Arthur Mitchell (dancer)

Arthur Mitchell
Arthur Mitchell in 1955 by Carl Van Vechten
Born	(1934-03-27)March 27, 1934 Harlem, New York City, U.S.
Died	September 19, 2018(2018-09-19) (aged 84) Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Education	High School of Performing Arts School of American Ballet
Occupations	Ballet dancer Choreographer Artistic Director
Organizations	New York City Ballet Dance Theatre of Harlem
Awards	Kennedy Center Honors MacArthur Fellow U.S. National Medal of Arts National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame Fletcher Foundation fellowship Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities (2001)

Arthur Mitchell (March 27, 1934 – September 19, 2018)^[1] was an American ballet dancer, choreographer, and founder and director of ballet companies. In 1955, he was the first African-American dancer with the New York City Ballet, where he was promoted to principal dancer the following year and danced in major roles until 1966. He then founded ballet companies in Spoleto, Washington, D.C., and Brazil. In 1969, he founded a training school and the first African-American classical ballet company, Dance Theatre of Harlem. Among other awards, Mitchell was recognized as a MacArthur Fellow, inducted into the National Museum of Dance's Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame, and received the United States National Medal of Arts and a Fletcher Foundation fellowship.