Arthur Mitchell
Arthur Mitchell (1934 - 2018) was a ballet dancer, choreographer, and director. He was born in Harlem, New York. When he was a teenager, his school counselor suggested that he audition for the High School of Performing Arts.
During his studies at the school, Mitchell also worked at the Choreographers Workshop, performed in Broadway shows, and danced with Donald McKayle’s company. During his senior year, Mitchell began to attend auditions as required by the school's program. He faced many rejections due to racism, and so he decided to accept the scholarship he had been offered by the School of American Ballet. Mitchell attended the school from ages 18 to 21 and then joined John Butler’s company as it left to tour Europe; having seen Black dancers in Roland Petit’s company, Mitchell felt there may be more opportunities abroad. While he was touring, he received a message from the New York City Ballet inviting him to join the company as a member of the corps de ballet. In late 1955, he accepted the offer and joined the company.
When he joined the corps, Mitchell was the only Black dancer in the company. This caused the parents of some of the female dancers in the company to complain, and it also led to some friction when the company made television appearances. However, according to Mitchell, the company supported him and would tell detractors that Mitchell would perform as he was a full member of the company; those who did not like it could leave the company or, in the case of television executives, have the company refuse to appear. In 1962, Mitchell was promoted to principal dancer, making history as a Black dancer. During his tenure with the New York City Ballet, he performed many leading roles, including some Balanchine created for him, such as Agon in 1957.
Arthur Mitchell and Diana Adams in “Agon”, 1957/Image via the New York Public Library Digital Collections
Despite his success, Arthur Mitchell eventually left the company. He returned to Harlem as he wanted to start a school and company that would provide opportunities in dance for minority children. In 1969, he co-founded the Dance Theater of Harlem with Karel Shook. Within a few months, the school had 800 students, and in 1971, a company was formed as well. Mitchell choreographed several ballets for the company, and company tours included stops in Russia and performances in South Africa at the invitation of Nelson Mandela.
In 2004, the company was disbanded, and it was revived in 2012. Mitchell served as the school’s artistic director until 2009.
Sources:
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Arthur Mitchell." Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Arthur-Mitchell.
Hutter, Victoria. “Arthur Mitchell.” NEA Arts: Telling Our Stories. National Endowment for the Arts, 2016. https://www.arts.gov/stories/magazine/2016/1/telling-all-our-stories-arts-and-diversity/arthur-mitchell.
Carl Van Vechten, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
