Sarasota Ballet Presents Dance Theatre of Harlem

February 8, 2023 – Sarasota

Continuing the tradition of hosting a major dance company for the Sarasota community to experience, The Sarasota Ballet’s Program 5 will feature the world-renowned Dance Theatre of Harlem, returning to the FSU Center for Performing Arts for the second time since their original residency in 2015.

“We are so excited to welcome back Dance Theatre of Harlem to Sarasota this season,” enthused Iain Webb, Director of The Sarasota Ballet. “Not only is it a pleasure for us to host such an important and iconic American ballet company, but it is a special honor this season as they celebrate their Director, Virginia Johnson, during her final season with the Company. Virginia’s career on and off the stage has been an inspiration for dancers and audience members across the world, and I am thrilled to be able to use this opportunity to pay tribute to her and her remarkable career.”

Dance Theatre of Harlem will be performing four diverse pieces while in Sarasota. They will open with George Balanchine’s Allegro Brilliante, characterized by what Marina Tallchief – the ballerina on whom the bravura leading role was created — called “an expansive Russian romanticism.” Following will be a performance of Helen Pickett’s ballet When Love, an emotive depiction of mutual devotion and adoration. The third performance of the evening will be William Forsythe’s Blake Works IV (The Barre Project), a captivating ode to one of the most integral foundations of ballet, the barre. Finally, the Program will end with DTH Resident Choreographer Robert Garland’s Higher Ground, a ballet with a rhythmic, robust, and powerful celebration of Blackness in America.

Virginia Johnson, Artistic Director and one of the founding members of Dance Theatre of Harlem, says “With a repertoire that features George Balanchine’s superb Allegro Brilliante, William Forsythe’s of-the-moment Blake Works IV and Robert Garland’s masterful Higher Ground, Dance Theatre of Harlem brings something for everyone for its return to the FSU Center for the Performing Arts in February.”

Founded in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook, Dance Theatre of Harlem was established to bring new opportunity to young people in Harlem. Through the discipline and focus of training in a classical art form, the Company was able to build success and inspire countless people in New York City, the country, and the world. Dedicated to reaching new audiences with their powerful message of self-reliance, artistic relevance and individual responsibility, the Company has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance and is listed as an institution of higher education by the U.S. Department of Education.

Performance Schedule and Ticket Information
Program 5 – Dance Theatre of Harlem | 24 – 27 February 2023
FSU Center for Performing Arts

Single Tickets
Individual tickets for Program 5 – Dance Theatre of Harlem, starting at $35, are on sale now at SarasotaBallet.org or by calling 941.359.0099.

About Dance Theatre of Harlem
Dance Theatre of Harlem is a leading dance institution of unparalleled global acclaim, encompassing a world class company, a professional studio school, a leading arts education program – Dancing Through Barriers®, and community engagement activities. Each component of Dance Theatre of Harlem carries a solid commitment towards enriching the lives of young people and adults around the world through the arts. Founded in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook, Dance Theatre of Harlem was considered “one of ballet’s most exciting undertakings” (The New York Times, 1971). Shortly after the assassination of The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mitchell was inspired to start a school that would offer children — especially those in Harlem, the community in which he was born — the opportunity to learn about dance and the allied arts. Now in its fifth decade, Dance Theatre of Harlem has grown into a multi-cultural dance institution with an extraordinary legacy of providing opportunities for creative expression and artistic excellence that continues to set standards in the performing arts.