90- Robert Garland: Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Legacy, Juilliard, and Building Audiences & Careers

Interview Date: March 23rd, 2025

Episode Summary:

This episode spotlights Robert Garland, Artistic Director of Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH)—former principal dancer, DTH’s first resident choreographer, and a Juilliard BFA graduate. Beyond the concert stage, Garland’s work spans New York City Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Oakland Ballet, and commercial projects from Sesame Street to Nike and the NAACP Image Awards.Garland traces DTH’s roots to Arthur Mitchell’s 1969 vision and explains how Mitchell’s lecture-demonstration model built audiences and access.

He folds in a vivid business/history lesson on George Balanchine—from the Ballets Russes and Coco Chanel’s short ballet skirt to the Harlem Renaissance’s jazz influence that helped shape neoclassicism and, crucially, how smart repertoire and audience-building choices drove growth. On the business side, Garland stresses that relationships power opportunities and fundraising—“contacts become contracts”—and lifts the curtain on the theater’s “cottage industry” (development, marketing, production, stage management).

For dancers, he offers pragmatic guidance: cultivate musicianship and form, be multifaceted (social, lighting, admin), and understand cycles of work—pace your week so you peak for shows. He unpacks today’s video-first auditions, urging care with presentation, while affirming many legitimate pathways (college, company route, or self-directed study).

Show notes:

• (0:00) – Robert Garland introduction & career highlights
• (09:41) – Dance Theatre of Harlem origin & mission
• (14:55) – Juilliard audition story and scholarship journey
• (16:56) – Balanchine, Coco Chanel, and neoclassicism explained
• (25:51) – “Contacts = Contracts”: relationships fuel opportunities
• (33:16) – Careers beyond stage: marketing, production, education
• (38:27) – Arts education builds empathy and compassion
• (42:34) – Audition process and rise of video submissions
• (51:41) – Transition into commercial/TV work with hip-hop artists
• (1:12:11) – From dancer to choreographer to creative leadership

Biography:

Artistic Director Robert Garland was a member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem Company from 1985-1998, achieving the rank of principal dancer. After creating a work for the DTH School Ensemble, Arthur Mitchell invited Mr. Garland to create a work for The Dance Theatre of Harlem Company and appointed him the organization’s first Resident Choreographer. Before becoming DTH Artistic Director, he was Director of the Dance Theatre of Harlem school. In 2023, Mr. Garland was appointed the Artistic Director of Dance Theatre of Harlem. His works for the company include Higher Ground, New Bach, Return, Nyman String Quartet No. 2, and The Cookout among others, many are in his signature postmodern-urban-neo-classical style.  

In addition to choreographing several ballets for DTH, Mr. Garland has also created works for New York City Ballet, Britain's Royal Ballet, Oakland Ballet and many others.  His commercial work has included music videos, commercials and short films, including the children’s television show “Sesame Street”, a Nike commercial featuring New York Yankee Derek Jeter, the NAACP Image Awards, a short film for designer Donna Karan, and the “Charmin Cha-Cha” for Proctor and Gamble. Mr. Garland holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Juilliard School in New York City.

Connect on Social Media:

Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/robertgarland

Website - dancetheatreofharlem.org