Click here to visit our new site --> CafeDVD 2.0 Dance Theatre of Harlem (1989) Rating: Starring: Dance Theatre of Harlem Director: Category: Music, Special Interest Studio: Image Ent. Subtitles: [None] Length: 59 mins     The Dance Theatre of Harlem, America's first outstanding classical ballet company of black dancers, started out as a ghetto experiment that quickly reached world-class level.It was created by Arthur Mitchell, a School of American Ballet student who had broken through ballet's color barrier by becoming the first black dancer to join an internationally renowned company, the New York City Ballet. In 1968, Mitchell opened a school: its first location was a disused garage in the heart of Harlem; the doors were kept open to admit air and anyone who looked in was invited to enroll.Within a year the first class of thirty students had grown to over four hundred.Their training embraced modern and ethnic as well as classical dance.Today the almost exclusively black company is known for its warmth and vitality.Mitchell consistently tries to foster black choreographic creativity, and the company has proven itself equally able to handle jazz-oriented and ethnic pieces as well as the classics. In this special studio production, the Dance Theatre Of Harlem performs a selection of its most popular works:Troy Game, The Beloved and John Henry.The pieces are introduced by Arthur Mitchell and Robert North.