sa国际传媒官网网页入口

Choreographer Robert Garland attended his first Dance Theatre of Harlem performance in Philadelphia when he was 10 years old.

鈥淚 sat down with my mom and my sisters, the curtain went up and (Dance Theatre of Harlem co-founder Arthur Mitchell) did a great dance that was set to popular music 鈥� Motown music and some Stax music,鈥� Garland said. 鈥淭his was the 鈥�70s 鈥� that period when we were trying to determine what exactly was going to happen with this newfound idea of civil rights. So, the music was expressing that. I remember being intensely moved by that, even though I was young.鈥�

Seeing people who looked like him onstage, dancing elegantly to popular R&B and soul music made a big impression on Garland.

鈥淚 was hooked,鈥� he said.

At age 15, Garland joined The Philadelphia Dance Company. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance from The Juilliard School, then joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem, working directly under Mitchell. Since 2022, Garland has been the company鈥檚 artistic director.

鈥淚 find it a complete honor to be able to step into these shoes, because it is not only great art, but a great mission, which is (giving) opportunities and access to the classical art form of ballet,鈥� Garland said.

On Saturday, May 2, Dance Theatre of Harlem will perform at Popejoy Hall. The evening鈥檚 program opens with a neoclassical piece by George Balanchine, who mentored Mitchell, and includes 鈥淗igher Ground鈥� and 鈥淣ew Bach,鈥� both choreographed by Garland.

鈥淗igher Ground鈥� is a contemporary ballet set to 鈥�70s-era Stevie Wonder songs. Garland originally planned to premiere it in Detroit, the birthplace of Motown, in 2020, although the outbreak of COVID-19 and subsequent government-mandated lockdowns delayed the premiere by two years.

As the Black Lives Matter movement gained traction during that time, Garland felt Wonder鈥檚 socially conscious music had taken on a renewed relevance.

鈥淲e were in a stressful moment in the country. I felt that we were in a space that was very similar to what had occurred during the 鈥�70s, and which we are still sort of in,鈥� Garland said.

His choreography for 鈥淗igher Ground鈥� fuses classical ballet with everyday social dancing from Black vernacular traditions.

鈥淚鈥檝e always included things from African American (dance traditions) and the African diaspora as part of my vocabulary to create work for theater audiences,鈥� Garland said. 鈥淭his is actually an extension of what Mr. Balanchine did (combining classical ballet with jazz). ... He saw the syncopation, the speed, the Harlem Renaissance energy, and he said, 鈥業f I combine this with my classical training, I鈥檒l create something new.鈥� And he called that new thing 鈥榥eoclassicism.鈥欌��

鈥淢y work, in 鈥楬igher Ground鈥� particularly, is an extension of that idea. But it is even more so, because with 鈥楬igher Ground,鈥� we are addressing issues of how we are situated in America,鈥� Garland said. 鈥淚鈥檝e done pieces where it鈥檚 pure dance, but this one addresses, not only dance, but also culture.鈥�

Dance Theatre of Harlem has been a multiracial company since its inception in 1969, and racial equity and inclusion have always been central to their mission. Mitchell, who was previously the first Black male principal dancer in a major ballet company (New York City Ballet), felt inspired to found Dance Theatre of Harlem in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

鈥�(Mitchell) was on his way to the airport after retiring from New York City Ballet to go start a (dance) company and school in Rio de Janeiro, when he heard about the loss of Dr. King and said, 鈥榃hy am I going to this place when I can go back to my community of Harlem?鈥欌�� Garland said.

Since then, the Dance Theatre of Harlem has launched hundreds of careers, and its school has trained thousands of dance professionals, many of them people of color.

鈥淎nd here we are, 58 years later. It鈥檚 really an amazing accomplishment,鈥� Garland said.

Garland said he wants everyone to feel welcome coming to the show, even people who don鈥檛 regularly attend dance performances. And if audience members feel compelled to clap, cheer and shout, that鈥檚 OK, too.

鈥淚t happens all the time in our audiences. We are like the Black church,鈥� Garland said. 鈥淲e encourage people to respond. We really do. Respond all you want. Don鈥檛 be caught up in the fussiness of theater etiquette ... because it鈥檚 your performance, too.鈥�

Logan Royce Beitmen is an arts writer for the sa国际传媒官网网页入口. He covers visual art, music, fashion, theater and more. Reach him at lbeitmen@abqjournal.com or on Instagram at .