NEW YORK CITY CENTER

NEW YORK

CITY CENTER

LINDSEY DONNELL YINET FERNANDEZ ALEXANDRA HUTCHINSON

DAPHNE LEE KAMALA SAARA CRYSTAL SERRANO INGRID SILVA

AMANDA SMITH DELANEY WASHINGTON STEPHANIE RAE WILLIAMS*

DEREK BROCKINGTON MICAH BULLARD KOUADIO DAVIS

KEENAN ENGLISH CHRISTOPHER CHARLES MCDANIEL SANFORD PLACIDE

ANTHONY SANTOS DYLAN SANTOS DAVID WRIGHT

resident choreographer

ROBERT GARLAND

company manager

MELINDA BLOOM

artistic director

VIRGINIA JOHNSON

executive director

ANNA GLASS

founders

ARTHUR MITCHELL KAREL SHOOK

2022 Lead Season Sponsor Bloomberg Philanthropies

ARLENE SHULER PRESIDENT & CEO

STANFORD MAKISHI VP & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR,

DANCE PROGRAMS

NEW YORK CITY CENTER

PRESENTS

*maternity leave

With Gratitude … Dance Theatre of Harlem celebrates its return to the

New York City Center stage and expresses its thanks to everyone who has

supported the company during this extraordinary time of change.

GALA PROGRAM

Tuesday, April 5, 2022, at 7:00pm

Higher Ground

New York Premiere

Choreography by ROBERT GARLAND

Music by STEVIE WONDER

Costume Design by PAMELA ALLEN-CUMMINGS

Lighting Design by ROMA FLOWERS

Premiere: January 22, 2022, Detroit Opera House, Detroit, MI

“Look Around”

AMANDA SMITH DAPHNE LEE ALEXANDRA HUTCHINSON

ANTHONY SANTOS MICAH BULLARD KOUADIO DAVIS

“You Haven’t Done Nothin’”

MICAH BULLARD

KOUADIO DAVIS ALEXANDRA HUTCHINSON DAPHNE LEE

ANTHONY SANTOS AMANDA SMITH

“Heaven Is Ten Zillion Light Years Away”

ANTHONY SANTOS DAPHNE LEE

MICAH BULLARD KOUADIO DAVIS

ALEXANDRA HUTCHINSON AMANDA SMITH

“Village Ghetto Land”

AMANDA SMITH

MICAH BULLARD KOUADIO DAVIS ALEXANDRA HUTCHINSON

DAPHNE LEE ANTHONY SANTOS

“Saturn”

ALEXANDRA HUTCHINSON KOUADIO DAVIS

MICAH BULLARD DAPHNE LEE ANTHONY SANTOS AMANDA SMITH

“Higher Ground”

COMPANY

The ballet “Higher Ground” represents a Sankofa-esque reﬂection on our current times.

– Robert Garland

Commissioned by Northrop Auditorium, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.

Special thanks to Stevie Wonder and Tracey Rounds.

Odalisques Variations

From “Le Corsaire”

Choreography by MARIUS PETIPA

Staged by DYLAN SANTOS

Music by ADOLPHE ADAM and CESARE PUGNI

Costumes by KATY A. FREEMAN

Lighting by WILLIAM E. COTTON

Dancers

YINET FERNANDEZ KAMALA SAARA LINDSEY DONNELL

While the storyline of the full-length Le Corsaire, is mired in toxic, 19th century social

conventions, Marius Petipa’s choreography is some of the ﬁnest in the ballet canon. Company

Artist Dylan Santos’ staging of the “Odalisques Variations” strips away the story to reveal the

sheer beauty of classical dancing.

Balamouk

New York Premiere (Extended Version)

Choreography by ANNABELLE LOPEZ OCHOA

Music by LES YEUX NOIRS, LISA GERRARD, RENÉ AUBRY

Performed by THE KLEZMATICS

Costume Design by MARK ZAPPONE

Lighting Design by LES DICKERT

Premiere: October 5th, 2018, New York City Center, New York, NY

Extended Version Premiere: July 10, 2019, Jacob’s Pillow, Becket, MA

Dancers

INGRID SILVA AMANDA SMITH CRYSTAL SERRANO DAPHNE LEE

DELANEY WASHINGTON DYLAN SANTOS DEREK BROCKINGTON

KEENAN ENGLISH DAVID WRIGHT CHRISTOPHER CHARLES MCDANIEL

MUSICIANS

RICHIE BARSHAY

MATT DARRIAU

LISA GUTKIN

FRANK LONDON

PAUL MORISSETT

LORIN SKLAMBERG

Percussion

Kaval, Clarinet, and Saxophone

Vocals and Violin

Trumpet and Keyboards

Bass and Tsimbal

Lead Vocals, Accordion, Guitar, and Piano

Commissioned by New York City Center for the Fall For Dance Festival, the development of the expanded version

of Balamouk was supported through 50th anniversary commissioning support provided by the Seattle Theater Group

and Jacob’s Pillow, and by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation through Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Women Who

Move Us Initiative. Support for new dance works at City Center is provided by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation

and Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Dance Theatre of Harlem wishes to thank Jerome and Hélène Dreskin for their

generous support of The Klezmatics’ performance.

