On Twitter this week, a video called “Dancing Through Harlem” from the Dance Theatre of Harlem went viral. The uplifting video, first released in August, seemed to hit the right chord in the current moment, showing the performers dancing and leaping through Harlem’s landmarks. In the opening credits, a few locations come through in the montage like the Harriet Tubman sculpture, the Apollo Theater, and the Frederick Douglass Statue.
The “Dancing Through Harlem” video then opens with two dancers wearing masks inside the 145th Street subway station (A/B/C/D lines) choreographed to the music of J.S. Bach’s Violin Concerto in A Minor 3rd movement. It cuts to four female dancers in front of Shepard Hall at City College of New York, then to four male dancers at Riverbank State Park, and then to the full eight dancers at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building.
The video was first released as part of Harlem Week in August, which was virtual for this year. The Twitter account @balletarchive tweeted a clip on October 12th, and it has received over 7.6 million views so far. “Dancing Through Harlem” was produced by Derek Brockington and Alexandra Hutchinson, with choreography by Robert Garland and filmed by Heather Olcott and Joe Samala.
Michelle is the founder of Untapped New York and the author of The Art Spy (HarperOne, forthcoming) Secret Brooklyn, Secret New York Hidden Bars & Restaurants, and Broadway. michelleyoungwriter.com
