I lived in New York City for seven years and one of the travesties of that period is that there are so many gems within the City that I never experienced. One of those gems in the Dance Theatre of Harlem, one of the most revered cultural institutions in the black community.
Fortunately, this oversight was remedied during the pandemic. Unwilling to completely abandon its 50th Year Celebration, the Dance Theatre of Harlem created an online virtual series. As a part of this, I got to watch a free stream of Dougla, one of its seminal ballets. Dougla is a visual feast of color and sumptuous movement, marrying conventional ballet with movements inspired by the West Indies mixing pot.
While Dougla is no longer available to stream, the company will be hosting the online debut of Passage at 8 pm ET, choreographed by Claudia Schreier.
Click here to learn more about their Virtual Ballet Series.
In addition to virtual performances, the organization’s school is also offering online classes. My mini-bunhead has been taking advantage of the virtual school. Auditions for their summer intensives also begin tomorrow. Click here for more information.
And if you haven’t yet watched the viral video, Dancing Through Harlem, go ahead and click play below!