PROGRAM A

Friday, April 8, 2022 at 7:30pm

Sunday, April 10, 2022 at 5:00pm

Higher Ground

Choreography by ROBERT GARLAND

Music by STEVIE WONDER

Costume Design by PAMELA ALLEN-CUMMINGS

Lighting Design by ROMA FLOWERS

Premiere: January 22, 2022, Detroit Opera House, Detroit, MI

“Look Around”

AMANDA SMITH DAPHNE LEE ALEXANDRA HUTCHINSON

ANTHONY SANTOS MICAH BULLARD KOUADIO DAVIS

“You Haven’t Done Nothin’”

MICAH BULLARD

KOUADIO DAVIS ALEXANDRA HUTCHINSON DAPHNE LEE

ANTHONY SANTOS AMANDA SMITH

“Heaven Is Ten Zillion Light Years Away”

ANTHONY SANTOS DAPHNE LEE

MICAH BULLARD KOUADIO DAVIS ALEXANDRA HUTCHINSON AMANDA SMITH

“Village Ghetto Land”

AMANDA SMITH

MICAH BULLARD KOUADIO DAVIS ALEXANDRA HUTCHINSON

DAPHNE LEE ANTHONY SANTOS

“Saturn”

ALEXANDRA HUTCHINSON KOUADIO DAVIS

MICAH BULLARD DAPHNE LEE ANTHONY SANTOS AMANDA SMITH

“Higher Ground”

COMPANY

The ballet “Higher Ground” represents a Sankofa-esque reﬂection on our current times.

– Robert Garland

Inc and Black Bull Music. All rights administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, 424 Church Street, Suite 1200,

Commissioned by Northrop Auditorium, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.

Special thanks to Stevie Wonder and Tracey Rounds.

INTERMISSION

Passage

New York Premiere

Choreography by CLAUDIA SCHREIER

Music by JESSIE MONTGOMERY

Costume Design by MARTHA CHAMBERLAIN

Lighting Design by NICOLE PEARCE

Conductor: DAVID LAMARCHE

Project Manager: BEE UNGAR

Premiere: May 3, 2019, Chrysler Hall, Norfolk, VA

Dancers

ANTHONY SANTOS DEREK BROCKINGTON

AMANDA SMITH INGRID SILVA CRYSTAL SERRANO

KAMALA SAARA YINET FERNANDEZ DELANEY WASHINGTON

CHRISTOPHER CHARLES MCDANIEL KOUADIO DAVIS

KEENAN ENGLISH DAVID WRIGHT

MUSICIANS

MIHO SAEGUSA

VICTORIA LEWIS

CAMEREN ANAI WILLIAMS

THAPELO MASITA

JOHN PAUL NORPOTH

RYAN NORVILLE

YASMINA SPIEGELBERG

RACHEL DREHMANN

Violin I

Violin II

Viola

Cello

Bass

Flute

Clarinet

Horn

Passage was commissioned by the Virginia Arts Festival in partnership with American Evolution for the 50th Anniversary

of Dance Theatre of Harlem and the 2019 Commemoration, recognizing the 400th anniversary of a series of pivotal

events in America’s history — including the ﬁrst documented arrival of enslaved Africans. The ballet reﬂects, in abstract,

the fortitude of the human spirit and an enduring will to prevail.

Support for Passage was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead

funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Additional commissioning

funds provided by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation through Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Women Who Move Us initiative,

O’Donnell-Green Music and Dance Foundation and the Princess Grace Foundation-USA, the City of Norfolk, Virginia, the

Friedrich Ludwig Diehn Fund of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Funding for live musical accompaniment for Passage was provided in part by The Aaron Copland Fund for Music and the

O’Donnell-Green Music and Dance Foundation.

The Virginia Arts Festival production residency for Passage was funded by the New England Foundation for the Arts’

National Dance Project, with funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

INTERMISSION

Balamouk

New York Premiere (Extended Version)

Choreography by ANNABELLE LOPEZ OCHOA

Music by LES YEUX NOIRS, LISA GERRARD, RENÉ AUBRY

Performed by THE KLEZMATICS

Costume Design by MARK ZAPPONE

Lighting Design by LES DICKERT

Premiere: October 5th, 2018, New York City Center, New York, NY

Extended Version Premiere: July 10, 2019, Jacob’s Pillow, Becket, MA

Dancers

INGRID SILVA YINET FERNANDEZ CRYSTAL SERRANO DAPHNE LEE

LINDSEY DONNELL DYLAN SANTOS DEREK BROCKINGTON

KEENAN ENGLISH 4/8 MICAH BULLARD 4/10 DAVID WRIGHT

CHRISTOPHER CHARLES MCDANIEL

MUSICIANS

RICHIE BARSHAY

MATT DARRIAU

LISA GUTKIN

FRANK LONDON

PAUL MORISSETT

LORIN SKLAMBERG

Percussion

Kaval, Clarinet, and Saxophone

Vocals and Violin

Trumpet and Keyboards

Bass and Tsimbal

Lead Vocals, Accordion, Guitar, and Piano

Commissioned by New York City Center for the Fall For Dance Festival, the development of the expanded version

of Balamouk was supported through 50th anniversary commissioning support provided by the Seattle Theater Group

and Jacob’s Pillow, and by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation through Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Women Who

Move Us Initiative. Support for new dance works at City Center is provided by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation

and Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Dance Theatre of Harlem wishes to thank Jerome and Hélène Dreskin for their

generous support of The Klezmatics’ performance.

PROGRAM B

Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 2:00pm

Higher Ground

Choreography by ROBERT GARLAND

Music by STEVIE WONDER

Costume Design by PAMELA ALLEN-CUMMINGS

Lighting Design by ROMA FLOWERS

Premiere: January 22, 2022, Detroit Opera House, Detroit, MI

“Look Around”

AMANDA SMITH DAPHNE LEE ALEXANDRA HUTCHINSON

ANTHONY SANTOS MICAH BULLARD KOUADIO DAVIS

“You Haven’t Done Nothin’”

MICAH BULLARD

KOUADIO DAVIS ALEXANDRA HUTCHINSON DAPHNE LEE

ANTHONY SANTOS AMANDA SMITH

“Heaven Is Ten Zillion Light Years Away”

ANTHONY SANTOS DAPHNE LEE

MICAH BULLARD KOUADIO DAVIS ALEXANDRA HUTCHINSON AMANDA SMITH

“Village Ghetto Land”

AMANDA SMITH

MICAH BULLARD KOUADIO DAVIS ALEXANDRA HUTCHINSON

DAPHNE LEE ANTHONY SANTOS

“Saturn”

ALEXANDRA HUTCHINSON KOUADIO DAVIS

MICAH BULLARD DAPHNE LEE ANTHONY SANTOS AMANDA SMITH

“Higher Ground”

COMPANY

The ballet “Higher Ground” represents a Sankofa-esque reﬂection on our current times.

