{"id":245075,"date":"2026-05-27T13:19:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T13:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/245075\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T13:19:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T13:19:10","slug":"impressions-dance-theatre-of-harlem-at-new-york-city-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/245075\/","title":{"rendered":"IMPRESSIONS: Dance Theatre of Harlem at New York City Center"},"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 May 27, 2026
Dancers of DTH in “Higher Ground”; Photo: Christopher Duggan<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tFounders: Arthur Mitchell, Karel Shook<\/p>\n

Artistic Director: Robert Garland \u2013 Executive Director: Anna Glass\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Rehearsal Director: Juan Carlos Pe\u00f1uela<\/p>\n

April 16 \u2013 19, 2026<\/p>\n

Performances watched: Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19<\/p>\n

Dance Theatre of Harlem\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0recent\u00a0New York\u00a0City Center<\/a>\u00a0season\u00a0might have been short, but it packed a powerful punch\u00a0and\u00a0resonated with\u00a0audiences.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s much beloved\u00a0Firebird\u00a0returned to its repertory in a year when the bigger New York City troupes, namely American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet,\u00a0also\u00a0chose to show their versions of the fairy tale\u00a0introduced to the dance world\u00a0in 1910\u00a0by choreographer\u00a0Michel Fokine.<\/a>\u00a0That\u00a0premiere\u00a0by the\u00a0Ballets\u00a0Russes<\/a>\u00a0in Paris\u00a0also\u00a0put the young composer\u00a0Igor Stravinsky<\/a>\u00a0on the ballet map;\u00a0and his\u00a0music remains the\u00a0constant in all\u00a0productions of the\u00a0work.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

When DTH\u2019s founding artistic director\u00a0Arthur Mitchell<\/a>\u00a0asked\u00a0John Taras<\/a>\u00a0to choreograph\u00a0a new\u00a0Firebird,\u00a0in 1982,\u00a0he entrusted\u00a0Geoffrey <\/a>Holder\u00a0with the assignment to design sets and costumes.\u00a0The story itself remains intact. A\u00a0Young\u00a0Man (Micah Bullard) captures the Firebird (Ariana Dickerson),\u00a0who gives\u00a0him\u00a0the gift of\u00a0a feather and\u00a0promises\u00a0to help him in exchange for\u00a0her\u00a0freedom. This\u00a0deal\u00a0turns out to be a wise\u00a0one,\u00a0because the\u00a0Young\u00a0Man falls in love with the Princess of Unreal Beauty (Delaney Washington, who deserves her sobriquet),\u00a0and needs help to\u00a0rescue\u00a0her from the Prince of Evil (David Wright) and his band of evil creatures. The Firebird makes good on the promise, and the\u00a0Young\u00a0Man and the\u00a0Princess have a go at matrimony.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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DTH Company Artists Micah Bullard and Ariana Dickerson in Firebird; Photo: Nir Arieli\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the story\u00a0remains\u00a0familiar, Holder\u2019s set transports\u00a0viewers.\u00a0Two outsized flowers painted on a drop curtain welcome one to dive into this wonderland.\u00a0An\u00a0outrageously sexy cut-away\u00a0tutu showcases the Firebird\u2019s long legs,\u00a0and adds some feathers to the back of the garment.\u00a0Va-Va-Va-VOOM!\u00a0Bullard\u2019s innocence as the\u00a0Young\u00a0Man in white shorts and white boots endears\u00a0him to\u00a0the audience. On Sunday afternoon he fails to manipulate Dickerson correctly in an overhead lift and the audience takes a deep breath. She slides down at an unfortunate angle,\u00a0and the collective breath turns into an audible gasp.\u00a0Yet in the moment Bullard saves her from falling on her face with a concerted bravura effort, the audience erupts with loud cheers and applause. DTH\u2019s patrons prove to be a supportive community that holds together. The imposing Dickerson never drops her cool. While she bourr\u00e9es and flutters,\u00a0she represents an\u00a0unattainable sensual\u00a0fantasy.\u00a0The\u00a0Princess, however, exudes warmth and radiates human emotion,\u00a0while\u00a0her exceptional beauty\u00a0stands\u00a0out among the cast of Beautiful Maidens.\u00a0No wonder Bullard\u00a0can\u2019t contain himself,\u00a0and simply must\u00a0be with her.\u00a0When the battle against the\u00a0Prince\u00a0of Evil\u00a0and his unsavory companions is won\u00a0and the young couple celebrate\u00a0their\u00a0union, the Firebird reappears behind the congregation suspended in flight!\u00a0This\u00a0spectacular ending\u00a0caps\u00a0a\u00a0luscious display of\u00a0beauty and fantasy.\u00a0Augmented\u00a0by\u00a0students from the\u00a0North Carolina School of the Arts,\u00a0and with\u00a0live music from the Gateways Festival Orchestra\u00a0under Jeri Lynne Johnson, the production\u00a0is\u00a0supervised by Leo Holder with assistance\u00a0from Paul Moor, Don Padgett, and lighting designer Clifton Taylor.\u00a0A host of repetiteurs\u00a0and costume specialists\u00a0help\u00a0make this extraordinary revival happen.\u00a0The company\u00a0has a hit on\u00a0its\u00a0hands.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0Derek Brockington as Prince Ivan in Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Firebird, Choreographed by John Taras,\u00a0Set & Costumes by Geoffrey Holder; Photo: Rachel Papo<\/p>\n

