Dance Theatre of Harlem has occupied a distinguished position in the New York City cultural landscape and at the forefront of American artistic achievement for more than 55 years. Established in New York in 1969 out of the turmoil of the Civil Rights era and the tragic assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dance Theatre of Harlem began as a community school for the allied arts and continues as a strong economic and cultural anchor for Harlem. The founders were the late Karel Shook and Arthur Mitchell, the first African American to become a principal dancer with a major U.S. ballet company (New York City Ballet). The founding vision endures to this day – underpinned by a powerful message of self-reliance, artistic relevance, and individual responsibility through artistic training, performance and community engagement, Dance Theatre of Harlem has a passionate commitment to developing a pipeline for classical artists of color, creating access and opportunity and using the arts to transform the lives of all people.