– Robert Garland

Inc and Black Bull Music. All rights administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, 424 Church Street, Suite 1200,

Commissioned by Northrop Auditorium, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.

Special thanks to Stevie Wonder and Tracey Rounds.

Odalisques Variations

From “Le Corsaire”

Choreography by MARIUS PETIPA

Staged by DYLAN SANTOS

Music by ADOLPHE ADAM and CESARE PUGNI

Costumes by KATY A. FREEMAN

Lighting by WILLIAM E. COTTON

Dancers

AMANDA SMITH CRYSTAL SERRANO INGRID SILVA

While the storyline of the full-length Le Corsaire, is mired in toxic, 19th century social

conventions, Marius Petipa’s choreography is some of the ﬁnest in the ballet canon. Company

Artist Dylan Santos’ staging of the “Odalisques Variations” strips away the story to reveal the

sheer beauty of classical dancing.

Balamouk

New York Premiere (Extended Version)

Choreography by ANNABELLE LOPEZ OCHOA

Music by LES YEUX NOIRS, LISA GERRARD, RENÉ AUBRY

Performed by THE KLEZMATICS

Costume Design by MARK ZAPPONE

Lighting Design by LES DICKERT

Premiere: October 5th, 2018, New York City Center, New York, NY

Extended Version Premiere: July 10, 2019, Jacob’s Pillow, Becket, MA

Dancers

INGRID SILVA YINET FERNANDEZ CRYSTAL SERRANO DAPHNE LEE

LINDSEY DONNELL DYLAN SANTOS DEREK BROCKINGTON

KEENAN ENGLISH DAVID WRIGHT CHRISTOPHER CHARLES MCDANIEL

MUSICIANS

RICHIE BARSHAY

MATT DARRIAU

LISA GUTKIN

FRANK LONDON

PAUL MORISSETT

LORIN SKLAMBERG

Percussion

Kaval, Clarinet, and Saxophone

Vocals and Violin

Trumpet and Keyboards

Bass and Tsimbal

Lead Vocals, Accordion, Guitar, and Piano

Commissioned by New York City Center for the Fall For Dance Festival, the development of the expanded version

of Balamouk was supported through 50th anniversary commissioning support provided by the Seattle Theater Group

and Jacob’s Pillow, and by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation through Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Women Who

Move Us Initiative. Support for new dance works at City Center is provided by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation

and Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Dance Theatre of Harlem wishes to thank Jerome and Hélène Dreskin for their

generous support of The Klezmatics’ performance.

Dance Theatre of Harlem, Inc.

Everett Center for

the Performing Arts

466 West 152nd Street,

New York, NY 10031-1814

(212) 690-2800,

(212) 690-8736 fax

dancetheatreoarlem.org

Board of Directors

Ackneil M. Muldrow III, Chairman

Leslie Wims Morris, Vice-Chairman

Zandra Perry Ogbomo, Treasurer

Martino R. Moore, Secretary

Nancy Pforzheimer Aronson

Kendrick F. Ashton Jr.

Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts III

Kevin M. Cofsky

Richard E. Constable III

Molly A. Hall

Isabel Kallman

Erika Munro Kennerly

Tangela Richter

Scott Simpson

Don M. Tellock, Esq

China White

Dance Theatre of Harlem,

National Advisory Board

Dr. Ruby Herd

Leontyne Price

Alex Radin

Morleen Rouse

Jackie Rush

Kerry E. Schaener

Edward I. Tishelman, Esq.

