Dance Theatre Of Harlem Re-opens Its Doors

By Zita AllenSpecial to the NNPA from the Amsterdam News New York (NNPA) – After six long weeks of having its doors closed, the Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) school reopened on Saturday, December 4. Exuding excitement over what he called ”the miracle on 152nd Street,” Arthur Mitchell, the school’s founder and artistic director, said the re-opening was made possible by the tremendous outpouring of support from all over the world and an emergency fundraising campaign that yielded more than $1.6 million from government, foundation, corporate and individual sources. The groundswell of support began almost the minute the school’s doors closed on October 16. ”This truly was a story of the community coming to the aide of Dance Theatre of Harlem,” Mitchell said at a press conference. ”One e-mail urged people to send just $1, another asked people to send all the small change in their purses and wallets. A congregation in San Francisco took up a collection and sent us a check. The community response has been so tremendous,” Mitchell added. The parents of DTH students also played a major part in helping to bring the school back, forming a support committee that will continue even after the school re-opens. And, of course, there were the students who couldn’t wait to get back to class. On the day of the press conference, 20 of them lined up at the ballet bar for a brief demonstration. ”Some of them even told their parents that they didn’t want to study anywhere else,” Mitchell said, smiling. Mitchell also expressed gratitude for the support from government, foundation and corporate sources. In announcing the school’s re-opening, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said: ”The Dance Theatre of Harlem holds an important place in this community, in the cultural landscape of our city, and in the entire dance world.” Bloomberg noted that now with the seed money and a ”re-energized board and restructured management, the Dance Theatre of Harlem is poised to resume its place as an outstanding institution that represents the best of New York City.” The restructuring includes the election of six new members to DTH’s Board of Directors and the naming of Laveen Naidu as the Executive Director. At the announcement in Harlem, the Mayor and Arthur Mitchell were also joined by Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields, Deputy Mayor Patricia Harris, Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate Levin, Executive Director Laveen Naidu, members of the Board of Directors and DTH students. ”The progress we have made over the past two months has been miraculous,” said Mitchell. ”I am deeply grateful to the funders who have shown confidence in our mission and our future and to the dedicated staff, parents and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to allow us to reach this historic moment.” A strategic plan was put into place which calls for the re-organization of the staff structure and the gradual inauguration of expanded education and outreach programming, a cash reserve, a new works fund and an annual New York Season. The plan was accepted by the DTH Board of Directors at a meeting last week. The Board also approved the hiring of Naidu as the school’s executive director. Naidu had previously served as director of the DTH School. ”It is an honor to be asked to lead the administration of this national treasure,” said Naidu. ”Mr. Mitchell’s vision continues to inspire all of us who have dedicated our careers to Dance Theatre of Harlem.” Six new members have also been elected to the Board of Directors: Reverend Calvin O. Butts III, Pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church and president of SUNY College at Old Westbury; Nancy Aronson, Vice President of the Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Foundation and former DTH Board Member; Alison Sherman, a former Chairman of the DTH Board; Edith Everett, who together with her late husband Henry Everett’s major gift, fostered the expansion of the DTH facility, which was renamed The Everett Center for the Performing Arts in 1993; Elizabeth Brooks from Detroit, Michigan, who has been instrumental in securing the DTH Company and Dancing Through Barriers (Education and Community Outreach) presence in Detroit; and Sylvia Lindsey, a longtime friend and patron of DTH. Over the past six weeks, the school’s leadership has been working closely with Michael M. Kaiser, president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., to develop the plan to revitalize DTH. They spearheaded a substantial fundraising effort which yielded a total of more than $1.6 million, enough to sustain the school as supplementary fundraising efforts are initiated. In addition to $333,000 previously allocated from the City of New York and the New York State Council on the Arts, $100,000 was allocated by the New York State Ways and Means Committee, and $1.18 million was raised by major private donors including the Irene Diamond Fund, Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Foundation, and Altria Group Inc., including $500,000 from an anonymous donor also known as Mayor Michael Bloomberg, according to reports. Kaiser is credited with turning around the fortunes of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. At the Kennedy Center, he has initiated a Capacity Building Program aimed at improving management expertise at arts organizations of color. He will continue to serve as a pro bono consultant to DTH for the next year. Kaiser said, ”I am confident with the new Board and administrative leadership to complement Mr. Mitchell’s enduring vision and talent, the Dance Theatre of Harlem is emerging from this period of turmoil to become a stronger and more stable institution than it has been in its 35-year history.”.