Arthur Mitchell’s larger-than-life spirit filled the hallowed halls of Riverside Church as an overflow crowd paid tribute to a life well-lived and a legacy that will endure forever. Mitchell’s life is a testament to the truth of the old saying: “You only live once, but If you do it right once is enough.”
The message resonating through all the eulogies delivered to a man born in Harlem just blocks from the Dance Theatre of Harlem, the groundbreaking institution he created to ensure that hopes and dreams once dashed would no longer be deferred, was simple. Mitchell was loved and it is our duty to ensure that his legacy lives forever.
The evening that began with a processional of Mitchell’s DTH family down the middle aisle of the church’s cavernous nave behind percussionist Baba Donald Eaton’s ensemble and past the more than 2,500 who had come to pay tribute to the man whose life meant so much to so many. The Rev. Debra Northern’s opening prayer and the Rev. James A. Forbes Jr.’s spiritual reflection reminded us not to weep and mourn, but to rejoice and dance, a sentiment underscored by Ramona Dunlap’s soul-stirring rendition of “Goin’ Up Yonder,” Valerie Simpson singing “Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s Hand” and Remy Martin’s performance of Frank Sinatra’s “I Did It My Way.”
But, it was Mitchell on an overhead screen who took control of it all by telling how his story began in his own words: “I was born on 113th Street and Lenox Avenue. I was the first child they were having after my eldest sister. And, I was turned sideways in my mother’s womb and my father refused to take my mother to the hospital to get a caesarean. He had an old midwife and she turned me around inside my mother’s body and I came out feet first and she said, ‘This child will be a dancer!’”
With that auspicious beginning, the event that unfolded, thanks to a devoted DTH team that included Artistic Director Virginia Johnson, Anna Glass, Lorraine Graves, Vernon Ross, Ed Schoewer, Jeanette Simmons and Carol Wiggins and to the help of many devoted friends and family, was magical, as though Mitchell had choreographed it. Memorable moments included the nervous cousin, unexpectantly standing in for family members stuck in traffic. Tearfully she thanked everyone for celebrating “Uncle Junior” who “loved Thanksgiving and made sure that there was enough ham and turkey,” and she shared how touched she was to “see the legacy he left.” The audience embraced her with a standing ovation.
His friend, the beautiful and brilliant actress Cicely Tyson, was welcomed with thunderous applause as she shared memories of her dear friend, as if talking to him directly. “Arthur Mitchell. Arthur Mitchell. Arthur Mitchell, it never occurred to me that this day would come. I can’t remember a day that you were not in my life.”
She shared the story of their first meeting years ago. “I don’t make it a habit of speaking to strangers, especially men,” she said with a smile. “And, you stopped me that evening after I was performing in a production of Vinnette Carroll’s ‘God’s Trombones,’ and I was on my way home. I was walking west on Eighth Street, and I saw this very perfect-bodied male walking toward me. I stepped to the side to get out of his way. He moved with me. I looked at him. He extended his hand and said, ‘My name is Arthur Mitchell. I’m a dancer.’ I said, ‘My name is Cecily Tyson,’ and I started to move on. He said, ‘I know who you are. I know what you do. I’ve been following you.’”
With this “surprise” encounter a lifelong friendship began.
Tyson continued, “He was one of the most sensitive, loving and, although he didn’t want people to know this, giving, human beings that I have ever had the opportunity to meet.”
She then told a story, peppered with sparkling humor and grounded by its historic significance, of how in the wee hours of a Manhattan morning, she, Mitchell and the actor Brock Peters sat on the floor Mitchell’s apartment and hashed out a plan he had been nursing for quite some time, saying, “And that is how the Dance Theatre of Harlem was formed.”