Ben Vereen

Lena Horne *

Jessye Norman*

Judith Peabody*

Cicely Tyson*

*IN MEMORIAM

Dance Theatre of Harlem

Administrative Sta

Virginia Johnson, Artistic Director

Anna Glass, Executive Director

Jordan Oldham, Assistant to the

Artistic and Executive Directors

Ebonie C. Pittman,

Sr. Director of Development

Sharon Duncan,

Director of Individual Giving

David Levine,

Director of Institutional Giving

Alexandria Ree,

Manager of Individual Giving

Jessica Frazier,

Development Associate

Keyana K. Patterson,

Marketing Manager

Derek Brockington,

Alexandra Hutchinson,

Social Media Coordinators

Billy Zavelson,

General Press Representative

Marianne Connolly

and Nicole Frisina,

Your Part Time Controller

Mark Rowan, Manager,

Finance and Administration

Hero Doucas,

Human Resources Manager

Kenneth Thomas,

Building Operations Manager

Andrea Lujan, Building Operations

Associate Manager

Alberto Recinos, Marco Recinos,

Maintenance

Dance Theatre of Harlem

Company Sta

Marie Chong, Lenore Morales, and

Juan Carlos Penuela,

Rehearsal Directors

Robert Garland,

Resident Choreographer

Melinda Bloom, Company Manager

Alexandra Tenenbaum,

Production Stage Manager

William E. Cotton,

Lighting Supervisor

Katy Freeman, Wardrobe Supervisor

Derrick McBride, Manager of

Booking and Touring Productions

Alison Deleget & Joshua Honrado,

Harkness Center for Dance

Injuries, Physical Therapy,

Wellness, and COVID Compliance

Deborah Arkin, Jesse Featherstone,

Charla Genn, Michael Kingon,

Caridad Martinez, Dan Meinhardt,

Juan Carlos Penuela, and

Augustus van Heerden,

DTH Company Accompanists

and Guest Teachers

Dance Theatre of Harlem School &

Community Programs

Robert Garland, Director

Augustus van Heerden,

Associate Director,

Lower/Upper School

Rachel Sekyi, Associate Director,

Tendu Program

Karen Farnum-Williams,

Student Aairs Ocer

Najeree Wallace, Accountant

Rachael Davidson,

School Monitor,

DTB Coordinator

Amanda Parache,

School Zoom Monitor

Kathryn Acosta, Nia Davis,

School Interns

Alexis Andrews, Chani Bell,

Bethania Gomes, Kenya Massey

Rodriguez, Lenore Morales,

Anna Pinault, Darryl Quinton,

Danielle Thomas, Karen Williams,

Stephanie Rae Williams

and Sarah Wingo,

DTH School Instructors

Elisabeth Archer, Rachael Davidson,

Patricia Gibson, Tabitha Kelly, and

Josef Woodson,

DTB Teaching Artists

Special Thanks: Denise Gibson

Please scan to learn more about

Dance Theatre of Harlem:

MEET THE ARTISTS

DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM (DTH) is a

leading dance institution of unparalleled global

acclaim, encompassing an international touring

ballet company, a training school for ballet and the

allied arts, and Dancing Through Barriers®, a cel-

ebrated arts education and community outreach

program. The assassination of Reverend Dr. Mar-

tin Luther King, Jr. compelled Arthur Mitchell,

with his mentor Karel Shook, to start a school that

would oer children—especially those in his native

Harlem—the opportunity to challenge themselves

and grow through the study of a classical art form.

Founded in 1969, DTH was soon known as “one of

ballet’s most exciting undertakings” (The New York

Times, 1971). Now in its ﬁfth decade, DTH has

grown into a multicultural dance institution with

an extraordinary legacy of providing opportuni-

ties for creative expression and artistic excellence

that sets standards in the performing arts. DTH

has achieved unprecedented success, bringing au-

diences around the world innovative and bold new

forms of artistic expression.

DEREK BROCKINGTON (Dancer) Born: Chi-

cago, IL and raised in Holland, MI. Training: Grand

Rapids Ballet School, Interlochen Arts Academy,

Ballet West, and Pennsylvania Ballet Summer

Intensives. Professional Experience: Dance The-

atre of Harlem (fourth season), Cincinnati Ballet,

Grand Rapids Ballet. Repertoire includes works

by Claudia Schreier, Robert Garland, Stan-

ton Welch, George Balanchine, Anabelle Lopez

Ochoa, and Darrell Grand Moultrie. Along with

DTH’s Alexandra Hutchinson, he coordinates

DTH social media.

MICAH BULLARD (Dancer) Born: Houston, TX.

Training: The Dance Center of Baytown, Univer-

sity of Oklahoma School of Dance (BFA 2019),

Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Ballet Program,

Dance Theatre of Harlem Summer Intensive,

Texas Ballet Theater Summer Intensive. Profes-

sional Experience: Oklahoma City Ballet, Hartel

Dance Group, and Dance Theatre of Harlem (ﬁrst

season). Repertoire includes original works by

Amy Hall Garner, Trey McIntyre, Colin Connor,

as well as Alejandro Cerrudo’s Lickety Split, Merce

Cunningham’s How to Pass, Kick, Fall and Run, and

Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake.

KOUADIO DAVIS (Dancer) Born: Oneonta,

NY. Training: Holbrook-Wade School of Dance,

Fokine Ballet, New York State Summer School

of the Arts with Daniel Ulbricht, NYCB, Caro-

lyn Adams, Alvin Ailey, Nutmeg Ballet, Charlotte

Ballet, Alonzo King Lines, French Academie of

Ballet, Paciﬁc Northwest Ballet, and Springboard

Danse Montreal. 2019 Graduate of Ellison Ballet.

Awards: Youth America Grand Prix in 2017 and

2018, where he and his partner won second and

then ﬁrst place in the contemporary Pas de Deux

category. Professional Experience: Dance Theatre

of Harlem (third season).

LINDSEY DONNELL (Dancer) Born: Midland,

TX. Training: A Petite Dance Studio, Midland

Festival Ballet under Susan Clark. Education: cum

laude graduate of Butler University, degree in

Dance Arts Administration and Journalism. Pro-

fessional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem

(tenth season), Nashville Ballet (trainee). Rep-

ertoire includes works by Robert Garland, Nacho

Duato, Ulysses Dove, George Balanchine, Donald

Byrd, Elena Kunikova, and Dianne McIntyre.

KEENAN ENGLISH (Dancer) Born: Randall-

stown, MD. Training: Baltimore School for the

Arts, Boston Ballet, and School of American

Ballet. Professional Experience: Boston Ballet,

Cincinnati Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Caro-

lina Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem (second

season). Repertoire includes ballets by Nacho

Duato, George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Ul-

ysses Dove, Helen Pickett, Robert Garland, Dar-

rell Grand Moultrie, Val Caniparoli, Alvin Ailey,

Septime Webre, Nicolo Fonte, Francesca Harper,

Lynn Taylor Corbett.

YINET FERNANDEZ (Dancer) Born: Mariano

La Habana, Cuba. Training: Provincial School of

the Arts, National School of Ballet, Ballet Na-

cional de Cuba. Professional experience: Dance

Theatre of Harlem (ﬁfth season), Connecticut

Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Repertoire in-

cludes Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake,

Giselle, Coppélia, La Fille mal gardée, Don Quixote

and works by George Balanchine, Robert Garland,

Christopher Wheeldon, Darrell Grand Moultrie,

and Dianne McIntyre.

