Dance Theatre of Harlem will perform at 8 p.m. March 1 at the IU Auditorium. The company’s visit will include a statewide residency with performances and Indiana programs in Gary, Indianapolis, Greensburg and Bloomington.
The event marks the company’s first visit to IU in eight years, coinciding with the last week of Black History Month.
The DTH Company is an internationally touring ballet company consisting of 18 dancers. Its repertoire includes classical ballets, neoclassical works by George Balanchine and artistic director Robert Garland, and contemporary pieces that use ballet to reflect founder Arthur Mitchell’s vision that ballet belongs to everyone.
The company engages in performances, community outreach and arts education programs to promote DTH’s mission of expanding access to the arts.
The repertoire for the IU performance will feature works by Balanchine, Garland and Polish choreographer Robert Bondara. Notably, the performance includes Balanchine's "Donizetti Variations," set by ballet icon Kyra Nichols, a former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet and current faculty member at IU's Jacobs School of Music.
In addition, DTH will host community events leading up to the main performance. Garland will lead a discussion at 6 p.m. Feb. 28 in the IU auditorium lobby on the intersection of art and social justice, exploring how dance serves as a platform for advocacy and social change. The company will hold an open rehearsal at 3:30 p.m. March 1 in the auditorium theatre, giving attendees a rare look at its creative process as dancers refine their technique and artistic expression. Both events are free and open to the public, though RSVPs are encouraged through the IU Auditorium website.
Adding a special connection to IU, three alumni from the Jacobs School of Music ballet program — Alexandra Rene Jones, Alexandra Hutchinson and Ariana Dickerson — will perform with the company. Their return to Bloomington highlights the ongoing relationship between DTH and IU's ballet program.
Dickerson, who graduated from IU in 2023, is in her second season with the company.
"IU was my family for four years," she said. "Knowing that we have this gift to inspire current students is so exciting."
The upcoming performance at IU Auditorium will feature four pieces — two by Balanchine, one by Bondara and the closing piece by Garland.
She said the Balanchine pieces are particularly a challenge she enjoys.
“What's exciting is to be able to push through how quick it is and be able to show your technique,” she said. “Every time I'm rehearsing, I always think ‘No matter how fast it is, I am going to do the step the way it's supposed to be done and not take anything for granted with my dancing.’”
Dickerson said the last piece, "Return," is set to the music of James Brown and Aretha Franklin, showcasing Black excellence in the program.
"I hope people get to just experience that and take a piece of our culture with them,” she said.
Tickets for the performance March 1 start at $29 and can be bought from the IU Auditorium website.
