“Through the early decades of modern dance in this country, The 92nd Street Y became a safe haven for many artists who were not being presented anywhere else in New York City,” says Alison Manning, co-executive director of the Harkness Dance Center and director of the Harkness School of Dance at 92NY. Dance legends like Erick Hawkins, José Limón, Sophie Maslow, Pearl Primus, Ruth St. Denis, and Ted Shawn all performed on 92NY’s stage. Although the organization also had classes and concerts in other dance styles, it was a hotspot for modern dance in particular just as the genre was beginning to take off in the U.S.

This year, as 92NY celebrates its 150th anniversary, honoring those dance roots is at the top of the list of priorities. The organization is installing a major exhibit called “Dance to Belong: A History of Dance at 92NY,” from March 12 to October 31, in 92NY’s Weill Art Gallery. It kicks off with a one-night-only performance on March 12 meant to connect the venue’s illustrious past to the promise of what’s ahead. The Limón Dance Company will perform José Limón’s beloved There is a Time, paired with Omar Román De Jesús’ Like Those Playground Kids at Midnight. The Martha Graham Dance Company will perform Appalachian Spring Suite, paired with an excerpt from Jamar Roberts’ We The People. And Ailey II will perform a series of excerpts from Ailey classics, including The Lark Ascending, Streams, and Blues Suite, plus a premiere by Hope Boykin.

“We are highlighting that, in the moment when modern dance was wrestling into relevance in this country, The 92nd Street Y played a pretty critical role in opening doors for artists who needed space and support,” says Manning.

The programming for the upcoming performance began with Limón’s There Is a Time, she says. “The piece represents such an important message about our own 92NY history. There have been ups, there have been downs,” she explains. “And we as an institution have weathered both times of great challenge and of joy, but that we were at the forefront for many overlooked artists, during this important period in modern dance history, in providing support, time for joy, time for grief, whatever they needed to make their work.” 

The one brand-new work on the bill is a premiere by Boykin, who says it’s an expression of her gratitude to the legends who paved the path before her. Creating it for this concert was a “no-brainer” she says, since 92NY not only gave some of those legends a platform, but offered her one too: Her first full-evening show of her own took place there in 2021. “This work is a thank-you,” says Boykin. “A thank-you for the lessons, and paths made clear. This work will be a celebration of who I have become as a result of the work so many did before me.”

Putting together the March 12 program has brought home for Manning just how pivotal a role 92NY has played in the story of modern dance, and her role in stewarding that forward for the next generation. “My vision centers around trying to make sure that artists who need a platform and haven’t had an opportunity have it,” she says, “and artists who already have substantial support and known work can lift up these younger, less established artists simply by sharing the space and being presented on these same stages.”

Román De Jesús points out that this is precisely what this particular program is doing for him. The emerging choreographer has recently been racking up fellowships and awards, like the Dance Magazine Harkness Promise Award, yet he still struggles to find resources and venues to showcase his work. “To me, standing on the same stage as legendary companies and alongside fellow emerging artists symbolizes representation, inclusivity, and hope,” he says.

92NY’s long tradition of inclusivity is ongoing, and it will continue to be a place where dance history is made for many more decades to come.

The post 92NY Celebrates Its Rich Dance History as a Birthplace of Modern Dance appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Her professional start, however, was far from assured: Though Agnes de Mille recruited her to dance The Four Marys with American Ballet Theatre when it premiered in 1965, the contract was short-lived, leading Jamison to work nondance jobs (including as a ride operator at the World’s Fair) while taking classes and auditioning. “Nothing in my life, until then, had prepared me for rejection,” she told Dance Magazine. “Every time I was turned down I took it personally.” It was at one such unsuccessful audition that summer, for Donald McKayle, that Alvin Ailey spotted her and decided to ask her to join his company. (“You mean, you decided to take me that day, the day of the audition?” Jamison asked Ailey when the two told the story of their first encounter to Maynard. “I went home and cried for three days until you called me!” Ailey replied, “Well, I didn’t know where to find you and I had to get your phone number from Carmen [de Lavallade] and Carmen was out of town.”)