MEET THE ARTISTS

ALEXANDRA HUTCHINSON (Dancer) Born:

Wilmington, DE. Training: The Washington

School of Ballet, Wilmington Academy of Dance.

Education: Bachelor of Science in Ballet, Indiana

University, Jacobs School of Music. Professional

Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (fourth

season), Nashville Ballet. Repertoire includes

Orange by Stanton Welch; Return and New Bach

by Robert Garland; Balamouk by Annabelle Lopez

Ochoa; Harlem on My Mind and Vessels by Darrell

Grand Moultrie; George Balanchine’s Valse Fan-

tasie, Western Symphony, Swan Lake, Concerto Ba-

rocco, Divertimento No. 15, Emeralds, Rubies, and

Giselle; Paul Vasterling’s Sleeping Beauty; Septime

Webre’s and Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker.

Along with DTH’s Derek Brockington, she coor-

dinates DTH social media.

DAPHNE MARCELLE LEE (Dancer) Born: Rah-

way, NJ. Training: Rahway Dance Theatre by her

late mother Jay Skeete-Lee, and the Dance The-

atre of Harlem School. Education: BFA in Dance,

Ailey/Fordham University, and MFA from Hol-

lins University. Professional Experience: Dance

Theatre of Harlem (third season), Collage Dance

Collective, Oakland Ballet, Alvin Ailey II, Black Iris

Project. Repertoire includes works by Jessica Lang,

Benoit Swan-Pouer, Nicolo Fonte, Dwight Rho-

den, Jennifer Archibald, George Balanchine, Amy

Seiwart, Joyce Trisler, and Darrell Moultrie.

CHRISTOPHER CHARLES MCDANIEL

(Dancer) Born: East Harlem, NY. Training: Dance

Theatre of Harlem School, LaGuardia School of

Performing Arts, Ballet Academy East, Boston

Ballet, Jacob’s Pillow. Professional Experience:

Dance Theatre of Harlem (ﬁfth season), Ballet

San Antonio, Los Angeles Ballet. Repertoire in-

cludes works by Robert Garland, Ulysses Dove,

Darryl Grand Moultrie, Colleen Neary, Thordal

Christensen, George Balanchine, Jiri Kylian,

Gerald Arpino, Christopher Stowell and Kitty

McNamee. Christopher is an accomplished ballet

teacher and DTH Social Media Manager.

SANFORD PLACIDE (Dancer) Born: Port-au-

Prince, Haiti. Training: Ballet Etudes of South Flor-

ida, Manhattan Youth Ballet, The French Académie

of Ballet, Nadege Hottier, American Ballet Theatre,

Dance Theatre of Harlem, Ballet Austin, Ballet His-

panico, Lines Ballet, and Miami City Ballet. Profes-

sional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (third

season), Alberta Ballet in Canada, Ballet West,

Charlotte Ballet (formerly NCDT), Ballet Etudes

of South Florida, Vorhees Ballet Theatre, Ballet

Des Amériques, Fjkdance, Collage Dance Collec-

tive, Black Iris Dance Project, Boca Ballet Theatre,

Ballet Northwest, Traverse City Dance Project,

and Accent Dance. Repertoire includes works by

George Balanchine, Nacho Duato, Glenn Tetley,

Desmond Richardson, Robert Garland, Mark Di-

amond, Yukicchi Hattori, Wen Wei Wang, Aszure

KAMALA SAARA (Dancer) Born: Los Angeles,

CA. Training: Yuir Grigoriev School of Ballet,

School of American Ballet. Professional Expe-

rience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (ﬁrst season).

Kamala is a recipient of the Grow Annenberg Fel-

lowship and was a full scholarship student at the

School of American Ballet.

ANTHONY SANTOS (Dancer) Born: New York,

NY. Training: Rosie’s Theatre Kids, North Caro-

lina School of the Arts, Jacobs Pillow, Alonzo King

LINES, Jorey Ballet. Professional experience:

Dance Theatre of Harlem (ﬁfth season), Kaats-

baan, Zest Collective, La Spezia Jazz Festival, and

Caitlin Trainor Dance. Repertoire includes Susan

Jae’s Polivestian, Doug Varone’s Democracy,

Christopher Wheldon’s This Bitter Earth, Lucinda

Child’s Concerto, Ulyesses Dove’s Dancing on the

Front Porch of Heaven, Robert Garland’s Return,

New Bach and Braham’s Variation, Darrell Grand

Moultrie’s Vessels, Harlem on my Mind, Georey

Holder’s Dougla, Paul Taylor’s Esplanade, Merce

Cunningham’s Sounddance, Annabelle Lopez

Ochoa’s Balamouk, Stanton Welch’s Orange, and

Sasha Jane’s Lascia la Spina.

DYLAN SANTOS (Dancer) Born: São Paulo,

Brazil. Training: Centro de Artes Pavilhao under

Ricardo Scheir and Harid Conservatory. Pro-

fessional experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem

(eighth season), Houston Ballet trainee, Or-

lando Ballet, Jorey Ballet, Ballet Chicago, and

Paris Opera Ballet. Repertoire includes works by

George Balanchine, Nacho Duato, Robert Gar-

land, Ulysses Dove, and Marius Petipa.

MEET THE ARTISTS

CRYSTAL SERRANO (Dancer) Born: Denver,

CO. Training: Paciﬁc Northwest Ballet, School

of American Ballet, and Olympic Ballet Theatre.

