Trailblazing dance icon Arthur Mitchell died this week at 84. WAMC’s Josh Landes reports his legacy is being celebrated in the Berkshires.
Norton Owen is Director of Preservation at Jacob’s Pillow, the modern dance center in Becket, Massachusetts. He says Mitchell — one of the world’s first black ballet dancers — first came to Jacob’s Pillow as a teenage company member. But his major historical moment with the center came when he brought his groundbreaking black classical ballet company to the Berkshires in 1970.
“When he founded Dance Theater of Harlem, Jacob’s Pillow was the place where he first brought the company to be seen by the public,” Owen told WAMC. He says he’ll be exploring the Jacob’s Pillow archives to contribute to a celebration of Mitchell’s life.