Jamison would dance with Ailey for the next 15 years (save for a brief period between 1966 and 1967 when the company disbanded), and returned to lead the company in 1989 as Ailey’s handpicked successor. Now artistic director emerita, Jamison, who celebrates her 80th birthday this month, is the recipient of a Dance Magazine Award (1972), a Kennedy Center Honor (1999) and a National Medal of Arts (2001), and was inducted into the National Museum of Dance Hall of Fame in 2015.

The post TBT: How Judith Jamison Started Dancing for Alvin Ailey appeared first on Dance Magazine.

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At the time Cry was choreographed in 1971, Josephine Baker was perhaps the only Black woman dancer to regularly command a mainstream stage. Ailey created the dance on his muse, Judith Jamison, explicitly dedicating it “to all Black women, especially the mothers,” in recognition of their particular experiences and the dearth of stories about them. However, elements of the pain, frustration, inspiration, and, yes, moments of jubilation dramatized in Cry easily resonate with women of all backgrounds.

At the dance’s premiere, the figure of the mahogany-complected, statuesque Jamison, center stage, her hair in a close cropped afro, was at the time a radical departure and a stunning nod to a new era. The costume, created by A. Christina Giannini had Jamison in all white; long sleeved leotard and a full, ankle length, ruffled skirt. A rectangular white cloth several feet long, fulfilled several roles, including makeshift crown, another radical statement about Black womanhood.

The dancers who have performed Cry form a special club. They call themselves the Cry girls and have discussed the intricate rituals involved with preparing to perform, then recover from the emotionally and physically grueling 17-minute solo. Jamison, who had not danced the ballet from beginning to end until the premiere itself, has commented, “If I had known how hard this dance was, I wouldn’t have come out on the stage.”

With its timeless beauty, emotional and technical heft, and historical resonance Cry remains a must-see ballet for every aspiring dancer and dance lover.

The post Alvin Ailey’s Jacqueline Green in “Cry” appeared first on Dance Magazine.

The collection includes both color and black-and-white images of Ailey’s repertoire, as well as private photo sessions with company members and Ailey himself. Altogether, the archive tracks the career development of many beloved Ailey dancers, including Masazumi Chaya, Judith Jamison, Sylvia Waters, Donna Wood and Dudley Williams—and even a young Desmond Richardson. And there’s no shortage of photos of iconic pieces like Blues Suite (Ailey’s first piece of choreography), Cry and Revelations.

We couldn’t resist sharing a few of our favorites below. Search the collection for more gems here.

The post You Can Now View More Than 10,000 Photos From Jack Mitchell's Alvin Ailey Collection Online appeared first on Dance Magazine.

For 47 years, Chaya has been a constant force in the Ailey studios: first as a dancer for 15 years, then as choreographic assistant to Ailey, a rehearsal director and, most recently, associate artistic director alongside Judith Jamison and Robert Battle. Quietly guiding hundreds of AAADT dancers to find their own artistic voices has sustained his unwavering work ethic for decades.

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It feels like quite a fitting hire. Back in 2017, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater artistic director Robert Battle choreographed an homage to Moonlight, starring Ailey standout Jamar Roberts.

The post Alvin Ailey Is Getting the Full Hollywood Treatment appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Misty Copeland started off the celebration. A self-professed “Dance Magazine connoisseur from the age of 13,” she not only spoke about how excited she was to be in a room full of dancers, but also—having just come from Dance Theatre of Harlem’s memorial for Arthur Mitchell—what she saw as their duty: “We all in this room hold a responsibility to use this art for good,” she said. “Dance unifies, so let’s get to work.”

That sentiment was repeated throughout the night.

Dance Magazine Awards 2018
www.youtube.com

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What inspired this project?

In Berlin in 2013, I was invited to participate in a festival, celebrating the centennial of The Rite of Spring. I looked at The Joffrey Ballet’s reconstruction of Nijinsky’s original version, learned the movement, deconstructed it into snippets and danced it with an essay by my husband, David Kishik, who was there finishing his postdoc. Then, I did it at Judson; it perplexed people, and I thought that perplexity feels generative.