Professional experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem

(ﬁfth season), Ballet San Antonio, Oregon Ballet

Theatre, Sacramento Ballet, Paciﬁc Northwest

Ballet. Repertoire includes Don Quixote, The Nut-

cracker, Peter Pan, Firebird, Donizetti Variations,

Cinderella, The Four Temperaments, Allegro Brillante,

The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Serenade, and Swan

Lake, as well as works by Robert Garland, Christo-

pher Wheeldon, and Darrell Grand Moultrie.

INGRID SILVA (Dancer) Born: Rio de Janeiro,

Brazil. Training: Projeto Dancando Para Nao

Dancar, Escola de Danca Maria Olenewa, and

Centro de Movimento Debora Colker. Education:

Universidade da Cidade. Professional experience:

Dance Theatre of Harlem (tenth season), Grupo

Corpo (apprentice), Dance Theatre of Harlem

Ensemble, Dançando Para Não Dançar, Armitage

Gone! Dance, and the Francesca Harper Project.

Repertoire includes works by Arthur Mitch-

ell, Donald Byrd, George Balanchine, Dianne

McIntyre, John Alleyne, Darrel Grand Moultrie,

Francesca Harper, Robert Garland, David Fer-

nandez, Carol Armitage, Deborah Colker, Ro-

drigo Pederneiras, and Annabelle Lopez-Ocha.

In 2017 Silva was the ﬁrst African Brazilian to be

on the cover of Pointe Magazine and appeared on

the cover of Vogue Brasil November 2020. She is

the Founder of EmpowHerNY & Co Founder of

Blacks in Ballet.

AMANDA SMITH (Dancer) Born: Orange

County, CA. Training: Charlotte Ballet, SUNY

Purchase, Jorey Ballet School, Anaheim Ballet,

Pointe of Grace, Ballet Paciﬁca. Professional Ex-

perience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (ﬁfth season),

Charlotte Ballet, New York Theatre Ballet, Black

Iris Project. Repertoire includes works by George

Balanchine, Mark Diamond, Sasha James, Dwight

Rhoden, Alonzo King, Jiri Killian, Dianne McIn-

tyre, and Helen Pickett.

DELANEY WASHINGTON (Dancer) Born:

San Francisco Bay Area. Training: Lise la Cour’s

LaCademy, The Ailey School/Fordham Univer-

sity, and Jacob’s Pillow Summer Program 2021

under the direction of Helen Pickett and Milton

Myers. Professional Experience: Palm Beach

Dance Festival, Dance Theatre of Harlem (ﬁrst

season). Repertoire includes works by Dwight

Rhoden, Helen Simoneau, Yusha Marie-Sorzano,

Maurya Kerr, Pedro Ruiz, and Andre Zachery.

Washington is the recipient of the Alvin Ailey Ar-

tistic Scholarship.

STEPHANIE RAE WILLIAMS (Dancer) Born:

Salt Lake City, Utah. Training: Dallas Dance

Academy with Lyndette Galen and Fiona Fair-

rie, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Springboard

Danse Montreal, The Juilliard School, Alonzo

King’s LINES Ballet, and Houston Ballet Acad-

emy. Professional experience: Dance Theatre

of Harlem (12th season), The Francesca Harper

Project, ARC Dance Seattle, Complexions Con-

temporary Dance Company, Ballet Black, and

Texas Ballet Theatre. Repertoire includes works

by Pam Tanowitz, Nacho Duato, José Limón,

Helen Pickett, Arthur Mitchell, Donald Byrd,

George Balanchine, John Alleyne, Dianne McIn-

tyre, Darrel Grand Moultrie, Francesca Harper,

Liam Scarlett, Robert Garland, and David Fernan-

dez. Williams is the recipient of The Dallas Dance

Council’s 2017 Natalie Skelton Award, and 2013

Dance Magazine “On the Rise,” among others.

DAVID WRIGHT (Dancer) Born: Ft. Polk, Lou-

isiana. Training: Inﬁniti Performing Arts Center,

Indiana Ballet Conservatory, Orlando Ballet

School. Professional Experience: Orlando Ballet,

Dance Theatre of Harlem (ﬁrst season). Reper-

toire: Jorden Morris’ Moulin Rouge, Val Canipa-

rolis’ Lamberna, Orlando Ballet’s Nutcracker, and

Carmina Burana. David was a ﬁnalist at Beijing

International Ballet and Choreography Compe-

tition 2019.

VIRGINIA JOHNSON (Artistic Director) is a

founding member of Dance Theatre of Harlem

and one of its principal ballerinas over a career

that spanned nearly 30 years. After retiring in

1997, Johnson went on to found Pointe Magazine

and was editor-in chief for 10 years. A native of

Washington, DC, Johnson began her training

with Therrell Smith. She studied with Mary Day

at the Washington School of Ballet and graduated

MEET THE ARTISTSMEET THE ARTISTS

from the Academy of the Washington School of

Ballet, then went on to be a University Scholar

in the School of the Arts at New York University

before joining Dance Theatre of Harlem. Virginia

Johnson is universally recognized as one of the

great ballerinas of her generation and is perhaps

best known for her performances in the ballets

Giselle, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Fall River

Legend. She has received such honors as a Young

Achiever Award from the National Council of

Women, Outstanding Young Woman of Amer-

ica, the Dance Magazine Award, a Pen and Brush

Achievement Award, the Washington Performing

Arts Society’s 2008-2009 Pola Nirenska Life-

time Achievement Award, and the 2009 Martha

Hill Fund Mid-Career Award.

ARTHUR MITCHELL (Co-Founder) was known

around the world for creating and sustaining the

Dance Theatre of Harlem, the internationally

acclaimed ballet company he co-founded with

Karel Shook in 1969. Following a brilliant career

as a principal artist with the New York City Ballet,

Mitchell dedicated his life to changing perceptions

and advancing the art form of ballet through the

ﬁrst permanently established African American

and racially diverse ballet company.

