Thea Nerissa Barnes (1952–2018) was a dancer, choreographer and teacher.

Early life

Theo Nerissa Barnes was born in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

on 2 February 1952. She grew up on Chicago's South Side and attended Calumet High School. She showed an interest in dance from an early age.

Career

After moving to New York, she achieved a BA in Dance from the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

and a Masters in Dance Education from

Columbia Teachers College Teachers College, Columbia University (TC), is the graduate school of education, health, and psychology of Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, it has served as one of the official faculties and ...

. She studied at Arthur Mitchell’s

Dance Theatre of Harlem Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) is an American professional ballet company and school based in Harlem, New York City. It was founded in 1969 under the directorship of Arthur Mitchell and later partnered with Karel Shook. Milton Rosenstock served a ...

after winning a scholarship and trained in a variety of techniques with practitioners in the field including Igor Schwezoff and

DanceAfrica DanceAfrica is a heritage and community celebration equable on the manifold dance forms of the African Diaspora held annually in New York City, Washington, DC, and Chicago. Included are indoor and outdoor performance including live music, a film ...

founder Chuck Davis. She began her professional career with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (1972) and later became a principal dancer with the

Martha Graham Dance Company The Martha Graham Dance Company, founded in 1926, is known for being the oldest American dance company. Founded by Martha Graham as a contemporary dance company, it continued to perform pieces, revive classics, and train dancers even after Graham's ...

from 1979; she stayed for ten years. She toured worldwide and during her career danced with a number of dance companies including the Julian Swain Inner City Dance Theatre in Chicago as a soloist and guest performer. She performed on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, in film and on television and venues included

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

and

Palais Garnier The Palais Garnier (, Garnier Palace), also known as Opéra Garnier (, Garnier Opera), is a 1,979-seatBeauvert 1996, p. 102. opera house at the Place de l'Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built for the Paris Opera from ...

in Paris. In 1992 she moved to London to teach at the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance, transferring to

Phoenix Dance Theatre Phoenix Dance Theatre is a dance company based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, that has grown from small beginnings in inner-city Leeds to be one of Britain’s leading contemporary dance companies. The company tours nationally and internationa ...

and becoming its artistic director in 1997. Between 2001 and 2018 she was resident dance supervisor for the West End production of

The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance, it ...

. Described by Associate Newspapers as “a truly beautiful and expressive dancer”, Barnes has been praised for inspiring and nurturing black performers both in the US and the UK. Meticulous and keen to get the best from her dancers she also considered their well-being a major priority. She died on 28 December 2018 in Chicago.

References

External links

Igor Schwezoff (1904-1982)Thea Barnes Legacy FundThea Nerissa BarnesThea Nerissa BarnesJulian Swain (1924-2011)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Thea Narissa 1952 births 2018 deaths American choreographers American dancers People from Columbus, Georgia Dance teachers