Are there more masters to come?

Well, there are six at the Pillow, including the Nijinsky: Graham’s Night Journey, with a scholar from Williams; Ailey’s Revelations, with Tommy DeFrantz; five works by Cunningham, with a different scholar at each tour engagement; Fosse’s Sweet Charity; and Balanchine’s Agon. It’s the obvious suspects in some regard, but, with what the scholars are bringing, not so expected.

I want audiences to think in other ways about the dances. In fact, I’m working with two scholars on the Balanchine; one who’s in the literature department at Berkeley who is blind and one from New York University’s Center for Disability Studies; they’re talking about Balanchine through disability, rehabilitation and race.

Photo by Paula Lobo, Courtesy Yerushalmy

And I’m sure some of the scholars will think differently about dance as well. The project really has legs. Why do you think that is?

It’s sexy; a lot of people are thinking about legacy right now—Stephen Petronio, Boris Charmatz, Jérôme Bel, Paul Taylor…I don’t know if we’re just dehydrated from a post-Judson obsession.

And you don’t have to twist around to make it fit into getting grants, like “What are your engagement strategies?” because it’s all engagement strategies. Who will come and listen to these works and either open their eyes to dance for the first time or to a lot of other issues and then come and talk to us about it? It’s about conversation in a real way, about making something that’s part of a lot of larger circles—dance, questions about feminism, or whatever—and all of us can partake in some of that.

The post Netta Yerushalmy is Changing the Way We Look at Balanchine. And Fosse. And Ailey. appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Most recently, American Ballet Theatre principal Isabella Boylston was scrutinized when she shared this post on her Instagram.

Her post was met with a barrage of insults from commenters who felt she didn’t have the right to share her opinion on topics “outside of her expertise.” Unfortunately, dancers who are brave enough to share their political thoughts receive these comments all the time—so much so that former ABT dancer Sascha Radetsky wrote a whole piece about whether or not dancers should get political online.

But if we look back at some of the most captivating dancers and choreographers in history, we find that dance and activism have always been deeply intertwined:

Katherine Dunham

Had Katherine Dunham not been bold enough to tackle social injustices with dance, she would’ve never created Southland, her controversial ballet that confronted the enduring racism in the South and culminated in the contentious depiction of a black man being lynched. The ballet was performed twice abroad but never made it back to the U.S. as it was labeled “anti-American.” Dunham’s later requests for funding from the U.S. State Department were all denied, but the negative response to the ballet only reinforced the necessity of its message.

Katherine Dunham, courtesy Dance Magazine Archives

Dunham also shatters the idea that dancers can only be activists onstage. In 1993 she led a 47-day hunger strike to protest the U.S. deportation of Haitian immigrants. Following a performance in Kentucky, she announced to the audience that her company wouldn’t return until the theater was desegregated.

Despite the endless backlash and attempts to threaten her into silence, Dunham seized ever opportunity she had to start a conversation about political issues, even if the world wasn’t ready to have them.

Martha Graham

Like Dunham, modern dance legend Martha Graham never shied away from commenting on politics in her pieces, as we can see in her beloved Chronicle. This 1936 work was Graham’s response to the rise of fascism in Europe and the consequences of war. That same year, she denied the Nazi’s invitation for her company to perform in the Summer Olympics Festival in Berlin.

“I would find it impossible to dance in Germany at the present time,” she wrote. “So many artists whom I respect and admire have been persecuted, have been deprived of their right to work, and for such unsatisfactory and ridiculous reasons, that I should consider it impossible to identify myself, by accepting the invitation, with the regime that has made such things possible.”

Alvin Ailey

Alvin Ailey’s politics shaped the very fabric of his company. After growing up in a segregated America, Ailey was determined to create an integrated dance company. “I am trying to show the world that we are all human beings and that color is not important,” he said. “What is important is the quality of our work.”

