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Few Vassarians are likely aware that their school has ties to the prestigious multicultural dance company Dance Theatre of Harlem.
Professor of Dance Jeanne Czula decided to invite the Ensemble last year, a decision rooted in her previous experiences with the Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH), the school that houses the company. Czula worked with the DTH personnel for years in conjunction with both Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre (VRDT) and the Department of Dance. The company’s current artistic director Virginia Johnson and ballet instructor Ronald Perry visited Vassar during the early years of VRDT.
The company’s co-founder Arthur Mitchell also gave a Master class in the early 1990’s. Czula summarized, “They have an untarnished record in my book. Every time they come, they’re wonderful.”
The Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble, comprised of 14 DTH-trained dancers, will grace the stage of the Frances Daly Ferguson Dance Theater on Sunday, bringing with them a little bit of American history. The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. served as the impetus for DTH’s founding in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook. DTH became a means to give black children, specifically those of Mitchell’s home community Harlem, the largely nonexistent opportunity to learn about dance and the arts. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of DTH’s inception, the Harlem Dance Theatre Ensemble was formed in 2009 and will begin a nation-wide inaugural tour in November, with Vassar as their third stop.
This 14-member Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble will be the largest-ever dance ensemble to appear at Vassar College as guests. And their appearance is generating a sort of buzz among the student dancers. “There’s something to be said for dancing on a stage that will house and has housed such reputable companies,” explained VRDT member Mickey Mahar ’12 in an e-mailed statement.
“Not that it needs to, but this event sort of bolsters the legitimacy of what VRDT and FlyPeople are doing,” wrote Mahar. “I’m honored that Dance Theatre of Harlem has decided that Vassar is a place worthy of sharing [its] work.”
Because of the group’s combined interest in social activism and the arts, many departments and offices including Dance, Africana Studies, American Culture, Women’s Studies, the Office of the Dean of the Faculty, the Athletics/Life Fitness Program, the Art Department and the JPCz Fund (Jeanne Periolat Czula Fund and Endowment) have agreed to fund the performance. “I’m thrilled that so many people supported this,” said Czula.
She also cited student support as a great aid in the preparation effort. Because it is the largest guest company to appear at Vassar, there was quite a bit of work to do. “Students have been wonderful, offering their time to help out,” remarked Czula.
For the students of the Dance Department, there is more to gain from such a peformance than sheer artistry or history. “As a dancer I am aware of the visual experience and perhaps the ‘spectacle’, but at the same time I am also conscious of the technical composition/execution of the piece. It makes my experience almost a little richer.”
He added, “I would also agree that dances have become almost a learning experience for me, a kinesthetic text for critique and examination.” Czula mirrored these sentiments, saying, “When you’re a dancer, you are immersed whenever hours you’re awake. There’s no time to lose.”
Even for the non-dancers, there is an added bonus of a brief reception with the dancers following their performance. It is rare that anyone gets to have some time talking with professional dancers about their craft, but it is not unusual for the DTH to do extraordinary things.
The Harlem Dance Theatre Ensemble will perform their classical dance repertoire in the Frances Daly Ferguson Dance Theater on Nov. 8 at 3 p.m.
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