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Happy Birthday/Anniversary Arthur Mitchell.
What do you think of the ballet?
Ballet: Agon. (1973).
Dancers: Arthur Mitchell. Allegra Kent.
Choreographer: George Balanchine.
Arthur Mitchell. Born: March 27th 1934, Harlem, New York, USA – Died: September 19th 2018, Manhattan, New York City, USA. Age 84.
In August 1968, in a gym at Dorothy Maynor’s Harlem School of the arts, at 141st Street and St. Nicholas Avenue and using his own savings to start a ballet school, Mr. Mitchell commenced teaching classes’ to approximately 30 students, along with Karel Shook a former ballet master from American Ballet and Dutch National Ballet.
Mr. Mitchell spoke about the commencement of his ballet school.
“Once they realized I was trying to do the best I could and help, that wasn’t an ego‐tripping do-gooder, they came along with me. We’re not saying everyone has to be a ballet dancer. Do your own thing, but have the technique to compete.”
By 1969 along with Co Founder, Karel Shook, Mr. Mitchell used his own savings, including having received financial assistance from Mrs. Alva B. Gimbel and the Ford Foundation, to start/found the Dance Theatre of Harlem.
In fact, the first ballet choreographed by Mr. Mitchell for Dance Theatre of Harlem was Ode to Otis, Premiering February 02nd 1969, with dancers Lydia Abarca, Gerald Banks, Walter Raines, Samuel Smalls, Derek Williams and Arturo Vivaldo.
Dance Theatre of Harlem was incorporated February 11th 1969, and would become the first permanent African American ballet company in America.
Did You Know?
Mr. Balanchine talks about his ballet Agon.
“Just as a cabinetmaker must select his woods for the particular job at hand…so a ballet carpenter must find dominant quality of gesture, a strain or palette of consistent movement, an active scale of flowing patterns which reveals to the eye what Stravinsky tells the sensitized ear.”
Agon was first performed by New York City Ballet. Premiering December 1st 1957, New York City, NY. The Ballet runs about 23 minutes. Music – Igor Stravinsky.
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