Ailey‘s Revelations, which he created during the thick of the civil rights movement, put the African American spirit on display like no choreographer had ever done before. Had he been too fearful of making a statement, we would’ve missed out on one of the most widely celebrated modern works in history.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Revelations. Photo by Gert Krautbauer, Courtesy AAADT

Onstage, dancers tackle heavy topics like war, racism and immigration. So why are we surprised when they’re compelled to speak up about them offstage, too? We’re not sure why some people have decided that being a dancer means you forfeit your right to activism, but no one should be disqualified from sharing political opinions just because they can do 32 flawless fouettés in front of a packed theater.

After all, they’re just doing what dancers have always done.

The post Anyone Who Says Dancers Should "Stick to Dancing" Doesn't Know Their History appeared first on Dance Magazine.

As a performer, Mack was a beloved star at Dance Theatre of Harlem and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and also a guest performer for Beyoncé and Alicia Keys.

But she’s no stranger to higher education. Early in her career, she earned an undergraduate degree in history from Columbia University, and, later, she took a break from dancing with Ailey and pursued a master’s at Washington University in St. Louis. She majored in nonprofit management, focusing on arts administration.

Since retiring from Ailey, Mack has stood at the front of the room as an educator. She’s currently based in Houston, where she’s wrapping up teaching commitments as an adjunct dance instructor at the University of Houston and as a visiting assistant professor of dance at Webster University in St. Louis. Dance Magazine spoke with Mack about her appointment as director of The Juilliard School’s dance division.

Mack brings her rich performance experiences to the students of Juilliard. Dance St. Louis, Courtesy Juilliard.

How are you feeling right now?

I’m deeply honored, I’m incredibly excited. My head is absolutely spinning from the buzz. My family’s from the East Coast, my brothers live in New York City, and my sister is also a dancer, so all of this is just so exciting for me and my family.

What was the selection process like?

It was an open, national search. I went through the application page on Juilliard’s website and submitted my cover letter and resumé. Then I went through a three-month process, going through rounds of interviews, writing a vision statement, meeting students, meeting faculty. It was quite involved.

Do you know if you’ll be teaching as well?

I’m not sure if I will have a regular class, but I would love to be in the studio. That is a place where I feel that I can connect the most with the student body.

Mack is looking forward to connecting with dancers in the studio. Courtesy Juilliard.

What value do you see in dancers going to college?

I think, today, dancers must be equipped for an ever-changing landscape. The field is so different, even from when I was performing. Job opportunities, it seems, in large dance companies are starting to narrow, and dancers have to be equipped with versatile training and entrepreneurial skills in order to stay relevant and employable.

I want to empower young artists to step boldly into the world upon graduation knowing that they can create their own opportunities and their own realities if they are not presented immediately.

And I think that the role of higher education is different than that of a professional training program. My charge at Juilliard is not only to make sure that the dancers are physically capable, but that they are thought leaders and they are provoking thinkers and they are citizens of the world.

Artistically, what are you hoping to see in the next generation of Juilliard dancers?

I would like them to hold on to the historical perspective that the training has provided them. If dancers are trained very rigorously in the foundational techniques of classical ballet and modern dance, that gives them a very special sense of themselves and of performance techniques. Moving forward, these dancers are also poised to be leaders in a new sort of contemporary modality of movement, and I see them continuing to push the envelope of physicality and finding new ways of creating dance.

As an African-American woman, what does this position mean to you?

So much. I do realize that this is a historic appointment, and I believe that hiring a woman of color to lead the dance division into the 21st century is a signal to the world. And I believe that under the leadership of Damian Woetzel and provost Ara Guzelimian, it is clear that they are not interested in the status quo in dance or the arts. They are ready to see all of the possibilities and invite all of the different voices in the Juilliard community. And I believe that these guiding principles will permeate through the institution right down to the students.

The post Alicia Graf Mack Named Director of Juilliard's Dance Division: "Dancers Are Thought Leaders" appeared first on Dance Magazine.

While some movies falter along their way to the big screen, we think this one’s got legs (and hopefully a whole lot of lateral T’s and hinges and coccyx balances, too). Why?

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Sean Aaron Carmon in Ailey’s Revelations. Photo by EricGrayPhotography.com, Courtesy AAADT.