The night was filled with a treasure trove of memories. New York City Ballet former principals Kay Mazzo, Jacques d’Amboise and Edward Villella recalled their colleague’s “wonderful spirit” calling him “classical ballet’s Jackie Robinson.” Carmen de Lavallade spoke of the beautiful dancer she met in 1954 when with Alvin Ailey, her future husband Geoffrey Holder and a list that reads like a who’s who in African-American dance, appeared in the Broadway musical “House of Flowers.” Reginald Van Lee read letters of praise from presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer’s representative spoke of his tremendous importance to this city he loved so much.
What would a tribute to Mitchell be without exceptionally beautiful danced tributes? Those were provided by the exquisite Alicia Graf Mack, former DTH principal and current director of Julliard’s dance department, in Mitchell’s solo “Balm in Gilead.” Calvin Royal III, American Ballet Theater soloist and striking Mitchell look-alike, and NYCB’s Unity Phalen performed the “Agon Pas de Deux,” created on Mitchell by NYCB’s George Balanchine. Paunkia Jones and Christopher McDaniel, danced his duet “The Greatest.” Members of the DTH danced Robert Garland’s “Gloria,” first and third movements.
Delivering a passionate declaration of DTH’s significance, head of a major DTH funder, the Ford Foundation’s Darren Walker, recalled the unforgettable moment, as a young student at the University of Texas, he first got a glimpse of the brilliance and beauty of DTH, saying, “It was nothing short of magical to experience the Dance Theatre of Harlem on that warm Texas night.” Magic at the artistic direction of Mitchell.
Walker added, “That night I fell under the spell of Arthur Mitchell’s creative genius, a spell that continues to capture me to this day.”
It was an admiration inspired by Mitchell’s recognition and embodiment of “the deep connection between art and justice.”
Walker continued, “And, because he did so much justice through his art in a dance world that celebrated the bodies of European women and men, Mr. Mitchell’s presence on the stage as a world-renowned classically trained Black ballet dancer was unprecedented, and he knew it. But, he also knew the power of representation. He was well aware that he wouldn’t always be welcomed. Not everyone would be happy to see him occupy the roles that were traditionally reserved for white men. Nevertheless, he persisted. He danced in the face of racism and in dignity with courage and with graced. When others rendered Black bodies invisible, Mr. Mitchell made himself not only visible but visionary. You could not take your eyes off of him.”
Compelled by Dr. King’s assassination, the dance world’s lack of diversity and the dance world’s racism, “he used his performances to disrupt the status quo, and he used his privilege to create space for others to do the same.”
Walker noted that Mitchell continued as a strong, compassionate force off the stage, championing justice in the art world for the rest of his career. Telling how he witnessed Mitchell’s “strong compassionate force and his unwavering determination” firsthand while working on plans to bring his archives to Columbia University, he added that although sometimes “mercurial, temperamental, brilliant and even infuriating,” Mitchell was always committed to excellence.
Walker stated, “He was excellence personified, and now Arthur Mitchell has taken his rightful place alongside America’s other great freedom fighters in history’s hallowed halls in the theater of justice.”
DTH Artistic Director Johnson then told us that night and in a brief conversation a day later, Arthur Mitchell’s legacy lives on.
She said, “When Mr. Mitchell created DTH 50 years ago, his idea was to make people look at classical ballet in a new way and to bring something fresh and unique to who we are as a people. Part of that vision was to make sure that the stage was inclusive, representing what America is— a great mixture of people. That was a huge part of Mr. Mitchell’s vision that still needs to be reinforced. … I think we are at a turning point.”
She mentioned the company’s Equity Project, designed to make sure that African-Americans are included in ballet companies across the country.
“Also, when people think of this classical art form, they sometimes think of something in the past,” she said. “But, what I believe and, I think, Mr. Mitchell also believed, is that ‘classical’ is a way of being in the world, and it’s about a kind of beauty that is part of the human experience. It is our job right now to define classicism for the 21st century. That is what DTH is doing.”
While the glow of the Riverside Church tribute still fills the air and DTH’s 50th anniversary celebration is right around the corner, Johnson reassured us that Mitchell’s legacy lives on. She concluded, “As we move forward, we have to honor the past in order to create our future.”