When We Dance, The Son Also Rises: Black Men in Dance

JUNE 2, 2025

Our mission matters... to ignite the artistic freedom of performing artists of the Global Majority (85% of the global population) who dare to create new artistic works, new ideas, and a new world in which ALL people can flourish.

Due to persistent and longstanding inequitable systems and structures, artists and institutions of the Global Majority remain the underinvested communities of the 21st century and yet...

Harlem Stage is forged in a crucible of a creative fire whose flames and embers may waver, still — undeterred by overwhelming odds — we will continue to be a conduit for freedom, a lens to focus the issues of our time, and a light to illuminate any darkness.

Dr. Indira Etwaroo | CEO & Artistic Director | Harlem Stage

JUNE 2, 2025

Harlem Stage is proud to present an evening co-curated by Calvin Royal III and Ronald K. Alexander. This reflection by Black male artists in the field of dance looks back at what has been, celebrates the present, and imagines what lies ahead.

The evening includes a special tribute by Gay McDougall honoring the late Joanne Robinson-Hill, a former dancer, esteemed member of the arts education community, and champion of the arts.

There will be a cocktail reception following the discussion.

RONALD K. ALEXANDER Ronald K. Alexander is a distinguished dance educator, arts administrator, and artist. He has danced with prominent ballet companies, including The National Ballet of Canada in Toronto, the Frankfurt Ballet and Hamburg Ballet in Germany, and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet in New York City. As a choreographer, Ronald has created works for a variety of institutions, including the Hamburg Ballet, Clark Center for the Performing Arts, the Ailey School and the Ailey Extension, Harlem School of the Arts, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Warner Theatre in Torrington, CT, and RestorationART, among others. In recognition of his lifelong contributions to the arts, Ronald was honored with a Legacy Award by Morehouse College in 2024 at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Chapel. He has also dedicated many years to serving on the Bessie Awards Nominating Committee for Dance.

From 1994 to 2002, Mr. Alexander was a certified dance instructor with the New York City Department of Education. He has held numerous administrative and artistic roles, including Chairman of the Dance Department at the Harlem School of the Arts under the leadership of Betty Allen, School Supervisor at the Dance Theatre of Harlem School under Arthur Mitchell, Principal of Contemporary Arts, and Director of Education at the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation Youth Arts Academy under Dr. Indira Etwaroo. Mr. Alexander holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Dance from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, as well as a certificate in School Supervision and Administration from the City College of New York. He was featured in the 2011 Dance Teacher Magazine article “Five Teachers, Five Venues”. Most recently, he received the 2022 Dance Magazine Teacher of the Year Award and is currently a faculty member at the Ailey School in New York.

Mr. Alexander has dedicated his life to making dance accessible to communities across NYC and the world. He is now a proud member of the Harlem Stage Board of Directors.

CALVIN ROYAL III

Calvin Royal III, Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre, through sheer determination and artistic excellence has risen to the top of the ballet world. After starting ballet at age 14 in his freshman year at his local performing arts high school, he competed and gained recognition as a finalist at the Youth America Grand Prix, which led to a scholarship at ABT’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. Within two years, he was promoted to ABT II, and his subsequent growth earned him a position with ABT Main Company, nominations for the Clive Barnes Award and the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship.

In 2017, he was promoted to Soloist, and his performances in Swan Lake and Manon and other notable productions garnered glowing reviews. In 2019, Calvin made his acclaimed debut as Apollo in George Balanchine’s Apollo and in 2020, he made history as the third African-American Principal Dancer in ABT’s history. Calvin has performed worldwide, collaborating with renowned choreographers, named the Artist-in-Residence at the Vail Dance Festival in 2020/21 and in 2024, he curated and co-produced the Joyce Theater’s Ballet Festival program UNITE. His journey reflects resilience, mentorship, and the transformative power of dance. For more visit calvinroyaliii.com and follow Calvin on Instagram @calvinroyaliii

MATTHEW RUSHING

Matthew Rushing was born in Los Angeles, California. He was a scholarship student at The Ailey School and later became a member of Ailey II. During his career he has performed for Presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. During his time with the Company, he has choreographed four ballets: Acceptance In Surrender (2005), a collaboration with Hope Boykin and Abdur-Rahim Jackson; Uptown (2009), a tribute to the Harlem Renaissance; ODETTA (2014), a celebration of “the queen of American folk music”; and Testament (2020), a tribute to Alvin Ailey’s Revelations created in collaboration with Clifton Brown and Yusha-Marie Sorzano. His latest creation is Sacred Songs, a ballet choreographed to the songs that were omitted from the original version of Ailey’s masterpiece Revelations.

