Bernard McClain was raised in Pasadena, California and started dancing at age 16. He joined Dance Theatre of Harlem just six years later, in 1980, and was a part of the original DTH casts of Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free (1985), David Gordon’s Piano Movers (1985), Bronislava Nijinska’s Les Noces (1989), and Gail Kachadurian’s The Cape (1989).

His other repertory included Royston Maldoom’s Adagietto No. 5, among others.

With the company, McClain performed around the world in theaters such as the London Coliseum and festivals like the 1987 Salzburger Festspiele.

McClain retired from dancing in 1991, married in 1993, and has worked various managerial and service jobs at performance and sports venues.

Sources:

Dance Theatre of Harlem Repertory List, Columbia University Libraries
Meet Bernard McClain: Unemployed in Bed-Stuy, The Brooklyn Ink
‘The Cape’ Full of Hopes, The Washington Post
Dance Theatre of Harlem, Salzburg Festival

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