The Dance Theatre of Harlem

Meet a legend, the Artistic Director Robert Garland. The highly anticipated return of Firebird, one of their most beloved works that has not been performed for more than 20 years. November 15 and 16 at the Detroit Opera House. Learn about the dance theatre of Harlem and more.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the bush Man Show. And I got a
very special guest in the studio today. His name, let
me tell you, Robert Garland. He's the artistic director with
the big show, the Dance Theater of Harlem that's coming
to the Detroit Opera House November fifteenth and sixteenth, and
tickets are available at Detroit Opera dot org. Good afternoon,

(00:24):
how are you doing, sir.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
I'm blessed in highly favored, as they say in the
Black Church.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
That's what I always tell everybody, that I'm blessed and
highly favored. Even when I'm not even feeling blessed, I
tell them I'm blessed in highly favored, because I'm trying
to speak it into.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Existence, you know what I mean?

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Yeah, yes, yes, So tell us about this weekend and
what people can expect.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
Well, you know, I'll give a little history first. That's fine,
You give us a little history.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
Take us back.

Speaker 2 (00:50):
Harlem was founded in nineteen sixty nine by man named
Arthur Mitchell, who's the first black male principal dance of
a major ballet company. And the reason that it's significant
is because at the time, in the forties and fifties,
it was believed that black people could not excelt the
classical art forms, and Arthur metrollthuisart from a dance and
specifically ballets, started to prove them wrong. He became a big,

(01:11):
big star with a great company called New York City Ballet,
and after hearing about the assassination of Doctor King in
ninety sixty ninety, turned around, got together with his Francisclee
Tyson and created this entity that we'll be performing at
the Opera House fifty seven years ago. He made that choice. So, yeah,
it was really an amazing moment for the post civil

(01:32):
rights black arts movement. Actually, so that's amazing. Yeah, yeah,
So this weekend we will have two performances the same
program with different casts. The program opened to one of
my ballets that I qureographed, Niemen String Quartet number two,

(01:53):
in which I combine both classical ballet and urban dance
moves to create something new and different. And then we
have a contemporary peace called Passage of Being a quir
by a great female choreographer, because you know, we can
give them their shine as well. But the big, big,
big big thing is the Firebird. Our Firebird will be

(02:15):
getting its first performances before it gets its official premiere
in Paris in February of next year, and so we
decided to come to Detroit because we said, you know what,
let's give Detroit first. Arthur Mitchell always loved Detroit. I've
been coming here since I was I was an apprentice
and then a leading dancer with the company. I remember

(02:37):
when the People Mover was created. I go back then,
you know, and and and so it's wonderful being here
and the d again.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
Destois, did you go, you know, taking this to Paris,
It's going to be a beautiful thing, as I love
to sip on my AUV. So don't forget. You can
get your tickets now. Don't beat around a bush. You
know how we are. We about our art, We're about
our culture, We're about that life. We're about it all.

(03:08):
Detroit Opera dot Org. Get your tickets now. Now, what
should people expect from this show?

Speaker 2 (03:17):
You know, even in the day and time, you know,
people really see not many black ballet dancers on one
stage at one time. You'll go to a predominantly white
ballet institution performance in New York City or anywhere else
and see one, maybe two. We have forty four, you know,

(03:41):
and they are just the most wonderful group of dancers
that I've just ever worked with in my time being
a dance seit of Harlem, and so that's what can
be expected, and also the idea that you get to
see a little bit of your own possibilities, I think
as a young person. On the Friday, we will be

(04:04):
having a lecture demonstration, which is basically a performance for
young people who will be attending. In fact, shout out
to Jerry. We're staying at the Hilton Garden and of
Graciat and Miss Jerry's been there forever and her granddaughter
will be attending. I was like, Okay, I'll shout out
to your granddaughter for the lecture demonstration. But I also

(04:26):
have a high interesting young people, so that's very important
to me. I will also be doing summer intensive auditions.
I will have a Summer Intensive audition at Marygrove College
on Wednesday, and I'm crossing my fingers I'll be out
at Eisenhower Dance Theater on Saturday and at the Detroit
Opera House on Saturday as well. So if they go

(04:48):
to the website for the Opera House, they will get
all that information. So we're doing a little bit of everything,
little recruitment, little performing.

Speaker 1 (04:57):
No, no, you're doing a lot, a whole lot. Yeah, yeah,
but I appreciate you giving the opportunity to the kids
in the city and people here in the city who
might have been might be studying, you know, yeah, and
this gives them a chance and an opportunity to be
a part of something and maybe get discovered.

Speaker 2 (05:18):
Absolutely. You know, I was part of a group of
dancers when I was answering with Arthur Mitchell, when he
was still with us, when we were invited to go
to dance in Johannesburg upon the free when they freed
Nelson Mandela, and so upon going there, Nelson Mandela saw
all the activities. Arthur Mitchell said, we will not come

(05:39):
and perform unless we do outreach and community to all
the townships, which we did, and Nelson Mandela said, you know,
and all the political wrangling that goes on, sometimes we
forget that we have children. And Mindela said, I remember
that the children are watching. The children are watching, and
so that's a very important sentiment that I haven't forgotten,

(06:02):
and carry it with me to this stay here to Detroit.

Speaker 1 (06:05):
Now, I want to ask you something that's kind of
like totally not about the show. That's okay, it's fine,
this stuff, this is just real talk stuff. Is the
whole cast here yet?

Speaker 2 (06:23):
The whole cast?

Speaker 1 (06:24):
Well, because I'm asking this because of all the craziness
with flights and delays and cancelations. I wanted to see
if they were here yet, because I want to give
a shout out to TSA for what they are doing
and right now.

Speaker 2 (06:40):
Folks look like us.

Speaker 1 (06:42):
Yeah, yeah, for what they're doing right now. I mean
they're working and not getting paid. I just want to
get them a shout out and tell them thank you.

Speaker 2 (06:50):
Thank you, exactly exactly. You know. It's another one of
those moments like during the pandemic when we realize that, wow,
there are people called the central workers, you know, and
they're saving our lives right now, you know, true, true fact.
I had a FEMA card during the pandemic because technically
I'm an essential worker because I give you information, you know,

(07:16):
I can tell you what's going on, keep you up
to date to what's going on. So if the city
totally shut down and no one could leave their homes,
I could because I'm an essential worker. Wow, that is amazing,
But it makes perfect sense. Perfect sense because communication, you know,
communication is critical, you know at times like this.

Speaker 1 (07:38):
But I just so, I just wanted to take a
time to say thank you to TSA for making sure
you guys get here so that you can do this
performance and entertain the city, you know, while we're going
through this through to this moment, this moment, Yeah, exactly,
because I think it's needed.

Speaker 2 (07:57):
You know.

Speaker 1 (08:00):
Well, I appreciate you taking time this afternoon to come
talk to us. I know that you just got in.
I'm amazed at that you're more awake than I am.
Cause sometimes I'll be in here like am I awake
or I'm not. I gotta pitch myself to see but
I know I come off like I am. The Dance

(08:22):
Theater of Harlem is going to be here this weekend,
November fifteenth and sixteenth at the Detroit Opera House. Please
do not miss it. Tickets are on sale now at
the Opera House box office and online at Detroitopera dot org.
And thank you again for coming by. I appreciate you
so much.

Speaker 2 (08:40):
Thank you