Dance Theatre of Harlem pushes the boundaries of ballet

Dance Theatre of Harlem’s long history of partnership with the Pillow began in 1970, with their very first performance as a company, and this week’s run marks their triumphant return to the Pillow since before the pandemic, and with newly appointed Artistic Director and former Principal dancer, Robert Garland, at the helm. Celebrating both their 55th anniversary and the 90th birthday year of Arthur Mitchell, the company’s late founder, the program brings four diverse works to the McCain Stage in the Ted Shawn Theatre.

Set to the music of Stevie Wonder, Higher Ground (2022) demonstrates Robert Garland’s ability to expertly weave together colloquial movement with classical ballet. The curtain lifts to reveal six dancers in simple costuming facing each other. The dancers begin by raising their gazes, moving in circular pathways before breaking apart and then returning. Their sense of communal space on stage is evident, as they return to the circle and the lifted gaze throughout the work. Later, they bring their eyes to the audience, raising fists and standing with their arms crossed in gestures of strength and power. The dancers easily slip between delicious technical phrases (a double saut de basque, hops en pointe) and moments where the stage masquerades as a club floor — hips dropped low and bodies grooving.

Garland says the work “represents a Sankofa-esque reflection on our current times,” referencing the Twi word from the Akan Tribe of Ghana that loosely translates to, “go back and get it.” The phrase is used by Black and African people to celebrate the process of learning from the past to inform the future. This critical lens shapes Higher Ground and the ensuing evening of work, connecting the movement history of ballet with Dance Theatre of Harlem’s future-forward perspective on the form.

Take Me With You (2024) by Polish choreographer Robert Bondara features a duet between Delaney Washington and Derek Brockington, backed by the percussive beat of Radiohead’s “Reckoner.” Originally created in 2016 for two Polish National Ballet dancers, the work is risky, almost avant-garde with its limbs and angles. Though the work begins simply, with Washington clapping as she enters the stage, it quickly builds in complexity, punctuated by gestures and the push-pull energy of the duo. Washington and Brockington achieve the daring partnering with ease, keeping the audience on their toes throughout. In the middle, Washington pounds the rhythm on Brockington’s chest, and she ends the work clapping and returning from where she came.

The company performs George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante next, putting their precision on display. Delightful and exuberant, the work is made especially lovely by the duo of Alexandra Hutchinson and Kouadio Davis. The duet brings Tchaikovsky’s music to life, Hutchinson’s effortless pirouettes accenting Davis’ flying jumps.

The evening finishes with Blake Works IV (The Barre Project, 2023), a work by William Forsythe with music by James Blake. Beginning in 2021 as a screen dance, The Barre series connected Dance Theatre of Harlem with virtual audiences worldwid. Now adapted to the stage, the only remnants of the pandemic era are the solo and duet placement of the dancers. This austerity of the work puts the dancers on full display — the curtains part to reveal a barre on the stage, the dancers wear purple velvet, and the moody experimental electronic music of Blake all set the scene. Though Forsythe uses the barre (and the pandemic) as a spatial constraint, it’s certainly not a creative one. Here, the dancers are their most expressive, bringing together fluid spines, undulating limbs, and long lines to perform barre work like you’ve never seen before.

When the full company appears at the end of the piece, the lights dim and the crowd is clapping before the work even ends. The satisfying moment of group unison feels emotional, despite the abstract nature of the work. Laid bare across the stage, the final image of the curtain lowering on a full company phrase, is so meaningful when juxtaposed against the pandemic-inspired solos and duets. Forsythe captures that precious feeling of being in a theater, all bodies moving and breathing together. Dance Theatre of Harlem feels poised to forge ahead to a new era, all while bringing together its knowledge and legacy from the past half century.