{"id":186947,"date":"2026-04-06T10:25:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T10:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/186947\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T10:25:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T10:25:10","slug":"impressions-from-paris-dance-theatre-of-harlem-at-the-palais-des-congres-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/186947\/","title":{"rendered":"IMPRESSIONS FROM PARIS: Dance Theatre of Harlem at the Palais des Congr\u00e8s, Paris"},"content":{"rendered":"

Features<\/a> > Impressions <\/a>The Dance Enthusiast’s Brand of Review\/Thoughts on What We See \n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"IMPRESSIONS\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Published on April 6, 2026
Alexandra Hutchinson in “Firebird.” Photo: Rachel Papo<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tDance Theatre of Harlem\u00a0<\/p>\n

Return\u00a0by Robert Garland\u00a0<\/p>\n

Music:\u00a0James Brown, Alfred Ellis, Aretha Franklin, Carolyn Franklin\u00a0<\/p>\n

Costumes: Pamela Allen-Cummings\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lighting:\u00a0Roma Flowers\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Take Me With You by Robert Bondara\u00a0<\/p>\n

Music:\u00a0Radiohead\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dancers:\u00a0Lindsey Donnell, Micah Bullard\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Donzetti Variations\u00a0by George Balanchine\u00a0<\/p>\n

Music:\u00a0Gaetano Donizetti\u00a0<\/p>\n

Costumes:\u00a0Katy A. Freeman\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lighting:\u00a0Andrea Sala\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Firebird\u00a0by John Tara\u00a0<\/p>\n

Music:\u00a0Igor Stravinsky\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sets and costumes:\u00a0Geoffrey Holder\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lighting:\u00a0Clifton Taylor\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Featured Dancers:\u00a0 Alexandra Hutchinson (Firebird), Derek Brockington (Young Man), Kamala Saara (Princess of Unreal Beauty), David Wright (Prince of Evil)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Palais des Congr\u00e8s, Paris\u00a0<\/p>\n

February 26-28, 2026\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Dance Theatre of Harlem\u00a0in Return. Photo by Jeff Cravotta<\/p>\n

Dance Theatre of Harlem<\/a> has returned to France after 40 years, and Paris\u00a0was thrilled. One cannot separate what Dance Theatre of Harlem represents from what it does. Celebrating a diversity of body types and prioritizing black and brown bodies in the world of ballet, this school and company were established in 1969 as a social-political statement that is no less relevant today: \u201cBallet belongs to everybody.\u201d This would not have been a popular perspective in the Royal Courts during the Italian Renaissance where it all began, nor in the Academy established by Louis XIV in the 17th century (which later became the Paris Opera Ballet) \u2014\u00a0but the local crowd was all for it!\u00a0<\/p>\n

Artistic Director Robert Garland\u2019s Return (1999) was the most successful work of the evening, blending ballet, funk, soul and urban dance to music by James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Alfred Ellis and Carolyn Franklin. Suspended ronde de jambe en l\u2019air-pirouette sequences turn seamlessly into finger-snapping struts. The men move with sensual body ripples and power through the air with leaps aiming to wow. The women\u2019s legwork is tight and bright, yet their point shoes don\u2019t stop them from digging into the earth to gyrate hips in celebration of the beauty of the female bum. It is like ballet, gymnastics, Soul Train and TikTok mixed all together. The audience roared its approval.\u00a0\u00a0
\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Micah Bullard and Kamala Saara of Dance Theatre of Harlem in Take Me With You.\u00a0Photo by Jeff Cravotta<\/p>\n

Robert Bondara\u2019s Take Me With You (2016) to Reckoner\u00a0by Radiohead, is performed by Lindsey Donnell and Micah Bullard. This duet has beautiful moments, like soutenu turns that reverse pivot on a dime or lifts that wrap back on themselves like Iris petals. I was sorry that George Balanchine\u2019s Donzetti Variations (1960) felt drab and stilted after Return and Take Me With You, and that the costumes were far from flattering.\u00a0\u00a0
\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Ariana Dickerson and Micah Bullard of Dance Theatre of Harlem in Firebird. Photoby Nir Areli<\/p>\n

But New York audiences are already familiar with these works. John Taras\u2019 Firebird (1982), on the other hand, has been out of production for over 20 years. Michael Fokine\u2019s original version of the ballet to Igor Stravinsky\u2019s beautiful score was created for Sergei Diaghilev\u2019s Ballets Russes, premiering in Paris in 1910. Taras\u2019 version is bright and festive, with sets and costumes by Geoffrey Holder that give it a vibrant Caribbean feel.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

While I do understand why the Young Man, performed elegantly by Derek Brockington, seems to be dressed in white underwear and socks for much of the piece, Alexandra Hutchinson\u2019s red and orange mini-tutu places her apart \u2014\u00a0an exotic Bird-of-Paradise. The Princess, performed by Kamala Saara, and the Beautiful Maidens wear diaphanous gowns that swirl through space like liquid paint. The opulent robes that the chorus wears at the end are magnificent. These dancers are passionate and move powerfully in space. I would love to see them develop more opposition in their technique so their power could be directed through space, bringing it and them more to life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In an interview on Arts24<\/a>, Hutchinson highlighted the importance of \u201ctelling black stories through movement,\u201d\u00a0while Donnell commented on the value of sharing who they truly are \u201cin a way that is non-confrontational.\u201d\u00a0Which is why I think that Return and Firebird work for this company and the other two pieces fall short. It would be good to see new choreography created for this company that speaks of today\u2019s black stories, of which there are surely many that need to be told.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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