/NYC Dance Advancement Fund supported by the Ford Foundation, the 2017 Lotos Foundation Prize for Dance, the 2008 Suzanne Farrell Dance Prize in recognition for Outstanding Artistry in the Field of Dance, and winner of the 2014 Breaking Glass Project choreographic competition. She received the 2017 Virginia B. Toulmin Fellowship for Women Choreographers at the Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU. Ms. Schreier has choreographed over 30 ballets and has been commissioned by companies and organizations including Atlanta Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Vail Dance Festival, American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, Juilliard Opera, New York Choreographic Institute, and Joffrey Winning Works. She is the Artistic Director of Claudia Schreier & Company, founded in 2015, and is a member of the NYC Landmarks50 Alliance. Her ballet for Dance Theatre of Harlem, Passage, is the subject of the 2019 PBS documentary "Dancing on the Shoulders of Giants."