Dance Theatre of Harlem leads Thea Bowman students in workshop at Indiana University Northwest
IU Northwest hosts Dance Theatre of Harlem workshop
Contributed By: The 411 News
Thea Bowman dance program students learn from the best
Most of the students in the dance program at Thea Bowman Leadership Academy had never heard of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, a majority-Black ballet company that was born in the 60s and remains today as one of the country’s leading professional dance organizations.
And that’s one of the reasons why Karen Fitzgerald-Tillman, the school’s dance program instructor brought them to IU Northwest Tuesday to meet members of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. “I wanted to get them out of their box,” she said.
About 40 of Bowman’s dance students attended “Dancing in the Streets Workshop: Dance Theatre of Harlem.” Fitzgerald-Tillman said Bowman’s cheerleaders and majorettes make up the majority of students in dance classes. Then she pointed to Girls’ Basketball and Track team members who have joined the dance program.
After giving a brief history of her company, Lindsey Donnell, an 11-year DTH member asked the students, “Are you familiar with plié and tendu?” They were.
For the next hour, the students learned routines from Donnell and 2 first-year DTH company members -- Ariana Dickerson and Kira Robinson – dancing to the beat of tracks from Cameo, James Brown, and Michael Jackson.
Tuesday’s workshop at IU Northwest was part of DTH’s weeklong state-wide residency which included stops at 3 Indiana University campuses and special events in Indianapolis and Greensburg.
“Right now, 20 other company members are in Indianapolis public schools. Then they’re going to Greensburg public schools,” said Grace Rimkunas, Assistant Director for Education and Engagement at the IU Auditorium in Bloomington.
DTH will end its residency on March 1 with a performance at the IU Auditorium. Dickerson is 1 of three DTH company members who are graduates of the Ballet Department at the university’s Jacobs School of Music.
Following the workshop, DTU dancers sat down for a Q&A with the students. The panel included Cheyanne Johnson, an IU Northwest graduate whose hiphop and street dance company Chienoo’s is often featured on stages from the West Side Theatre Guild to performances at community events.
In March Donnell will appear in Étoile, on Amazon, a film series about two ballet companies struggling to survive.
Dance Theatre of Harlem members Kira Robinson, l-r, Ariana Dickerson, and Lindsey Donnell, and Cheyanne Johnson.
Story Posted:03/01/2025
|