1. High-profile songstress and all-around goddess Alicia Keys is one of the film’s producers.

2. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is on board. The Hollywood Reporter specifically mentioned that artistic director Robert Battle and artistic director emerita Judith Jamison will be part of the process.

Robert Battle and Judith Jamison will work closely with the movie’s producers. Photo by Christopher Duggan.

3. The history should be on point. Fox Searchlight has secured the rights to Jennifer Dunning’s biography Alvin Ailey: A Life in Dance.

And it goes without saying that the dance scenes will amazingly fierce and likely full of current Ailey dancers. Still, it’s too early to know exactly what the film will look like: Will it be a dramatized version of the late choreographer’s life? A documentary laced with archival footage and commentary from Ailey experts?

In a statement
, Battle expressed his excitement for the project, saying, “We are thrilled to be working with these incredible partners to bring to the screen the amazing journey and revolutionary choreography of Alvin Ailey, whose life and legacy profoundly impacted people of all backgrounds around the world.”

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Linda Celeste Sims in Ailey’s rousing Cry (1971). Photo by Christopher Duggan.

We’re thrilled too. What choreography do you hope to see most in the movie? (We’re dying for a fiery Cry and some soulful snippets of Revelations.) Tell us in the comments.

The post 3 Reasons We're Ecstatic That Alvin Ailey's Life and Work Are Being Made into a Movie appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Brown will take a day or two away from the Ailey company’s rigorous tour schedule to see TWB dancers perform his Menagerie, danced to Rossini’s Duet for Cello and Double Bass in D Major, at Washington, D.C.’s Harman Center for the Arts. We caught up with him last week in Chicago.

You’ve spent your career on stage. Not every dancer wishes to choreograph. What led you to try it?

For a very long time I wasn’t very interested in choreographing. My partner, Earl Mosley, is a choreographer and he runs workshops where he invites different people to set work on the students for the final program. He asked me many, many times to do a piece. My response was, “No. I’m not a choreographer.” Finally, a couple of years ago he wore me down. The experience was good and I liked the outcome, so I said I would do this again if I got the chance. After that I did a few small projects for different workshops and pre-professional ballet students, like the Manhattan Youth Ballet.

How did you connect with The Washington Ballet?

Four years ago Jessica created a duet for Julie Kent and me. That’s how we became acquainted. After that, as the new director at The Washington Ballet, she called me to get my opinion—I understand she was contacting a number of different dancers for their thoughts. She said, “If there is anything you’d like to offer…” I told her I did some choreography but hadn’t done anything professional yet. I didn’t think much of it because most of my choreography was not very classical. But she said if I had anything, she’d like to see it. And here I am.

Throughout your career you’ve performed works by a wide variety of choreographers. Has working with so many different choreographers helped you discover your own artistic voice?

I’m still learning my own voice because I haven’t had that many choreographic experiences. I’ve learned different things from different people. Working alongside Jessica, as her rehearsal director, I learned a lot about process. I don’t work in the same way, but I learned about having a process and about creating work. I find that each piece is a learning experience.

Who are the choreographers you admire?

I’m hesitant to narrow it down. Jessica’s work is so beautiful and well structured, and there’s so much attention to the whole—sets, lights, the entire view. And Lar’s work is so organic, so natural to watch, and feels so good to dance. Earl’s work is so full of heart and no matter who performs it, you see him shine. And then from the work I do in the Ailey company, I’ve learned from the simplicity of Alvin’s work.

What inspired you to create
Menagerie?

I started with the music. I liked the feeling that there are moments of brightness, but also quirkiness in the score. I love that the middle section has a little more heart. Then the second half of the movement has a jazzy, bass-y sound, which evokes images for me. I have six men and four women. It’s a loose idea, a collection of people who are on display: First, they’re being watched, and in the last section it’s the opposite—the dancers notice the audience is out there.

Though you trained in ballet as a youngster, you’ve spent your career immersed in modern dance. How did you navigate your approach to movement invention for a ballet company?

