Dance Theatre of Harlem Entangled in Dispute Over Civil Rights-Era History
A decades-old dance company founded during the civil rights movement is fighting for control of its cultural significance, citing a contentious dispute over photographs that form a pivotal part of its historical archive. Dance Theatre of Harlem claims that a former archivist and her nonprofit organization have improperly claimed ownership of these valuable images, hindering their ability to share its history with the public.
The company hired photographer Margaret Elizabeth "Marbeth" Schnare in 1969 to document its early years, capturing intimate moments of dancers rehearsing and dramatic shots from performances. The photos, which date back to as early as 1969, have been used by the organization for marketing, souvenir books, and other historical chronicles.
However, a former dancer-turned-archivist, Judy Tyrus, has claimed ownership of the photographs, stating that she was given the pictures in her apartment by Schnare's heirs after the photographer's death. Dance Theatre of Harlem disputes this claim, arguing that the photos never belonged to Schnare or her heirs.
The dispute escalated when Tyrus published a book in 2021 about the dance company, incorporating materials from its archive without permission. The organization gave her permission initially but their relationship deteriorated over several aspects of the project.
In response, the photographer's heirs donated nearly 16 years after Schnare's death to Tyrus' nonprofit, ChromaDiverse, which has asked a San Francisco court to force Dance Theatre of Harlem to turn over all of Schnare's photos. The dance company argues that the photos were never owned by Schnare or her heirs.
The dispute has blocked lucrative licensing opportunities for Dance Theatre of Harlem, including a partnership with the Ford Foundation. According to tax filings, the ballet company suffered an $800,000 deficit in 2024 and went on hiatus from 2004 to 2012 due to funding issues.
U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams has scheduled her ruling on the case's request to dismiss Tyrus and her heirs from the lawsuit as "promptly."
A decades-old dance company founded during the civil rights movement is fighting for control of its cultural significance, citing a contentious dispute over photographs that form a pivotal part of its historical archive. Dance Theatre of Harlem claims that a former archivist and her nonprofit organization have improperly claimed ownership of these valuable images, hindering their ability to share its history with the public.
The company hired photographer Margaret Elizabeth "Marbeth" Schnare in 1969 to document its early years, capturing intimate moments of dancers rehearsing and dramatic shots from performances. The photos, which date back to as early as 1969, have been used by the organization for marketing, souvenir books, and other historical chronicles.
However, a former dancer-turned-archivist, Judy Tyrus, has claimed ownership of the photographs, stating that she was given the pictures in her apartment by Schnare's heirs after the photographer's death. Dance Theatre of Harlem disputes this claim, arguing that the photos never belonged to Schnare or her heirs.
The dispute escalated when Tyrus published a book in 2021 about the dance company, incorporating materials from its archive without permission. The organization gave her permission initially but their relationship deteriorated over several aspects of the project.
In response, the photographer's heirs donated nearly 16 years after Schnare's death to Tyrus' nonprofit, ChromaDiverse, which has asked a San Francisco court to force Dance Theatre of Harlem to turn over all of Schnare's photos. The dance company argues that the photos were never owned by Schnare or her heirs.
The dispute has blocked lucrative licensing opportunities for Dance Theatre of Harlem, including a partnership with the Ford Foundation. According to tax filings, the ballet company suffered an $800,000 deficit in 2024 and went on hiatus from 2004 to 2012 due to funding issues.
U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams has scheduled her ruling on the case's request to dismiss Tyrus and her heirs from the lawsuit as "promptly."
... I mean, can you imagine if some random person just showed up out of nowhere and claimed ownership of your cultural legacy? It's not right. Dance Theatre of Harlem has been an important part of American history, especially during the civil rights movement, and now they're fighting to protect their own story.
... And it's not just about the money; it's about preserving the truth about this company's history. I'm all for respecting artists' work, but come on! If someone wants to use your photos, they should at least ask permission or be transparent about why they want them.
... The fact that Dance Theatre Harlem had to go into hiatus due to funding issues because of this dispute is just heartbreaking 
.
this is wild, you gotta wonder what goes through someone's mind when they think they can just claim ownership of a bunch of old pics that some grandma took for a dance company back in the day. like, what even is the point of that? i mean, dance theatre of harlem has been trying to share its history with the public for years and now this whole thing comes up out of nowhere and it's like they're trying to shut down the whole thing. 
. Dance Theatre of Harlem seems to have a legit claim that those photos don't belong to Tyrus and her crew, and I'm surprised more people aren't speaking up about it 
.
! The dance company has a rich history to share with the public, and it shouldn't be held hostage by some photos 
.
. and what about dance theatre of harlem's role in all this? they hired marbeth schnare in the first place, so shouldn't they be able to decide how their history is shared? 
. anyhoo, it's not like they're trying to hide anything shady or anything... they just want control over their cultural significance and it's getting messy 
This whole thing is giving me major archive anxiety 
... apparently there was another dispute with Margaret Schnare's estate back in 2004 
. Anyways, I just made a quick chart to visualize the timeline 
What do you guys think is going on here?! 
It's like they're still stuck in 1969. What about a website redesign?! 
A new layout could really help them organize all these conflicting claims and showcase their amazing history without any hiccups. 
It's not like they're asking for a fortune or anything, just the ability to share their story with the public.
. Like, if Schnare gave the photos to Tyrus in her apartment, did she really have any right to claim ownership over them? It seems like a pretty flimsy argument to me. And now Dance Theatre of Harlem is paying the price for it – $800,000 deficit and no funding for years 
. Can't we focus on the art instead of getting caught up in petty ownership squabbles? 
. Can't let one person's claim just overshadow the truth 
. The dance company needs to fight for what's rightfully theirs 
. Justice will prevail 
, that's what I'm hoping 
. Dance Theatre of Harlem can't even get their own history straight. First, they're fighting over some old photos, now they're losing money and have to go on hiatus... again 
. And what about all the people who actually care about their history and want to support them? They're stuck in this limbo because some ex-dancer and her nonprofit are being super greedy 
The company has been trying to share their story with the world, but Tyrus and her team are just holding onto those photos for dear life 
. It's like, you'd think that sharing your history would be a good thing, not something that gets blocked by a bunch of people fighting over ownership 
!
.
. I hope Judge Abrams makes a fair decision soon 
dance theatre Harlem claims marbeth schnare's heirs are trying to steal their cultural significance but meanwhile margaret elizabeth "marbeth" schnare took the pics back in 1969 
... it's like who actually owns those photos anyway? 
.
The dance company should just own up to what they want - those photos are a part of their history and it's time they shared them with everyone. 
