Arthur Mitchell

The Founder and Artistic Director of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Arthur Mitchell created a training school and the first African-American classical ballet company. Born in Harlem, he graduated from the High School of Performing Arts in New York City in the early 1950s, and won a dance award and a scholarship to study at the School of American Ballet. Mitchell joined the New York City Ballet and quickly rose to the position of premier danseur, and, for the next 15 years, electrified audiences with his performances. Choreographer and director of the NYCB George Balanchine created the pas de deux in “Agon” especially for Mitchell and the white ballerina Diana Adams. Although Mitchell danced this role with white partners throughout the world, he could not perform it on commercial television in the United States before 1965, because states in the South refused to carry it. After the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, Mitchell returned to Harlem, where he was determined to provide opportunities in dance for the children in that community. He and his teacher Karel Shook formed a classical ballet school, and the Dance Theatre of Harlem was born in 1969 with 30 kids in a church basement. Two months later, Mitchell had attracted 400 youngsters attending his classes. With the success of DTH, he challenged the classical dance world to review its stereotypes and revise its boundaries. He has received many awards, including the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts. In 2006, President Bush honored Mitchell and the Dance Theatre of Harlem at the White House with a dinner and special performance in his honor. Arthur Mitchell spoke to the Academy students at the 1989 Achievement Summit in San Francisco about his life and career.