I was trying to meet them halfway. The piece is rather classical in terms of movement vocabulary but it’s not typical classical lines. I’m a little more free; a lot is based on a mixture of movement that feels good to me. But I know what they’re accustomed to. I didn’t have much time—two weeks, then I came back for another week. So I came in with some things prepared—a notebook of steps and phrases—right after Ailey’s European tour. Fana Tesfagiorgis was my choreographic assistant and she’s an Ailey company member. I was able to work with her on the road a bit so I could see some movement.

Will we see a Clifton Brown work on the Ailey company in a few years?

I don’t know. The Washington Ballet opportunity just fell in my lap. I grew from it. It was something challenging; it’s like that saying, you need to do something scary every day. I don’t think it should just happen because I’m with the company. I’m taking things as they come. It’s not something I’m going to push.

The post This Ailey Dancer Made a New Work for The Washington Ballet appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Dancers need photos that allow viewers to get a sense of their style, abilities and professionalism, and help them gain more visibility. Yet, dance shots can be incred­­ibly difficult to get right. Avoid these five common mistakes.

Mistake: Not researching the photographer

Explore a photographer’s work before going into a shoot, suggests Andrew Eccles, award-winning photographer and longtime collaborator with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. See if they have experience working with dancers. If they don’t, determine whether their work could translate into your vision. When you trust your photographer, you’re more likely to be open and move freely in front of the camera.

Ailey’s Linda Celeste Sims. PC Andrew Eccles

Mistake: Not preparing for the shoot

Bring ideas of images that inspire you. “Have a few poses that you think make you look good,” says Quinn Wharton, photographer and former dancer. Instagram and Pinterest are great resources to search for inspiration.

Think about the angles and lines that look best on your body, and share your top choices with the photographer before you start shooting. Be wary of concepts that have already been done many times, which may make it hard for you to stand out. “Try to be as simple as possible,” says dancer, choreographer and photographer Jacob Jonas. “Let the movement and structure of your body be the focus.”

Mistake: Forgetting your body’s needs

It’s just as important to warm up for a photo shoot as it is for a performance. While the photographer should be mindful of the types of surfaces being used, it’s your job to protect your body. It’s perfectly acceptable to speak up for yourself in a shoot, especially if the photographer doesn’t have much experience working with dancers.

Getting a great shot often requires you to repeat the same movement several times. Listen to your body: “If you’ve done a movement enough and would like to move on, just ask if you can try something else,” says Paige Fraser, dancer with Visceral Dance Chicago.

Mistake: Going in with a closed mind

Taking photos is like any other creative process. It takes patience, flexibility and a willingness to try new things. Know that not everything you’ve planned will work, and the photographer may have ideas of their own.

Ailey dancers. PC Andrew Eccles, Courtesy Ailey

“Some movement may be exciting while dancing but doesn’t translate to a two-dimensional photo,” says Eccles. If your original ideas aren’t working, use the photographer’s direction to imagine new possibilities. Focus on what is working, and move forward with that.

Mistake: Not communicating post-shoot

Although you’ll most likely pay a fee for your photos, the photographer still owns the rights to the images and might use them to promote their work. Review the final shots and decide which ones you’re comfortable having shared. “What may be beautiful to the photographer is not always the best line or angle for a dancer,” says Fraser. “Communicate with them before pictures are posted. Most photographers will respect that.”

The post The 5 Biggest Mistakes Dancers Make at Photo Shoots appeared first on Dance Magazine.

The company’s beloved artistic director emerita rarely teaches open classes. But to celebrate the legacy of Alvin Ailey on what would have been his 87th birthday, she gave a special two-hour workshop at the Ailey Extension on Friday night. I had to try it, even though I was desperately hoping that she wouldn’t make us do any Horton coccyx balances. (Spoiler alert: She did.)

So what’s it like to take class with the larger-than-life icon?

She’s Serious About Honoring Our Elders

In addition to teaching the class snippets of phrases from Ailey’s Revelations, Jamison gave us combinations that drew on other historic choreographers who contributed to the company, like Talley Beatty and Pearl Primus. She’d infuse her directions with a bit of dance history, without ever slowing down the pace of class—after asking if everyone knew who Primus was, to anyone who said no, she saucily responded, “Google it.”