Mr. Rushing joined the Company in 1992, became Rehearsal Director 2010, and was appointed Associate Artistic Director in January 2020 and currently during the 65th anniversary season, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is being led by Interim Artistic Director Matthew Rushing.

DESMOND RICHARDSON An iconic American Dance Professional, Singer, Actor. SDC, AEA, SAG/Aftra member. A Broadway Tony Award Nominee, Founder and Co-Artistic Director Complexions Contemporary Ballet celebrating its 30th year anniversary, TedTalk Guest artist & speaker and So You Think You Can Dance, AMICI (Italy) Guest Choreographer. Richardson is a Presidential Scholar in the Arts and has graced the covers of various publications. He was the first African American Principal dancer of American Ballet Theater, a principal dancer with The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Frankfurt Ballet, and a featured guest performer nationally and internationally. He has received the Capezio, Rosey Roosevelt Thompson, Bessie, Dance Magazine awards and is a recent honorary Doctorate Recipient from the University of the Arts in North Carolina. Richardson’s character Ted appeared on the HBO Max hit series “The Other Two” Season 3.

IG: @desmondrich7 ROBERT GARLAND Mr. Garland is currently the Dance Theatre of Harlem Artistic Director.

Robert Garland was a member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem Company, achieving the rank of principal dancer. After creating a work for the DTH School Ensemble, Arthur Mitchell invited Robert Garland to create a work for The Dance Theatre of Harlem Company and appointed him the organization’s first Resident Choreographer. He was also Director of the Professional Training Program of the DTH school, and the organization’s webmaster.

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.

RONALD K. BROWN Ronald K. Brown is the Founder and Artistic Director of EVIDENCE, A Dance Company.

Raised in Brooklyn, NY, he founded EVIDENCE in 1985. He has worked with Mary Anthony Dance Theater, Jennifer Muller/The Works, as well as other choreographers and artists.

Brown has set works on Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Jennifer Muller/The Works, Jeune Ballet d’Afrique Noire, Ko-Thi Dance Company, Philadanco, Muntu Dance Theater of Chicago, Ballet Hispánico, TU Dance, and Malpaso Dance Company.

He has collaborated with such artists as composer/designer Omotayo Wunmi Olaiya, the late writer Craig G. Harris, director Ernie McClintock’s Jazz Actors Theater, choreographers Patricia Hoffbauer and Rokiya Kone, composers Robert Een, Oliver Lake, Bernadette Speech, David Simons, and Don Meissner, and musicians Jason Moran, Arturo O’Farrill and Meshell Ndegeocello.

Brown is the recipient of the 2020 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award. His other awards and recognitions include the AUDELCO Award for his choreography in Regina Taylor’s award-winning play Crowns, two Black Theater Alliance Awards, and a Fred & Adele Astaire Award for Outstanding Choreography in the Tony Award winning Broadway and national touring production of The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, adapted by Suzan Lori Parks, arranged by Diedre Murray, and directed by Diane Paulus.

Brown was named Def Dance Jam Workshop 2000 Mentor of the Year and has received a Doris Duke Artist Award, New York City Center Fellowship, Joyce Theater Artist Residency Center Fellowship, Scripps/ADF Award, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts Choreographers Fellowship, New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, United States Artists Fellowship, a New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award, Dance Magazine Award, and The Ailey Apex Award. Ronald K. Brown was a Creative Administration Research artist at NCCAkron and along with Arcell Cabuag is a 2024 Dance Teacher Magazine Awardee of Distinction recipient.

Brown is Co-Artistic Director of the Restoration Dance Youth Ensemble and a member of Stage Directors & Choreographers Society.

A Special Tribute to Joanne Robinson-Hill

by Gay McDougall JOANNE ROBINSON-HILL Joanne Robinson-Hill was a founding board member of the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable and a revered member of the arts education community. She began her career as a dancer, before serving as The Joyce Theater’s Director of Education from 1995-2014 and she enjoyed a long career as a dance consultant. She was involved in multiple arts education organizations locally and nationally, including Dance/USA, Portland State University, Oregon’s Regional Arts & Culture Commission, Nashville Institute for the Arts, and served on the Editorial Board of the Teaching Artist Journal. A true trailblazer and visionary, Joanne was a founding member of the Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education and described herself as a “lifelong teaching artist”.

