Review: DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM'S FIREBIRD at The National Theatre

Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) returned to DC this weekend for a three-performance engagement co-presented by Washington Performing Arts at The National Theatre. The program featured Firebird to Igor Stravinsky's iconic score and John Taras’s choreography, DTH Artistic Director Robert Garland’s Return, and George Balanchine’s Donizetti Variations.

Founded in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell, the first black principal dancer at New York City Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem has long been a premiere ballet company and a haven for black ballet dancers. At DTH dancers wear tights and shoes that match their skin tone, not the single tone pink tights common at other European-derived companies. While the works performed emphasize ballet technique above all else, these small costume changes speak to Mr. Mitchell’s desire for a company that celebrated black dancers and bodies onstage.

Mr. Garland has served as Artistic Director since 2022, after a long career as a dancer with DTH and acclaimed choreographer for DTH and numerous other companies. His leadership brings continuity but also ingenuity; while both of his predecessors created dances, their primary talents were as artistic leaders, teachers and dancers. Garland, on the other hand, is an exquisite choreographer. Return, his jubilant work originally choreographed for DTH’s 30th anniversary, features music by James Brown and Aretha Franklin. 

Unlike so many ballet works to popular music, Return doesn’t pander. The dancers shimmy, hustle, shuffle and more, at times even appearing to improvise, but they keep coming back to classical vocabulary, including some breathtaking partnering. Often pointe shoes in works like this feel superfluous; if the dancers are trying to get down, what do they need shoes designed to make them lift up? But here, they move seamlessly from bent-kneed grooving to full-pointe extensions, the shoes merely adding to the available steps and possible combinations. 

The work also showcased well the versatility of the dancers, including their ability to vamp when sound cues were off, but more so their technique. As is often the case, the female dancers were on the whole stronger than the men, likely due to more years of training. A few of the men seemed to struggle with their double tours en l’air and couldn’t quite reach a ninety-degree leg in their a la seconde turns, but they made up for it with their excellent partnering skills. 

My only reservation was the women’s costumes, silver lamé mini-dresses cut away to reveal the sides of the stomach. The dancers are svelte and beautiful, but the skin shown is gratuitous. Still, a small nit in an otherwise delightful piece. I’d love to see more companies performing his work. 

Garland’s great gift to the company, and to us as an audience, may be the fusion of his choreographic talents and his artistic leadership: his ability to pick repertory and set performance programming. Perhaps not responsibilities widely noticed by others, both contribute measurably to audience pleasure and, I’d venture to guess, the dancers’ engagement. In DC both talents were on display.   

We were treated to three great works of choreography, including two (Firebird and Return) not commonly performed by other companies, performed with sensitive musicality and expression. A fabulous night out at The National, and a gift to the city. 

Runtime: 2 hours, 30 minutes with two intermissions
Photo credit: DTH Company Artists Derek Brockington and Delaney Washington in Robert Garland's Return. Photo by Jeff Cravotta. 

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