

Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) has a long tradition of collaborating with visual artists, including Richard Barcliff, Geoffrey Holder, Hilary Knight, and Artis Lane among others, to help bring ballets to life beyond the stage. Continue reading


Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) has a long tradition of collaborating with visual artists, including Richard Barcliff, Geoffrey Holder, Hilary Knight, and Artis Lane among others, to help bring ballets to life beyond the stage. Continue reading



Dance Theatre of Harlem’s iconic Firebird places the Russian folk tale about a magical bird that triumphs over evil in an exotic Caribbean setting. John Taras’ choreography to Stravinsky’s familiar score was further enlivened by sets and costumes by Geoffrey Holder. The 1982 DTH production was a tremendous worldwide success.

Le Sacre du printemps was originally choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky for the Ballets Russes . Commissioned by company impresario Serge Diaghilev and set to music by Igor Stravinsky, the ballet premiered 29 May 1913 at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris. Continue reading
By Walter Rutledge

Actress, author and burlesque entertainer Gyspy Rose Lee once said, “If a thing is worth doing, it worth doing slowly… very slowly”. Fandango by choreographer Lar Lubovitch embodies Lee’s philosophy and more. Instead of flashy flurries of movement, the sensual duet performed by Danica Paulos and Clifton Brown; and set to Maurice Ravel’s contemporary classic chestnut Bolero, smoldered with a steady and intense heat. Continue reading
Vaslav Nijinsky choreographed Afternoon of a Faun, using the music of Claude Debussy. In this interpretation, Leon Bakst‘s scenery and costumes have been stunningly reconstructed by Ralph Holmes. The original choreography, designed to evoke the two-dimensional flatness of a Greek frieze, was reconstructed by Elizabeth Schooling and William Chappel. Continue reading
Rudolph Nureyev as Valentino, a biographical drama film very loosely based on the life of Rudolph Valentino, directed by Ken Russell in 1977. In this scene former dance hall performer Rudolpho Valentino dances a tango with dance legend Ballet Russe star Vaslav Nijinsky.
Rudolf Nureyev & Anthony Dowell- Valentino (1977)
NUREYEV and the Joffrey Ballet/In Tribute to Nijinsky, the Dance in America broadcast, debuted on March 9, 1981. Recorded in August 1880 in Nashville the program presented a collection of three ‘reconstructed ballets had been seen in a special limited run on Broadway. For television, the dances have been supplemented with biographical comments on Nijinsky by Dale Harris and snippets of interviews with Rudolf Nureyev. Continue reading
Maurice Bejart choreographed Bolero in 1960 for the Ballet du XXe Siècle (Ballet of the Twentieth Century). In Bolero Béjart returns to the spirit of his 1959 Rite of Spring, by negating the easy choices of a picturesque exterior in favor of a stripped down simplicity. He gives the central role, the Melody, to a solo dancer and the ensemble is described as the Rhythm. Argentinian dancer Jorge Donn was best known for his work with Bejart. His theatricality and androgynous attack epitomized the 80’s.