Harlem's Legendary Ballet Dancer

Arthur Mitchell is the pioneering African-American ballet dancer who grew up in poverty in New York City, then danced his way onto the most prestigious stages in the world. After the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968, he returned to his roots to found the Dance Theatre of Harlem and train a new generation of black dancers.

Image: Arthur Mitchell at the White House in 2006 with some of his dancers from the Dance Theatre of Harlem
Credit: Ron Sachs-POOL/Getty Images