Hop@Home: DTH Virtual Ballet
Dance Theatre of Harlem

Virtual Ballet: Dougla

by choreographer Geoffrey Holder
July 25, 2020

This event occurred as part of the 20/21 Hop Hosted season. This is an archived view.

Watch the online premiere of Dance Theatre of Harlem's "Dougla."

20/21 Hop Hosted

Dance Theatre of Harlem's Fifty Forward, the second year of its 2-year, 50th Anniversary Celebration, was cut short by Covid-19. Dance Theatre of Harlem adapted to the moment with its DTH On Demand Virtual Ballet Series. The Company offers digital selections of complete ballets from their archive along with companion activities that provide insight and engagement for viewers. 

The Hop is excited to promote DTH's upcoming broadcast of its full length ballet Dougla, originally choreographed by the late Geoffrey Holder, who also designed the costumes for the piece. "Dougla" is the term in Trinidad, Holder's birthplace, for people of mixed South Asian and African descent. The work is a kaleidoscope of costume, color and choreography that depicts the wedding ritual of a Dougla couple in which one partner is of African and the other is of Indian descent. The piece was originally choreographed in 1974 and was revived in 2016 by Holder's widow and legendary dancer, Carmen de Lavallade, and their son, Leo Holder, with a shimmering, percussive score by Tania León. The performance will be streamed on DTH's YouTube channel and will be available to view until 11:59pm ET on the Sunday of the following week.

Watch on YouTube

Before the show, head over to DTH's Instagram Live for "What's the Step?" on Friday, July 24th at 3 pm ET. Learn a section of Dougla from a DTH company member and get an inside look at some of the piece's movement motifs. 

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