You Should Know Their Names - Arthur Mitchell

Do you know the name Arthur Mitchell? Maybe one of the most famous ballet dancers of the twenty-first century is Misty Copeland, a ballerina who made history when she became the first African American woman to be a principal dancer in the American Ballet Theater. American ballet might be a lot whiter, though, if not for the work of a Black man from a few decades earlier.

Arthur Mitchell broke all sorts of barriers in the American dance world. He was a man who broke through many racial barriers, touring the US and the world as the first Black lead in ballets. He brought this trailblazing attitude back with him to his home, his neighborhood, creating the Dance Theater of Harlem to support other young Black dancers with the same dreams as him. He made history, and he left a legacy.

Creds Laura Babiak