Dance Theatre Of Harlem - Programme A & B

Dance Theatre of Harlem — Programme A & B

From our vantage point at Bourse du Travail Lyon, few engagements feel as electrifying as presenting Dance Theatre of Harlem — Programme A & B. Welcoming this trailblazing company to our stage means inviting audiences into a living conversation between classical ballet and the contemporary moment. Programme A & B places two distinct lineups in dialogue, highlighting the company’s breadth: crystalline technique, musicality honed to a razor’s edge, and the rhythmic vitality that has always distinguished this ensemble. Founded in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook, the company’s legacy resonates in every phrase of movement, while its current touring profile reflects a restless curiosity and a commitment to new voices. In Lyon, our audience can expect an evening where the sweep of American neoclassicism intersects with the pulse of modern choreography—athletic allegro, lyrical adagios, and finely etched ensemble work that shows off the company’s speed, clarity, and dramatic nuance. On our proscenium, impeccably framed by meticulous lighting and an acoustical environment responsive to both silence and score, those qualities come into sharp relief, carrying the glow of a storied tradition into the present tense.

Artistic momentum and repertoire in focus

As hosts, we are proud to align with the company’s current artistic momentum. Under the artistic directorship of Robert Garland, Dance Theatre of Harlem has sharpened its dual identity: stewarding essential ballet lineage and commissioning works that speak to now. Recent seasons have amplified that balance. Garland’s Higher Ground, set to the music of Stevie Wonder, taps into swing, social groove, and a jubilant sense of community, while Claudia Schreier’s Passage contemplates resilience with sculpted, interlocking patterns and a luminous architectural flow. Audiences have also been galvanized by the perennial spark of Return, Garland’s beloved salute to soul classics, which channels vernacular energy through balletic line. Alongside such contemporary currents, the company is renowned for its interpretation of the Balanchine canon, bringing diamond-cut clarity and musical instinct to repertory that demands both fearlessness and finesse. This range is exactly what Programme A & B is poised to illuminate: two complements within one engagement, each tracing a different arc through the company’s stylistic terrain. Whether an evening features neoclassical fireworks, intimate chamber textures, or propulsive ensemble tableaux, the result is the same—dance that feels urgent, generous, and technically exacting, delivered by artists whose stagecraft is matched by warmth and wit.

Presenting Dance Theatre of Harlem — Programme A & B in Lyon allows us to shape the audience experience with care. Our stage team works hand in hand with the touring production to sculpt light, shadow, and color so that line, épaulement, and partnering read with striking immediacy from every seat. The dual-design of Programme A & B rewards both first-time discoverers and seasoned balletgoers: one night might foreground symphonic sweep and classical bravura; the other might lean into contemporary phrasing, polyrhythmic scores, and bold dramaturgical architecture. We cherish how this company speaks to the city’s cross-generational dance community—students who will track the mechanics of a pirouette with hungry eyes, aficionados keen to compare interpretations across programs, and newcomers ready to be surprised by the sheer joy of kinetic storytelling. In our hall, the intimacy between stage and auditorium invites close attunement to breath, musical attack, and the conversational give-and-take within the corps. It’s an ideal setting to feel the company’s signature blend of precision and heart, and to witness how Programme A & B magnifies that blend in two distinct, complementary frames—an encounter with heritage and discovery in the same engagement, right here at Bourse du Travail Lyon.