Co-founders Arthur Mitchell, Karel Shook and Dance Theatre of Harlem dancers

“At the time, I had been working in Europe for nine years and was beginning to be restless and discontent in many ways. I felt that my work, however successful artistically, was lacking in deeper meanings. It was without the social and spiritual significance for which I was yearning. I had been toying with the idea of returning to the States and had received many excellent offers, but they were of a nature too commercial to suit what I was looking for. Now, something was telling me that I had to return, but how, and to what?
A few days later, just before dawn, my phone rang – it was Arthur. I had been one of his first ballet teachers, had convinced him that he would have a notable career as a classical dancer, and had been one of his mentors over the years. He told me of his plans for a new school and asked me to help him. I accepted at once, resigned my post with Net Nationale Ballet and prepared to return to New York City. I said goodbye to the nightingale who serenaded me nightly from among the roses in my garden and arrived in New York City on a steaming August 1, filled with a sense of rejuvenation and the exhilarating promise of a pioneering future.”

Karel Shook from “The First Ten Years”