Arts Desk

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

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NEW YORK SUN CONTRIBUTOR

NEW DIRECTIONS FOR DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM The future is looking brighter for Dance Theatre of Harlem. Founder and artistic director Arthur Mitchell announced yesterday that the company will reopen its dance school this Saturday, following a six-week closure. In a press conference with Mayor Bloomberg, Mr. Mitchell also announced the results of a major fundraising effort, the appointment of six new board members, and the company’s new executive director, Laveen Naidu.


DTH has been plagued with financial troubles and in September suspended the operation of its professional troupe, laying off all of its 44 classically trained ballet dancers. The closure of the school – which occurred after the company lost its insurance policy on its building – occurred shortly thereafter.


The administrative changes are part of a plan created by prominent arts consultant and president of the Kennedy Center, Michael Kaiser, who Mr. Bloomberg described as “the Mr. Fix It of the nonprofit world.” Mr. Kaiser has been working on a pro-bono basis with the company.


With the leadership of Mr. Kaiser and the help of various state and local government officials, the company has managed to raise $1.6 million. Major private donors – including the Irene Diamond Fund, Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Foundation, Altria Group, and an anonymous donor of $500,000 – were responsible for $1.18 million. Previously allocated funds from the City of New York, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the New York State Ways and Means Committee accounted for the rest of the $1.6 million.


In addition to the influx of cash, the company has re-energized its board with new and returning members. The six incoming board members are: the Reverend Calvin O. Butts III of the Abyssinian Baptist Church; a vice president of the Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Foundation (and former DTH board member), Nancy Aronson; former chairman of the DTH board, Alison Sherman; Edith Everett, whose late husband had made a major gift to the company; Elizabeth Brooks, who books the company in Detroit; and Sylvia Lindsey, a patron.


Mr. Naidu is a company veteran who joined DTH in 1991 as a dancer. In 1996, he took a leadership role as school ensemble coordinator and became the director of the DTH school, as well as the outreach program Dancing Through Barriers. As a Master Teacher and choreographer, he is a senior member of the company’s artistic staff.

NY Sun
NEW YORK SUN CONTRIBUTOR

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.


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