Dance Theatre of Harlem
Firebird
Reservations for Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Firebird are currently unavailable. Please check back on Monday, June 22, 2026. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Dance Theatre of Harlem and Washington Performing Arts present
Firebird
Dallas Morse Coors Legacy Performance
Choreography by John Taras
Music by Igor Stravinsky (1945 version)
Original Costume & Set Design by Geoffrey Holder
Original Costume Execution by Grace Costumes, Inc.
Costume Recreation Executed and Supervised by Katy A. Freeman, Leo Holder, and Vernon Ross
Costume Execution for Firebird and the Princess of Unreal Beauty by John Kristiansen
Lighting Design by Clifton Taylor
Friday, September 25, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 26, 2026, 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
The National Theatre
Let Your Spirit Take Flight! Experience the power and passion of Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) as the company returns to Washington Performing Arts with the bold revival of Firebird, the company’s iconic take on the classic tale of love and transformation. This DTH signature work, which premiered in Paris, is a feast for the senses, as the Russian folk tale is reimagined in a luscious Caribbean setting featuring John Taras’s choreography and Stravinsky’s iconic score. First conceived in 1982 by Taras, the production comes to life through the inimitable Geoffrey Holder’s stunning sets and costumes, and is accompanied by music recorded by the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mark A. Norman. This exclusive D.C. engagement by Washington Performing Arts and Dance Theatre of Harlem is the latest in a 50-year history of collaboration first established in 1973.
The program also includes other dynamic works to be announced.
Group Reservations (10 or more seats) are available for Firebird by calling the Patron Services office at (202) 785-9727.
Dallas Morse Coors Legacy Performance
In remembering Dallas Morse Coors, we celebrate a visionary who understood that supporting the arts is supporting the human spirit and connection. The Firebird run is the third-annual Dallas Morse Coors Legacy Performance.
Our Partners
Washington Performing Arts’s 60th anniversary year is generously sponsored by Dr. Gary Mather † and Ms. Christina Co Mather.
Visionary support for Firebird provided by Jody and John Arnhold and the Virginia Arts Festival, with major support from the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts as part of a multi-year partnership between Dance Theatre of Harlem and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
The recording of Stravinsky’s “Firebird Ballet Suite” was performed by the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mark A. Norman, and released on UNCSA Media.
This performance is sponsored in part by:
Host Committee: Dr. Gary Mather † and Ms. Christina Co Mather; Mr. Jeff Bauman and Mrs. Linda Fienberg; Ms. Deidra Jackson; Mrs. Dina Lassow; Dr. Steve Piper and Mrs. Diane Piper; Ms. Denise Rollins; Ms. Fera Simone; Mrs. Ami Scott and Mr. Lucius Outlaw; Dr. Wesley Thomas; Ms. Jessica and Mr. Alexander Yergin.
Corporate and Foundations Sponsors: Events DC; Dallas Morse Coors Legacy Endowment at Washington Performing Arts.
Host Committee Ambassadors: Mr. Eric E. Richardson; Ms. Sybongile Cook; Mr. Andre O. Lewis.
† deceased
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