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By Henning Rübsam
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Published on May 27, 2026
Dancers of DTH in "Higher Ground." Photo: Christopher Duggan
The Company Also Bids Farewell to Ballerina Ingrid Silva
Founders: Arthur Mitchell, Karel Shook
Artistic Director: Robert Garland
Executive Director: Anna Glass
Rehearsal Director: Juan Carlos Peñuela
April 16 – 19, 2026
Dance Theatre of Harlem's recent New York City Center season might have been short, but it packed a powerful punch and resonated with audiences.
The company’s much beloved Firebird returned to its repertory in a year when the bigger New York City troupes, namely American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet, also chose to show their versions of the fairy tale introduced to the dance world in 1910 by choreographer Michel Fokine. That premiere by the Ballets Russes in Paris also put the young composer Igor Stravinsky on the ballet map, and his music remains the constant in all productions of the work.
When DTH’s founding artistic director Arthur Mitchell asked John Taras to choreograph a new Firebird, in 1982, he entrusted Geoffrey Holder with the assignment to design sets and costumes. The story itself remains intact: A Young Man (Micah Bullard) captures the Firebird (Ariana Dickerson), who gives him the gift of a feather and promises to help him in exchange for her freedom. This deal turns out to be a wise one, because the Young Man falls in love with the Princess of Unreal Beauty (Delaney Washington, who deserves her sobriquet), and needs help to rescue her from the Prince of Evil (David Wright) and his band of evil creatures. The Firebird makes good on the promise, and the Young Man and the Princess have a go at matrimony.
While the story remains familiar, Holder’s set transports viewers. Two outsized flowers painted on a drop curtain welcome one to dive into this wonderland. An outrageously sexy cut-away tutu showcases the Firebird’s long legs, and adds some feathers to the back of the garment. Va-Va-Va-VOOM!
Bullar
The Princess, however, exudes warmth and radiates human emotion, while her exceptional beauty stands out among the cast of Beautiful Maidens. No wonder Bullard can’t contain himself, and simply must be with her.
When the battle against the Prince of Evil and his unsavory companions is won and the young couple celebrate their union, the Firebird reappears behind the congregation suspended in flight! This spectacular ending caps a luscious display of beauty and fantasy.
Augmented by students from the North Carolina School of the Arts, and with live music from the Gateways Festival Orchestra under Jeri Lynne Johnson, the production is supervised by Leo Holder with assistance from Paul Moor, Don Padgett, and lighting designer Clifton Taylor. A host of repetiteurs and costume specialists help make this extraordinary revival happen. The company has a hit on its hands.
William Forsythe revolutionized the ballet world when he choreographed In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated for the stars of the Paris Opera Ballet in 1987. With his Frankfurt Ballet he continued his exploration of how to push ballet technique by incorporating the concepts of modern dance abstractionists Alwin Nikolais
DTH presents the 1996 Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude from Forsythe’s Frankfurt tenure, challenging the dancers. After the great success of Blake Works IV, which Forsythe created specifically for DTH, it seemed logical to add another work by the most influential living choreograph
Coincidentally, former DTH dancer Eric Underwood emerged as a star in Forsythe’s workwithinwork, whi
In The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, lime-green leotards with hoop tutus for the women contrast beautifully in color with the men’s short purple outfits that show plenty of leg. The simple hoop tutus move and bounce with and after each movement, and add a jazzy quality to Franz Schubert's lively score. Forsythe’s long-time company member Stephen Galloway designed the costumes.
The movement however is all Forsythe: Hips off the plumb line, supple upper bodies, fast footwork, and a masterful play with timing keep dancers and audience engaged. A leg outstretched à la second
On Sunday, the dazzling Blake Works IV opens the program. Having premiered in January of 2023, it is informed by the isolation felt during the COVID pandemic. Subtitled The Barre Project, it meditates on a dancer’s daily work at the barre, which, in turn, becomes a personal playground and a place to examine and enjoy new movement possibilities. Eventually small “bubbles” of dancers appear interspersed among the fragmented solos. Only at the end of the work, however, does the ensemble come together allowing for a glimmer of hope.
Music by James Blake lifts dancers Derek Brockington, Bullard, Kouadio Davis, Donnell, Hutchinson, Jones, Saara, Washington, Ethan Wilson, and Wright. But the moment belongs to ballerina Ingrid Silva, who, after 13 years with the company, is leaving DTH at the end of its current tour. Garland and a host of former company members pay tribute to Silva, who drowns in a sea of flowers and a few tears. A star moves on.
Gates not only stages Forsythe’s works, but also choreographs. Her Passage of Being for six dancers adds a contemplative flavor to the program.
Artistic director Garland contributes previously seen works Nyman String Quartet No. 2 (which features different, stellar casts on Saturday and Sunday) and Higher Ground. I had appreciated both works before, for Garland’s fine craftmanship, but remembered some timidity in the execution. I should not have worried, since the dancers not only look well-rehearsed, but
