Legendary Ballet Dancer And Co-Founder Of Dance Theater Of Harlem, Arthur Mitchell Dies At 84

Pioneering US Ballet Dancer And Co-Founder Of Dance Theater Of Harlem, Arthur Mitchell Dies At 84

• Legendary ballet dancer Arthur Mitchell died.
• The co-founder of Dance Theater of Harlem pa s sed away due to the heart failure on Wednesday, 19th September in Manhattan.
• The dance theater announced Mitchell's death in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
• Mitchell was one of the prominent dancers of New York City Ballet where he danced for over a decade.

The pioneering ballet dancer Arthur Mitchell has died. The charismatic New York City Ballet dancer and the co-founder of Dance Theater of Harlem, Mitchell died at 84 on Wednesday, 19th September in Manhattan.

Mitchell, the first African-American ballet dancer to gain international stardom, was the prominent dancer with the New York City Ballet, where he danced for 12 years from 1956 to 1968.

The Dance Theater of Harlem announced the death of the legendary dancer through a Facebook post where they said:

It's with the deepest sadness we share the news that our founding artistic director, the great, Arthur Mitchell has pa s sed away. His legacy of pa s sion, power, and perfection will live on through each and every person he's touched in his lifetime. We love you and we honor you, Mr. Mitchell!

Juli Mills-Ross, Mitchell's niece said that he pa s sed away due to heart failure. Anna Gla s s, current director of the Dance Theater of Harlem called Mitchell as a true visionary.

Shortly after Mitchell's death was announced, the theater took to their official Twitter to tribute its co-founder where they mentioned: "his legacy would live on."

It’s with the deepest sadness we share the news that our founding artistic director, the great, Arthur Mitchell has pa s sed away. His legacy of pa s sion, power, and perfection will live on through each and every person he’s touched in his lifetime. We love you and we honor you! pic.twitter.com/eGnOntPXRz

— DanceTheatreofHarlem (@DTHballet) September 19, 2018

Born on March 27, 1934, Mitchell was the second among six children of his parents. He auditioned for the High School of Performing Arts, which later earned him a scholarship to the School of American Ballet.

In School of American Ballet, Arthur caught the attention of George Balanchine, the father of American ballet who later invited him to City Ballet and Arthur joined the group in 1955.

Earlier this year, Mitchell was honored in an exhibition at New York's Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery, Arthur Mitchell: Harlem's Ballet Trailblazer.