http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/64625817

Interviews with Arthur Mitchell and Tania León

Tracks 1 and 2 (ca. 31:30 min.). Arthur Mitchell speaks about his reasons for founding Dance Theatre of Harlem; the status of his dance career at the time; his reasons for founding a school (Dance Theatre of Harlem School) and a company; the school's early days, his recruiting of Karel Shook as a teacher, and his response to the skepticism he encountered in the black community; his reasons for incorporating various styles of dance in the school's curriculum and the company's repertory [gap followed by continuation of Mitchell's interview]; the role of the students and dancers in countering sterotypes; the reasons he makes himself and the dancers accessible to the public; the importance of self-esteem for the dancers; his view of his work at the school and the company as his calling; events such as open classes and street fairs that involve the community. [At ca. 17:30 min. into track 2, the Mitchell segment ends, and an interview of Tania León begins.] León speaks about her early training in music in Cuba; how she came to work with Dance Theatre of Harlem; her first impression of Mitchell; her career as a conductor, including its beginnings and her work at Dance Theatre of Harlem [ends abruptly].

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