Christopher McDaniel, Dancing a Legacy

A celebrated performer, educator and arts leader, Christopher Charles McDaniel, who was born in 1992 in East Harlem, New York, fell in love with ballet at age seven and has never looked back. Indeed, recently named artistic director of Dances Patrelle, McDaniel has reached both a professional milestone and a personal homecoming, having danced as a teenager at Ballet Academy East, where he first studied with the late Francis Patrelle (1947-2026), who founded the troupe in 1988.

Christopher McDaniel with student at the School of American Ballet. Photograph by Rosalie O'Connor

But it was a 1999 school field trip that introduced McDaniel to Dance Theatre of Harlem. And, as if pre-destined, three years later, the young African American began his ballet training at the DTH Harlem School, where he worked closely with DTH founder and School of American Ballet/New York City Ballet alumnus Arthur Mitchell, before going on to study dance at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, Boston Ballet, and the above-mentioned Ballet Academy East.

After graduating from high school, McDaniel became a member of Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble and toured for two seasons before moving to Los Angeles where he joined Los Angeles Ballet. A member of that company for five years, McDaniel performed featured roles in an array of contemporary classical and neoclassical works and was also involved in the development of company outreach programs and initiatives.

He also danced with Ballet San Antonio beginning in 2015, ultimately decamping for New York in 2017 to continue his journey with DTH. For the next six years, McDaniel performed featured roles in works by, among others, George Balanchine, Ulysses Dove and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa before retiring from performing in 2023.

Also an inspired teacher, McDaniel served on faculties including those of Los Angeles Ballet School, Lula Washington Dance Theatre and Debbie Allen Dance Academy. In addition, he began his association with SAB as a member of the 2016-17 School of American Ballet National Visiting Fellows cohort. From 2021-23, during his final years with DTH, McDaniel was the first non-NYCB dancer to participate in the SAB Teaching Apprentice Program, and in September 2023, he was appointed to SAB’s permanent faculty, the first person of color who hadn’t trained or danced with NYCB in its storied history.

Fjord Review caught up with the fiendishly busy McDaniel by Zoom from New York. Topics ranged from his memories of Arthur Mitchell and performing with Dance Theatre of Harlem to taking the reins at Dances Patrelle.

You’ve described seeing DTH posters everywhere in East Harlem. How did growing up in that neighborhood affect your identity as a dancer—and was there dance in your family?

My cousin did praise dance, liturgical dance in church, so that was my first introduction to dance. A few years after that, Dance Theatre of Harlem came to our elementary school and did an outreach program, teaching us about ballet positions and the history of dance. I wasn’t so full throttle until we went to Aaron Davis Hall to see a lecture demonstration by the company.

That’s when it shifted and I was like, “Okay, that’s what I want to do, be a principal dancer with Dance Theatre of Harlem.” That was in 1999. Then I auditioned and got in 2001. But because September 11, 2001, was the first day of school, I started the next semester.

Christopher McDaniel, artistic director of Dances Patrelle. Photograph by Jalene Wickham

You’ve said that you didn’t initially know that ballet was considered a “white art form,” because your first exposure was through DTH. How did that realization evolve as you entered the professional world?

Yeah, I didn't even know that white people did ballet. It's so weird, because I’ve had this conversation with several Black dancers and dancers of color about diversity, equity, and inclusion, and that seems backwards to me, because when I saw Dance Theatre of Harlem, that was the first time I saw a ballet, and I just thought it was a Black thing.

But as I got older and had access to the internet and researched why Arthur Mitchell was so famous, then it started to make sense. He was at New York City Ballet, and this was a white art form, and we were told we couldn’t do it.

Talk about an incentive! So, what was it like dancing with DTH for six years?

It was a dream come true. I ended up joining the company at a weird moment. They were just about to take off for an Eastern European tour in 2017, [and] I was in Charleston with American National Ballet, and it had ended, so it was perfect timing and divinely orchestrated. DTH needed men for the tour, and I talked to artistic director]Virginia Johnson, who said it was time for me to come home to New York, but that I needed to do a cattle call audition.

But they welcomed me on the spot and said these are the six ballets to learn. The majority were leading roles, so it felt like the right time to come back as a principal dancer. Over the following years, it was incredible because there were specific roles I had identified with as a child, and when those ballets were on my schedule, I had this, “Oh, my God, it’s happening,” moment.

But it was also difficult, because in my first year back in New York, my mom died, one of my teachers passed away, and then Arthur Mitchell died, and he had just been in the studio working with us. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to keep pushing forward.

And we’re glad you did, Christopher! So, I’m wondering how Mr. Mitchell’s legacy informs your approach to leadership and representation?

He always told us that we’re representing something larger than ourselves, and that we’re always in service to the art form. Those are two pillars of how I operate every day. When I go into a ballet studio, I essentially have my back to the mirror the whole time. I'm glued to whoever's in front of me and doing whatever I need to make sure I can give dancers what they need to succeed and whatever I think will help them achieve the goal that I have in my head.

Mr. Mitchell had a different way of leading than I do. He was more of a “holler and scream and get it done” kind of guy. I come into the room and the first thing everyone does is we give ourselves a hug, do deep breaths, affirmations and set an intention for something beautiful. I realized through Mitchell’s leadership, that his presence made such a difference, because he was that kind of powerhouse.