Born in New York City in 1934, Mitchell began his

dance training at New York City’s High School of

the Performing Arts, where he won the coveted

annual dance award and subsequently a full schol-

arship to the School of American Ballet. In 1955, he

became the ﬁrst male African American to become

a permanent member of a major ballet company

when he joined New York City Ballet. Mitchell

rose quickly to the rank of Principal Dancer during

his 15-year career with New York City Ballet and

electriﬁed audiences with his performances in a

broad spectrum of roles. Upon learning of the

death of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and

with ﬁnancial assistance from Mrs. Alva B. Gimbel,

the Ford Foundation and his own savings, Mitchell

founded Dance Theatre of Harlem with his mentor

and ballet instructor Karel Shook.

With an illustrious career that has spanned over

50 years, Mitchell is the recipient of the Kennedy

Center Honors, a National Medal of the Arts, a

MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, the New York

Living Landmark Award, the Handel Medallion,

the NAACP Image Award, and more than a dozen

honorary degrees.

KAREL SHOOK (Co-Founder) played a key role

as teacher and mentor to African American dance

artists in New York in the 1950s. In addition to

cofounding Dance Theatre of Harlem with Arthur

Mitchell in 1969, he also was a ballet master, cho-

reographer, and author. Born in 1920, Mr. Shook

was a native of Renton, Washington. Encouraged

to study ballet, at age 13 he was a protégé of Nellie

Cornish and received a scholarship to the Cornish

School of Allied Arts in Seattle. While his perfor-

mance career was brief, he appeared on Broadway

and danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo

and New York City Ballet. Mr. Shook’s brief per-

formance career led to teaching and choreograph-

ing, mainly in Europe but also in New York. In the

early 50s he opened Studio Arts, one of the few

dance studios in the city where African Americans

could study ballet. Among his students were Car-

men de Lavallade, Pearl Primus, Georey Holder,

Louis Johnson, Alvin Ailey, and Arthur Mitchell,

who ﬁrst came to him at age 17. Mr. Shook left New

York in 1959 to become the ballet master of the

Dutch National Ballet, where he was when his for-

mer student, Arthur Mitchell, asked him to return

to New York to help create the Dance Theatre of

Harlem. Mr. Shook was an advocate of the univer-

sality of classical ballet. His book, Elements of Clas-

sical Ballet, explores the development of classical

ballet in such countries across the globe as China,

Turkey, Iran, Japan, Cuba, and Mexico. In 1980 he

was awarded the United States Presidential Award

for “Excellence and Dedication in Education.”

MARIE CHONG (Rehearsal Director) is found-

ing director of ARC Dance Company in Seat-

tle, WA where she commissioned new work and

re-staged pieces by choreographers such as Ed-

waard Liang, Wen Wei Wang, and Alex Ketley.

Her choreography has been presented at Seat-

tle International Dance Festival, Men in Dance,

Arts Umbrella, and ARC Dance Company. She

was the Artistic Assistant/Director for Cirque du

Soleil’s touring show KOOZA and integrated new

artists into other shows at the company’s head-

MEET THE ARTISTS

quarters in Montreal. Chong has also worked with

Disney Theatrical Group as a teaching artist. She

is honored to join the Dance Theatre of Harlem’s

artistic team.

ROBERT GARLAND (Resident Choreographer)

was a member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem

Company achieving the rank of principal dancer.

After creating a work for the DTH School En-

semble, 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 Director of the

DTH school. In addition to choreographing several

ballets for DTH, 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 Proctor and Gamble.

Garland holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from

the Juilliard School in New York City.

ANNA GLASS (Executive Director) has been in-

volved in the performing arts as both an artist and

arts administrator for over twenty years. She pro-

duced Carmen de Lavallade’s solo show As I Re-

member It, an intimate portrait of this legendary

artist. Anna previously served as the Managing Di-

rector of 651 ARTS, a presenting/producing arts

organization dedicated to celebrating contem-

porary performing arts of the African Diaspora.

While at 651 ARTS, she co-produced numerous

projects, including the highly regarded national

tour of FLY: Five First Ladies of Dance. Glass has

served as a consultant providing strategic planning

and fundraising guidance to various non-proﬁt arts

organizations, including Urban Bush Women and

the Weeksville Heritage Center. After receiving

her Juris Doctor from the University of Dayton

School of Law, Anna became the Artist Repre-

sentative for the Dayton Contemporary Dance

Company, a company she performed with for

three years (DCDC2). She is a licensed attorney

in the State of New York and lives in Harlem with

her husband and daughter.

ANNABELLE LOPEZ OCHOA (Choreographer)

is an award-winning and sought-after choreogra-

pher who has developed works for 70 dance com-

panies, and creates regularly for theater, opera,

and musical theater. Her wide-ranging body of

work includes short conceptual pieces, full-length

narratives, and dance ﬁlms.

CLAUDIA SCHREIER (Choreographer) was born

in New York and has choreographed, directed,

and produced for dance, opera, and ﬁlm across

the US and internationally. She is the recipient

of the 2018 Princess Grace Award for Chore-

ography, and the 2018 NEFA National Dance

Project Award, among many other awards. She

has choreographed over 40 works and has been

commissioned by companies and organizations

including Miami City Ballet, Dance Theatre of

Harlem, Vail Dance Festival, Guggenheim Works

& Process, American Ballet Theatre Studio Com-

pany, Juilliard Opera, New York Choreographic

Institute, New York Choral Society, and Jorey

Winning Works. Her ballet for Dance Theatre of

Harlem, Passage, is the subject of the 2019 Emmy

Award-winning (Capital Region) PBS documen-

tary “Dancing On the Shoulders of Giants.”