GAY MCDOUGALL Gay McDougall has spent her life addressing international human rights and racial discrimination. She is currently a Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at the Leitner Center on International Law and Justice of Fordham University Law School. In August 2005, she was named the first United Nations Independent Expert on Minority Issues and was named a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow.

In the fall of 2025, Harlem Stage will launch Freedom Riders: A Journey With No End in Sight. Activating our North Star — Harlem is our home.

The world is our Stage. — this national tour will retrace the historic path of the Great Migration, honor the Freedom Riders of the Civil Rights Movement who risked their lives to challenge the status quo, and carry forward the voices of justice sparked by the Black Lives Matter Movement of 2020.

COMING FALL 2025

Land Acknowledgement The Harlem Stage Gatehouse sits on land that was stewarded by the Lenape Tribes and was violently overtaken, leading to the death and displacement of countless original inhabitants and stewards of this land. The colonial initiative of the United States of America not only invaded the land stewarded by Indigenous tribes, it also enslaved and exploited millions of Africans stolen from their land to build a free labor force under barbaric conditions that included the separation of families, brutal beatings, rape, and lynching. Harlem Stage seeks to partner with all communities, artists, and institutions of the Global Majority in the struggle for true equity and freedom.

Harlem Stage encourages all people to see this acknowledgment as a call to action to join our efforts and our mission to ignite the artistic freedom of performing artists of the Global Majority who are poised to build new artistic works, new ideas, and a new world in which ALL people can flourish.

Our Commitment to the Planet Harlem Stage’s values are rooted in ensuring a sustainable planet. Because we see climate change as one of the most pressing issues of our time—an issue that disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities across the globe—we will continue to honor environmental initiatives both in our operations and programming. Our efforts in using less paper, transitioning to LEDs in our tech and operational spaces, and leaning into digital communications, we have reduced our carbon footprint by 2.5 tons this 2024 – 2025 season alone. Finally, we are proud to work with artists, such as Bebe Miller, who will explore the dynamic and thriving ecology of forests, as necessary to a sustainable planet, as part of our Spring 2025 E-Moves Festival.

HARLEM STAGE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ronald K. Alexander JoAnn K. Chase Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes Dr. Indira Etwaroo Angela Glover Blackwell Alisha Johnson Wilder and Todd Wilder LaChanze Courtney F. Lee Mitchell – President Channing Martin Larry McRae Jamila Ponton Bragg Rebecca Robertson Mark Thomas – Vice President Tamara Tunie Heather Wagoner Blair Washington Michael Young – Secretary

HARLEM STAGE TEAM Dr. Indira Etwaroo, CEO & Artistic Director

CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM Deirdre May, Chief Marketing Officer Theodora Kuslan, Senior Director of Marketing Katie Burk, Graphic Designer Deniz Kofteci, Digital Media Manager Hollis King, Photography Nina Flowers, Public Relations Squire Media & Management, Public Relations Walker International Communications Group

PROGRAMMING & PRODUCTION TEAM Miriam Sierra, Director of Programming & Production Saúl Ulerio, Technical Director Bethany Cintron, Community, Education, & Social Initiatives Manager Devin Cameron, Light & Projections Designer Denzel Fields, Programming & Administrative Associate Zenzele Daniels, Institutional Volunteer DEVELOPMENT TEAM Karlvy Smith, Director of Institutional Development Julianna Friedman, Associate Director of Institutional Development Danielle Reydon, Development Consultant Margaret Hunt, Development Consultant Dwight Johnson Design, Gala Consultant

OPERATIONS & FINANCE TEAM Jelani Buckner, Innovations Business Management Director Martha Samuel, Director of Finance Acey Anderson, Facilities & Maintenance Manager Lamont Askins, Operations Manager Jordan Morales, Facilities & Maintenance Associate Das, IT Lutz & Carr/Chris Bellando, Accountants Aon/Albert G. Ruben Company (NY)/Claudia Kaufman, Insurance G&A Partners, Human Resources Madison Consulting Group, Matt Lawrence Ncheng, LLP

HARLEM STAGE FAMILY OF SUPPORTERS Endowment

The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation The Leonard and Sophie Davis Fund Rockefeller Brothers Fund

Public Support

New York State Council on the Arts—Chair, Katherine Nicholls The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs— Mayor Eric Adams and Commissioner Laurie Cumbo The New York City Council—Councilmember Shaun Abreu and Councilmember Yusef Salaam Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone

