Dance Theatre of Harlem Galvanizes Arts Community with Inaugural Artistic Council

Derrick Adams, Sanford Biggers, Virginia Johnson, Fatima Robinson, Marcus Samuelsson, and Mickalene Thomas named to founding cohort

NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) today announced its first-ever Artistic Council, a brain trust of artists assembled to sharpen the company's vision and champion its work across culture. The founding cohort spans dance, visual art, and the culinary world: Derrick Adams, Sanford Biggers, Virginia Johnson, Fatima Robinson, Marcus Samuelsson, and Mickalene Thomas, continuing a legacy of thought partners that includes Cicely Tyson, Jessye Norman, and Ben Vereen.

The announcement comes as DTH heads to Martha's Vineyard for a private gathering, where Mickalene Thomas will join Artistic Director Robert Garland for a live conversation, moderated by Board Member Leslie Wims Morris. The news follows Fatima Robinson's Arthur Mitchell Vision Award at DTH's annual gala this past April, a fitting precursor to a Council built on artists building bridges across disciplines.

"This Council is exactly why we did this work, to keep the dialogue between disciplines alive and active, not just symbolic." — Robert Garland, Artistic Director, Dance Theatre of Harlem

The Artistic Council is a creative sounding board, lending expertise to shape DTH's programming and deepen its ties to the artistic community.

Meet the Inaugural Artistic Council:

Virginia Johnson helped build DTH from its 1969 founding, later returning as Artistic Director. She is a Dance Magazine Award and Bessie Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

Derrick Adams is a Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist held in the collections of The Met, the Whitney, and the Studio Museum in Harlem.

Marcus Samuelsson is the James Beard Award-winning chef behind Harlem's Red Rooster, and the youngest chef ever awarded three stars by The New York Times.

Fatima Robinson, recently Director of Choreography for Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour, was hailed by The New York Times as "the most elevated hip-hop and R&B choreographer working today."

Sanford Biggers is a multidisciplinary artist held in the permanent collections of MoMA and the Guggenheim, and a GRAMMY winner for his work on Meshell Ndegeocello's The Omnichord Real Book.

Mickalene Thomas, celebrated for her rhinestone-adorned portraits reimagining Black women in contemporary art, was named to TIME100's Most Influential People in 2025 and became the first African-American artist honored with a major solo show at the Grand Palais in Paris. She is Honorary Co-Chair of Dance Theatre of Harlem.

ABOUT DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM: Dance Theatre of Harlem is a leading dance institution of global acclaim, encompassing a world class company, a studio school, the arts education program Dancing Through Barriers®, and community engagement activities. Founded in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook, DTH was considered "one of ballet's most exciting undertakings" (The New York Times, 1971).

Follow Dance Theatre of Harlem: @DanceTheatreOfHarlem on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Dance Theatre of Harlem Press Contact: Cassandre Souvenir, [email protected], 646-460-3831

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SOURCE Dance Theatre of Harlem