THE KLEZMATICS erupted out of New York

City’s East Village in 1986 and revitalized klezmer

for the new century. They have released nine al-

bums of wild, spiritual, and ecstatically danceable

music, and have collaborated with Arlo Guthrie,

Itzhak Perlman, Chava Alberstein, and Allen

Ginsberg. Their theater, ﬁlm, dance and televi-

sion credits include Tony Kushner’s A Dybbuk

and It’s An Undoing World; Pilobolus Dance The-

atre’s Davenen; Late Night with David Letterman;

PBS’ Great Performances; BBC’s Rhythms of the

World; Sex and the City; and A Prairie Home Com-

panion with Garrison Keillor. They have performed

at some of the world’s most storied venues, in-

cluding Central Park Summerstage, Carnegie

Hall, Pirineos Sur (Spain), Colours of Ostrava

(Czech Republic), and the Heimatklänge Festival

(Germany). Awards include a Grammy for Best

Contemporary World Music Album (for Wonder

Wheel: Lyrics by Woody Guthrie), a New York Jew-

ish Music Award (Best Klezmer Band, 2006), and

a GLAMA.

MEET THE ARTISTS

JESSIE MONTGOMERY (Composer) is an ac-

claimed 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. Her music interweaves

classical music with elements of vernacular music,

improvisation, language, and social justice, plac-

ing her squarely as one of the most relevant in-

terpreters of 21st-century American sound and

experience. Her profoundly felt works have been

described as “turbulent, wildly colorful and ex-

ploding with life” (The Washington Post).

STANFORD MAKISHI (New York City Center

Vice President & Artistic Director, Dance Pro-

grams) was appointed to his current position in

2015, after having been associate producer of the

Fall for Dance Festival since 2011. He danced with

Trisha Brown from 1992 to 2006, was assistant

director of her production of Winterreise, and has

taught and restaged her work internationally. He

also served as artistic advisor for the Ringling In-

ternational Arts Festival, executive director of the

Baryshnikov Arts Center, director of programs at

the Asian Cultural Council, and director of cre-

ative services at Carnegie Hall. Makishi began his

dance training in his native Honolulu and received

early performance opportunities while a student

at Harvard College. He serves on the board of

Dance/USA and on the steering committee for

the Bessie Awards.

ARLENE SHULER (New York City Center Pres-

ident & CEO) has had a long and distinguished

career in the arts. After dancing with The Jorey

Ballet, she attended Columbia University, where

she received her BA and JD degrees. Her arts

administration career began in Washington, DC

where she served as program administrator of the

dance program at the National Endowment for

the Arts, among other positions. Ms. Shuler re-

turned to New York as executive director of Vol-

unteer Lawyers for the Arts, and then continued

in the ﬁeld of philanthropy in leadership positions

with the Wallace Funds, General Atlantic Part-

ners Foundation, Atlantic Philanthropic Service

Company, and the Howard Gilman Foundation.

For 11 years Ms. Shuler worked at Lincoln Cen-

ter for the Performing Arts, where she was vice

president for planning and development and then

senior vice president of planning and external af-

fairs. In June 2003 she was named president and

CEO of New York City Center, where she had

performed as a member of The Jorey Ballet at

the start of her career. Her accomplishments at

City Center include launching the acclaimed Fall

for Dance Festival, which premiered in Septem-

ber 2004. In recognition of her signiﬁcant con-

tributions to dance, she was awarded the 2009

Capezio Dance Award. Ms. Shuler serves on the

advisory board of the Trust for Mutual Under-

standing and is also a member of the New York

State Bar Association.

NEW YORK CITY CENTER has played a deﬁn-

ing role in the cultural life of the city since 1943.

Manhattan’s ﬁrst performing arts center, City

Center was founded by Mayor Fiorello La Guar-

dia with the mission of making the best in music,

theater, and dance accessible to all audiences. This

commitment continues today through celebrated

dance and musical theater series including the

Fall for Dance Festival, the Tony-honored En-

cores! and Encores! O-Center, and the newest

series Artists at the Center and the City Center

Dance Festival. The distinctive neo-Moorish the-

ater welcomes over 300,000 annual visitors to

experience internationally acclaimed artists on

the same stage where legends like George Bal-

anchine, Leonard Bernstein, Barbara Cook, José

Ferrer, Martha Graham, and Paul Robeson made

their mark. Home to a roster of renowned national

and international companies including Alvin Ailey

American Dance Theater, City Center’s Prin-

cipal Dance Company, and Manhattan Theatre

Club, City Center’s dynamic programming, art

exhibitions, studio events, and master classes, are

complemented by education and community en-

gagement programs that bring the performing arts

to over 11,000 New York City students, teachers,

and families each year. NYCityCenter.org

MEET THE ARTISTS

SPECIAL STAFF FOR

CITY CENTER DANCE FESTIVAL

Associate Director,

Dance Programming ................................. Cathy Eilers

Programming &

Administrative Assistant ........................... Mia Silvestri

Programming Apprentice .....................Jacquelyn Batten

General Manager ................ Jessica Perlmeter Cochrane

Assistant General Manager .........................Amy Eingold

Artist Services & Company Manager .......Elmes Gomez

Assistant Director of

Production ..............................Julie Shelton-Grimshaw

Technical Director ......................................Tim Thistleton

Production Management Apprentice ..............Stella Ji

Lighting Associate ....................................... Kate Bashore

Wardrobe ......................................Gina Loiodice-Montes

Medical Consultant .......................... Dr. Bernard Camins

COVID Safety

Management .................. Jesse Timm & Lara Hayhurst

Additional Equipment

Lighting Rental Package .................4wall Entertainment

Video Rental Package .................... 4wall Entertainment

Audio Rental Package..................Gibson Entertainment

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