BLACK DANCERS

The art of dance has long remained an integral component of Black culture and expression. Black dancers throughout history have often served as innovators to a growing list of new styles and forms of dance that are later adopted and popularized around the world, from tap and stepping to swing and break-dancing, and dozens more in between.

Black dancers were a primary catalyst to the Harlem Renaissance that spanned the 1920s and 30s, the effects of which still reverberate today. Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake’s 1921 smash hit Shuffle Along, the first Black Broadway show, helped legitimize Black dancers and theatre to a broader audience. It also paved the way for heralded dancers and choreographers like Bill Robinson, Josephine Baker, and Alvin Ailey to completely change the world of dance while showcasing the innovation, skills, and creativity of Black artists despite living in the face of persistent oppression.

Today, Harlem Stage honors the legacy and spirit of the Harlem Renaissance by hosting several dance productions each year, along with E-Moves, our signature dance series, for over two decades. Our space will always continue to showcase and platform a diverse lineup of emerging and established Black dancers who influence and shape the world with their art of movement and storytelling.

Founded just before the turn of the century, E-Moves, Harlem Stage's signature dance series, has provided a platform for exceptional choreographers, artists, musicians, and dancers of color for over 20 years.

Aside from its long history of showcasing established, evolving, and emerging Black dancers, E-Moves has commissioned and nurtured their talents across the spectrum of contemporary dance idioms. The series has played an integral role in creating new works and innovations as artists of color perform their rhythmic visions and draw audiences into a grand celebration combining movement and profound messages.

The long list of past performers of E-Moves includes Bill T. Jones, Kyle Abraham, Stefanie Batten Bland, Du'Bois A'Keen, Jason Samuels Smith, Brinae Ali, Dormeshia, Leslie Cuyjet, Nia Love, Marjani Fortè-Saunders, and Sydnie L. Mosley.

A native of Englewood, California, Dormsehia is a tap dancer, choreographer, and instructor who has been performing since the age of three. By the time she was eight, she had performed at the renowned Tip Tap Festival in Rome and made her Broadway debut in Black and Blue alongside Gregory Hines, Jimmy Slyde, Buster Brown, and Savion Glover while still just twelve years old. Dormeshia parlayed her early success into well-deserved and enduring international acclaim, appearing in award-winning productions, Broadway musicals, music videos, and numerous tours while also serving as Michael Jackson’s tap dance coach over the course of eleven years. 

Dormeshia’s personal accolades include a BESSIE Award for Outstanding Performance in 2012 for her work in Jason Samuels Smith's Chasing The Bird, a Fred and Adele Astaire Award for Superb Performance for her role in After Midnight in 2011, and the Princess Grace Statue Award in 2017. She has also been featured on the cover of Dance Magazine, appeared in 1989’s Tap starring Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr., and played the role of Pickaninny Topsy in Spike Lee’s 2000 film, Bamboozled. 

Today, she continues to perform and evolve her dancing while also running a studio in Harlem with her husband, dancer Omar Edwards.

Watch as Dormeshia performs to an eager crowd at Stockholm Tap Festival 2013.

In the spring of 2014, Harlem Stage E-Moves presented Christopher Rudd's A Bird in the Hand, a dance piece that serves as an investigation into the Down Low, aka DL, lifestyle, and how hiding oneself impacts the people closest to you.

Harlem Stage continues to host an array of diverse performances from Black Musicians. Stay up to date on upcoming live and digital performances by subscribing to our weekly newsletter.

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