Foundations

Altman Foundation Black Theatre United Bloomberg Philanthropies Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Columbia Community Service Doris Duke Foundation The Diana King Memorial Fund Presented by the Charles and Lucille King Family The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation Francena T. Harrison Foundation Trust Ford Foundation The Hearst Foundations Howard Gilman Foundation The Hyde and Watson Foundation The Jerome Foundation Jewish Communal Fund Joseph and Joan Cullman Foundation for the Arts Foundation Lambent Foundation/Tides Foundation The Leonard and Robert Weintraub Family Foundation The Leonard and Sophie Davis Fund Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, Inc. Lucille Lortel Foundation

(Foundations continued)

MacMillan Family Foundation Mertz Gilmore Foundation Metzger-Price Fund Miranda Family Fund The Pierre and Tana Matisse Charitable Foundation Pilot House Rockefeller Brothers Fund Ruth Foundation for the Arts The Scherman Foundation, Inc. SHS Foundation The Shubert Foundation Stavros Niarchos Foundation Theatre Development Fund The Thompson Family Foundation

Corporations

Apple JoAnn Chase Company Consolidated Edison Company The Interpublic Group of Companies Manhattan Beer Distributors SESAC West Harlem Development Corporation William Morris Endeavor Ziffren Brittenham LLP

INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT Randy Adams Ashley Adjaye Ronald Alexander* Lisa Arrindell Stephany and Simon Bergson Angela Glover Blackwell* Randy Bryant Richard Buery Giselle Byrd Gayle Capozzalo Geoffrey Canada JoAnn Chase* Christine Choi Robyn Coles Vicky Corman Hugh Dancy* and Claire Danes* Sally and John Draper Indira Etwaroo, PhD* Susan Frost Lisa Garcia Stuart and Karen Gelwarg Thelma Golden Jessica Golden and Scott Lippstreu Laura Greer Agnes Gund Monique Hanson

Drew Hawkins Kinshasha Holman Conwill Russell Hornsby Margaret Hunt Lisa Jackson Justice Debra James Dwight Johnson Terria Joseph John Josephson and Carolina Zapf Jenette Kahn Michael Kenny Steven Kirkpatrick Brad Learmonth and Jon Gilman Courtney F. Lee-Mitchell* Kenny Leon Channing Martin* Frank H. McCourt, Jr. Gay McDougall Lawrence McRae* Sherman and Chris Meloni Lynn Nottage Noreen O’Loughlin Stan Ponte Terri Prettyman Bowles Toby Rappaport

Rick Rosen Calvin Royal III and Jacek Mysinksi Mary Schmidt Campbell Elizabeth Smith and Richard Cotton Shadawn Smith Mark Thomas* Tamara Tunie* Erwin Underwood Courtney B. Vance Reginald Van Lee Laura Walker and Bert Wells Donna Walker Kuhne Blair Washington* Carrie Mae Weems Alisha Johnson Wilder*and Todd Wilder* Greg Williamson Carol Wood Moore Michael Young* Alfred and Patricia Zollar

LaTanya Richardson Jackson

Rebecca Robertson*

*Board Members The above list reflects gifts received between July 1, 2024 and May 29, 2025. Donations under $1,000 are greatly appreciated but not acknowledged publicly. If your name has been omitted or misprinted, please accept our apologies and contact Associate Director of Institutional Development, Julianna Friedman at jfriedman@harlemstage.org

VENDORS Aon/Albert G. Ruben Company (NY)/Claudia Kaufman, Insurance Das, IT Consultant Dwight Johnson Design, Gala G&A Partners, Human Resources Lutz & Carr/Chris Bellando, Accountants Madison Consulting Group, Matt Lawrence Manchester Benefits, Greg Martin Marc Millman, Photography Ncheng, LLP Squire Media and Management for Public Relations

MAJOR GIFTS Altman Foundation Bloomberg Philanthropies Ford Foundation The Hearst Foundations Howard Gilman Foundation Jewish Communal Fund The Diana King Memorial Fund Presented by the Charles and Lucille King Family Foundation Lambent Foundation/Tides Foundation Mellon Foundation The Pierre and Tana Matisse Charitable Foundation Pilot House The Thompson Family Foundation The Leonard and Robert Weintraub Family Foundation

The above list reflects gifts of $100,000 and above. Donations under $99,999 are greatly appreciated but not classified as a Major Gift at Harlem Stage. If your name has been omitted or misprinted, please accept our apologies and contact, Associate Director of Institutional Development, Julianna Friedman at jfriedman@harlemstage.org

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