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Dance Theatre Of Harlem Waltzing With DisasterBy Hazel Trice EdneyNNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) – The Dance Theatre of Harlem, the first Black classical ballet company, appears on the verge of collapse. Its founder, pioneering Black broadway dancer Arthur Mitchell, has announced that the 35-year-company, which has provided artistic opportunities for hundreds of dancers and thousands of students, is on a hiatus. It has a $2.4 million deficit, the New York Amsterdam News reported in September, causing some to fear it may not recover. “It will re-open at some point. When it will re-open, I can’t announce yet because we don’t have a date yet,” says Ellen Zeisler, a spokeswoman for the Dance Theatre in an interview with the NNPA News Service. “We still need individual, founder support, corporate sponsor support without question. What we do there in Harlem is give away community sponsorship for children. To be able to do that, we have to have certain monies in place.” Zeisler would not disclose the extent of the theatre’s debt but is hopeful that with large and small donations, the company will soon bounce back. “We had a fabulous season, the biggest we had in years, 44 weeks, sold out audiences in U. S. and Europe. That’s why it was such a disappointment,” Zeisler says. She says the company hopes to be back in full operation by the end of June 2005. Mitchell, who joined the New York City Ballet in 1956, becoming a soloist three years later, was the first Black principal dancer of a major company, dancing with the company for 20 years. He founded the Harlem Dance Theatre as a school in 1968. In 1981, the dance theatre was the first Black ballet company to have a season at Covent Garden, London. Famous dancers Stephanie Baxter, Virginia Johnson, Eddie Shellman, Mel Tomlinson, Donald Williams, and Alicia Graf have all been part of the company. “It has provided a place for artistic expression for hundreds of Black dancers where they might not get it – especially in the world of ballet because today, opportunities for Black ballet dancers are still very limited,” says A. Peter Bailey, author of “Revelations,” the autobiography of dance choreographer Alvin Ailey and co-author of “Harlem Today: A Cultural and Visitors Guide,” which features Mitchell. “If you list the top Black dance companies in the world, the Dance Theatre of Harlem would be on that list.” But the company is not a stranger to hard times. In 1997, financial difficulties resulted in a strike, and subsequent financial belt-tightening. Mitchell has been criticized for purportedly micro-managing the company. “It’s a tough period. It’s a period where Mr. Mitchell is doing, not just soul-searching, but a lot of things are happening. This year was his 70th birthday. It’s the 35th anniversary of the company,” Zeisler says. Mitchell told the Amsterdam News in September that the company’s board of directors, now disbanded, was simply not able to give the company the support it needed and he is now developing a “long term strategic plan, a business plan, and a succession plan.” While the theatre continues on hiatus, the company plans to re-open the school within a month with the assistance of the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., Zeisler says. She says Mitchell has gained key advisors such as Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser. A new executive team will soon be in place, she says. “While the company is on hiatus I’m going to erase the deficit,” Mitchell told the Amsterdam News. Donations can be sent directly to the company at 466 W. 152nd Street New York, N.Y. 10031. Says Zeisler, “Whether you send a check for a dollar or a hundred dollars, it is all of use.”