I noticed that even in the hallways, anytime he walked past people, he greeted them, especially if it was a child, and that's something I naturally picked up, greeting people in the hallway and walking into the building with energy. So being somebody in leadership, I take a big responsibility in that; I have to set the tone in the space.

I often tell dancers, “You're not a thermometer, you're a thermostat. You're not coming in to see what the temperature is in the room, you set the temperature with your presence and your behavior and the way we carry ourselves.” I try to lead by example, especially for dancers who look like me. I need them to see that I was just this little boy from the projects in East Harlem, who grew up in a too small apartment with a bunch of siblings, bickering and arguing about who ate whose cereal, you know?

But I dreamt of being a principal dancer, [and] that dream came true. Now I get to help make dreams come true for other young people, and I think that that's a dream that a lot of people can resonate with. It's important for me to keep it together and offer people a chance to see that it's possible.

Christopher McDaniel and Alyssa Harrington in George Balanchine's “Four Temperaments.” Photograph by Nathaniel Solis

You became the first person of color appointed to SAB’s permanent faculty who neither trained nor danced with NYCB. How has that experience shaped your philosophy on training and access?

That was a huge honor. It kind of affirmed that I was doing the right things, and that I was teaching the right way, because the thing that I'd see in my travels, is that a lot of dancers of color are being taught by other people of color who are doing the very best that they can and have all the best intentions. But because their teachers haven’t got certain pedagogical training, they're passing on a version of the ballet steps and the technique that isn't up to par.

A lot of these kids go into auditions for major ballet schools and get rejected, and immediately feel it's because of their race, but there's a gap in their training. For me, having access to the information [I had in my training], I felt like I needed to be in a place where I can have a seat at the table and get the messaging to the right people to help bring the change that I know can happen.

When SAB reached out and asked me to come on, it felt like a responsibility—that a lot of eyes would be on me – but it felt like a good chance to get into the building and be with the source and help them figure out exactly how to help people who look like me take the next step in this art form.

Amen to that, Christopher! You first worked with Francis Patrelle as a teenager at Ballet Academy East. How does it feel to return now as Artistic Director of the troupe he founded and made some 50 works for?

It feels like a huge honor; it feels right. I’ve done a lot of learning and experiencing different things in order to step into leadership. I feel like I’m at a point in my career where I’ve had so many experiences —good and bad—helping put the art form forward. But it’s different now, because I’m not on somebody’s faculty of how they want things done. I now have almost the ultimate decision-making power on how things go forward.

Working with Francis, I understood how he felt about giving people an opportunity because they were willing to show up and do the work, and not just like, “Oh, this is the most talented person; this one has an amazing resume.” People deserve a chance to try and dance, and I resonate with that.

I love ballet pedagogy and watching people improve. I feel like this is the perfect position for me to get a lot of these freelance dancers who want an opportunity to perform and help them sort through some of the technical things that are maybe missing.

What aspects of Francis’ leadership do you feel most compelled to carry forward?

I think his ability to dream big and his willingness to allow the space to be safe. One of the things that is paramount for me is making sure that when dancers come into the room with me, they know that they're not coming to get yelled at. They know that they're not walking into an ego trip, [but] that they're going to get their very best from me.

Francis was the same way. He wanted people to come in, and if he would teach class, he would say, “Does anyone have anything new and positive to share?” Sometimes that might start class a bit late, because people had stuff to say, but it was great, because it set the atmosphere. That's what I do with the “give yourself a hug” moment.

I also think his ability to see someone's potential was wonderful, like how he saw stuff in me that I wasn't quite able to see. Francis was so gentle with how he required more of me. I think that's a quality I took from him, and I confidently pass that forward as I go into the studio. He would give you feedback or a correction or call something out that he noticed, and he would get you together in such a beautiful way where you felt like a family member was looking out for you.

Ballet companies are grappling with questions of relevance, representation and sustainability. What do you see as the most urgent issue, and how do you plan to address it?

Generally speaking, ballet companies are struggling to make ends meet in terms of funding, so I think the most pressing issue is continuing to fundraise. But I think what needs to happen, is that we all have to get clear on our values and who we are as institutions and organizations.

If we're professing to do this thing, if our mission is to tell stories and give access and opportunities to people, that needs to be the driving force in all that we do. If we can center that and continue to find the right ways to raise funds, we can continue working in a way that is meaningful, not in a way that necessarily gets us the biggest spread in the paper or a big splash, or making some viral sensation, but that we're doing work from the heart for the hearts of the people.

What's going to matter most to me, is making sure that what we're doing is in alignment with our values. Not everything's going to land with the critics or with some audiences, [so] I also want to be able to center the lives and experiences of the dancer. The dancers mean so much to me, and as a dancer, it wasn't so often that my voice mattered, or that I had a say in what I was able to dance or what stories I was able to tell, [but] through this position, I want to respect my role as artistic director by making the right choices.

Victoria Looseleaf

Victoria Looseleaf is an award-winning, Los Angeles-based international arts journalist who covers music and dance festivals around the world. Among the many publications she has contributed to are the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Dance Magazine and KCET’s Artbound. In addition, she taught dance history at USC and Santa Monica College. Looseleaf’s novella-in-verse, Isn't It Rich? is available from Amazon, and and her latest book, Russ & Iggy’s Art Alphabet with illustrations by JT Steiny, was recently published by Red Sky Presents. Looseleaf can be reached through X, Facebook, Instagram and Linked In, as well as at her online arts magazine ArtNowLA.

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