Arthur Mitchell (1934—2018) was a Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) gifted dancer and choreographer and Arthur Mitchell Arthur left the NYCB, and in 1968, he used founded several successful ballet his own money to found the DTH. His companies. dream was to provide kids from Harlem (a deprived, predominantly black area of New Early life and Career York) the opportunity to study dance, and it Born in Harlem, New York, Arthur had a became a huge success. Since its inception, difficult childhood. When he was 12, his fa- the DTH has given countless young people a ther was imprisoned and Arthur was forced way into careers in music, dance and the to start work in order to provide for his fam- arts. ily. He had a lot of different jobs, including Other achievements working as a shoe-shiner, floor-washer and butcher’s assistant. With help from a guid- In addition to starting DTH, Arthur also ance counsellor, Arthur applied to the High helped to found ballet companies in Wash- School of Performing Arts and decided to ington, and Brazil. He received many train as a classical ballet dancer. He won awards for his work, including honorary awards and scholarships for his dancing, and doctorates from Harvard and Columbia uni- in 1955 he was offered a job with the New versities and an award from New York City. York City Ballet (NYCB), becoming their first Legacy ever African-American dancer. He rose to become their principal dancer after a year Arthur is remembered for his exceptional and performed, to great acclaim, all over the dancing and for breaking down barriers. world. Some audience members, however, Thanks to his talent, hard work and deter- mination, he forged a path for aspiring objected to him dancing with a white, fe- male partner, and, despite his talent, his “Walk into a room, knowing you are black artists to follow, devoting his life to performances were not shown on commer- somebody, somebody special. Don't ever encouraging and supporting others. cial television until 1968. let them smash that or pull you down”