William Forsythe<\/a>\u00a0revolutionized the ballet world when he\u00a0choreographed\u00a0In\u00a0the\u00a0Middle,\u00a0Somewhat\u00a0Elevated\u00a0for the stars of the Paris Opera Ballet in 1987. With his Frankfurt Ballet he continued his exploration of how to push ballet technique by incorporating the concepts of modern dance abstractionists\u00a0Alwin\u00a0Nikolais<\/a>\u00a0(improvisation as well as manipulation of space) and\u00a0Merce Cunningham<\/a>\u00a0(angles of the body). DTH presents\u00a0the 1996\u00a0Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude\u00a0from Forsythe\u2019s Frankfurt tenure,\u00a0challenging\u00a0the dancers. After the great success of\u00a0Blake Works\u00a0IV,\u00a0which\u00a0Forsythe created specifically for\u00a0DTH,\u00a0it seemed\u00a0logical to add another work by the most influential\u00a0living\u00a0choreographer of our art form. While current director\u00a0Robert Garland inherited\u00a0Blake Works IV\u00a0from his predecessor,\u00a0Virginia Johnson, who commissioned it as her final act in 2023, Garland acquired\u00a0The Vertiginous Thrill… just last year. Could DTH open the door,\u00a0and\u00a0incubate\u00a0new choreographic development? Giving the dancers the conceptually rich and kinetically exciting Forsythe pieces should prep them for anything. At the same time,\u00a0these dances\u00a0fill\u00a0a gap for New York audiences, who\u00a0have been starving for innovative and groundbreaking work. Within the last 40 years,\u00a0only two Forsythe ballets saw the light of day at New York City Ballet,\u00a0and only one at American Ballet Theatre.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

DTH Company Artist\u00a0 David Wright and Micah Bullard\u00a0 in The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude;Photo: Steven Pisano<\/p>\n

Coincidentally,\u00a0former DTH dancer Eric Underwood emerged as a star\u00a0in Forsythe\u2019s\u00a0workwithinwork,\u00a0which ABT\u2019s\u00a0then\u00a0director somehow neglected to acknowledge and certainly failed to act upon.\u00a0Underwood left,\u00a0and had a fine career at\u00a0Britain\u2019s\u00a0Royal Ballet instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In\u00a0The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude,\u00a0lime-green leotards\u00a0with\u00a0hoop tutus\u00a0for the women\u00a0contrast beautifully\u00a0in color\u00a0with the\u00a0men\u2019s\u00a0short\u00a0purple\u00a0outfits that show plenty of\u00a0leg.\u00a0The simple hoop tutus\u00a0move\u00a0and bounce with and after each movement,\u00a0and\u00a0add\u00a0a jazzy\u00a0quality to\u00a0Franz Schubert\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0lively score.\u00a0Forsythe\u2019s long-time company member Stephen Galloway designed the costumes.\u00a0The movement however is all Forsythe:\u00a0Hips off the plumb line, supple upper bodies, fast footwork,\u00a0and a\u00a0masterful\u00a0play\u00a0with timing keep dancers and audience engaged. A\u00a0leg\u00a0outstretched\u00a0\u00e0\u00a0la\u00a0seconde\u00a0retracts to a\u00a0retir\u00e9\u00a0position in stages,\u00a0as if\u00a0invisible rubber bands\u00a0want to show the foot its proper place.\u00a0Staged by\u00a0Jodie Gates,<\/a>\u00a0the ballet\u00a0keeps the dancers on high alert.\u00a0If I read their\u00a0body language\u00a0correctly,\u00a0the dancers are saying,\u00a0\u201cThis\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0easy,\u00a0but it sure is fun trying;\u201d and I\u00a0do\u00a0have a good time watching.\u00a0Bullard and Wright\u00a0are\u00a0joined by Lindsey Donnell, Alexandra Hutchinson, Alexandra Rene Jones, Kamala Saara, Ingrid Silva, and\u00a0Washington.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Ingrid Silva in Blake Works IV; Photo:\u00a0Cherylynn Tsushima<\/p>\n

