Founded in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook, Dance Theatre of Harlem gave its first professional performances at Jacob’s Pillow the following year. One of the leading dancers in that debut engagement, Virginia Johnson, took over the direction of DTH in 2009, and she brought the company back to its birthplace in 2013 (the same year when it was formally relaunched after nearly a decade on hiatus) and again in 2014 and 2019. Prior to the main company’s return, the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble had been newly reconceived as a national touring entity, visiting the Pillow in 2010. Other DTH appearances at the Pillow include special Gala performances of works by Geoffrey Holder and Christopher Wheeldon. In its first decades, DTH transformed the perceptions of millions of audience members and served as cultural ambassadors, performing in 41 states and in 40 countries throughout the world. Robert Garland assumed the position of artistic director in 2023, and chose to open his first Pillow program with his own Higher Ground, which he describes as “a Sankofa-esque reflection on our current times.”
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