On Sunday, the\u00a0dazzling\u00a0Blake Works IV\u00a0opens the program.\u00a0Having premiered in January of 2023,\u00a0it is informed by the isolation\u00a0felt\u00a0during the COVID\u00a0pandemic. Subtitled \u201cThe Barre Project,\u201d\u00a0it\u00a0meditates\u00a0on a dancer\u2019s daily work at the barre,\u00a0which,\u00a0in turn,\u00a0becomes a personal\u00a0playground\u00a0and a place\u00a0to examine and enjoy\u00a0new movement possibilities.\u00a0Eventually small\u00a0\u201cbubbles\u201d\u00a0of dancers appear interspersed among the fragmented solos.\u00a0Only\u00a0at\u00a0the end of the work,\u00a0however,\u00a0does\u00a0the ensemble come together\u00a0allowing\u00a0for\u00a0a glimmer of hope.\u00a0Music by James Blake\u00a0lifts dancers Derek Brockington,\u00a0Bullard, Kouadio Davis, Donnell,\u00a0Hutchinson, Jones,\u00a0Saara, Washington, Ethan Wilson, and Wright. But the moment belongs to\u00a0ballerina\u00a0Ingrid Silva, who,\u00a0after 13 years with the company,\u00a0is leaving DTH\u00a0at the end of\u00a0its current tour.\u00a0Garland\u00a0and a host of former company members pay\u00a0tribute to Silva,\u00a0who drowns\u00a0in a sea of flowers\u00a0and a few tears.\u00a0A star moves on.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Ingrid Silva, Family, Friends, and DTH Company; Photo:\u00a0Cherylynn Tsushima<\/p>\n

Gates\u00a0not only stages Forsythe\u2019s works,\u00a0but\u00a0also choreographs.\u00a0Her\u00a0Passage of Being\u00a0for six dancers adds a contemplative flavor to the program.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

DTH Company Artists in Nyman String Quartet No. 2\u00a0 Photo: Steve Pisano<\/p>\n

Artistic director Garland contributes previously seen works\u00a0Nyman String Quartet No. 2\u00a0(which features\u00a0different,\u00a0stellar casts on\u00a0Saturday and Sunday) and\u00a0Higher Ground.\u00a0I had appreciated\u00a0both works\u00a0before,\u00a0for Garland\u2019s fine craftmanship,\u00a0but remembered some timidity\u00a0in the execution.\u00a0I should not have\u00a0worried, since the dancers\u00a0not only\u00a0look\u00a0well-rehearsed,\u00a0but\u00a0also\u00a0let loose\u00a0and cut up the stage.\u00a0What a joy to see these artists\u00a0having\u00a0fun and feeling\u00a0confident in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

DTH Company in Higher Ground:Photo by Christopher Duggan. Courtesy of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Dance Enthusiast Shares IMPRESSIONS\/our brand of review, and creates conversation.
For more IMPRESSIONS, click here<\/a>.
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The Dance Enthusiast<\/a> – News, Reviews, Interviews and an Open Invitation for YOU to join the Dance Conversation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Features > Impressions The Dance Enthusiast’s Brand of Review\/Thoughts on What We See Published on May 27, 2026Dancers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":245076,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[1113,1112,1126,1121,1116,128,1125,1117,1114,1106,1127,1111,1123,1107,1124,9,24,63,1118,1109,1120,1108,1122,129,131,130,1110,1119,1115],"class_list":["post-245075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-the-bronx","tag-a-day-in-the-life","tag-a-day-in-the-life-of-dance","tag-african-dance","tag-ballet","tag-barefootnotes","tag-bronx","tag-contemporary-dance","tag-dance","tag-dance-up-close","tag-features","tag-flamenco","tag-from-the-press","tag-hip-hop","tag-impressions","tag-modern-dance","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-dance","tag-postcards","tag-qa","tag-reviews","tag-tap","tag-the-bronx","tag-the-bronx-headlines","tag-the-bronx-news","tag-the-dance-enthusiast-asks","tag-the-dance-enthusiast-hits-the-streets","tag-video"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245075\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/245076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}