Jamison taught a triplet exercise she learned from Pearl Primus. Photo by Tiba Vieira

She Treats Everyone in the Room Equally

The all-levels workshop included former Ailey star Renee Robinson and dancers from Ailey II working right alongside novices in their 50s and energetic kids so flexible that they could fool you into thinking they had no hamstrings. Jamison approached every student equally. She offered corrections for anyone on the Marley who wanted to learn. Without talking down to those with less experience, she made sure that everyone was pushing for their own version of excellence.

Jamison corrected anyone she saw trying hard. Photo by Tiba Viera

She Highlights The Power of Strength in Simplicity

For being director emerita of a company as slick and virtuosic as Ailey, it surprised me that many of Jamison’s notes had to do with simplifying movement down to its basics. Hand gestures were not to be “too lace-y,” torso undulations had nothing to do with the shoulders. Jamison was looking for a straightforward presentation that connected to the audience, with genuine intention and eye contact.

Gestures were to be as straightforward as possible, with nothing extra. Photo by Tiba Viera

She Taught Us That the Sacred Can Get Something Out of the Secular

Although we learned phrases from Revelations, instead of playing the iconic gospel score, Jamison had us practice the movements to funk hits to help us loosen up and capture the grooviness of the movement. It worked.

Jamison demonstrates how to groove. Photo by Tiba Viera

She Has a Reverential Love of Dancers

Throughout the class, Jamison gave careful attention to how all the students were feeling, pausing at one point when a dancer’s calf cramped up. She treated even the least experienced physiques with the utmost respect. It made sense later when, during a Q&A, someone asked her about the electric response audiences have to company performances:

“It’s about identification with the dancers, and Alvin’s appreciation of those dancers,” she said. “To him, dancers were gold. They’re a treasure. He saw rehearsal as a sacred space, and the stage was a sacred space to share with the audience.”

And for all of her many accomplishments, what she professed to be the “greatest joy” in her life was not building on Alvin’s legacy, running the Ailey company, or debuting works like Cry. It’s passing those works on to other dancers.

Ailey II dancer Khalia Campbell demonstrates during Judith Jamison Workshop Celebrating Alvin Ailey. Photo by Tiba Vieira

The post What It's Like to Take Class From Judith Jamison appeared first on Dance Magazine.

“Alvin was making a statement about African-American cultural experience, saying, ‘Hey, this is who we are, we live here, we were born here,’ ” says Judith Jamison, artistic director emerita of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. “It was a brave action. Civil rights were roaring, and our protest was our performance.”

Even today, Revelations presents a compelling plea for society through its renderings of the highs and lows of our human condition. “When I look at recent events in this country and hear rhetoric that is more than a throwback to the Jim Crow era,” says current AAADT artistic director Robert Battle, “I know that now, more than ever, Revelations is urgently needed.”

The piece has made a profound impact. AAADT dancers perform Revelations hundreds, even thousands, of times in the course of their careers. Their bodies carry not only the steps, but the weight and historical relevance of the piece.

Judith Jamison. Photo courtesy the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation Archives

“I haven’t danced it in years, but I remember every step I ever learned,” says Jamison, whose performances as the umbrella woman helped propel her to stardom. “You feel whole by the time the curtain comes down. No matter how many times you perform or see it, it lifts you.”

While creating Revelations—one of his earliest works—Ailey was searching for personal, artistic and cultural identity. He investigated what he described as his ancestral “blood memories,” and his personal history growing up an only child in rural segregated Texas, attending Baptist churches with his single mother, being overwhelmed by spiritual gospel music.

Divided into three sections, his narrative journeys through a mournful “Pilgrim of Sorrow”; the baptismal second section, “Take Me to the Water”; and “Move Members, Move,” depicting an uplifting spiritual community.

“Revelations began with the music. As early as I can remember I was enthralled by the music played and sung in small black churches,” Ailey described in his memoir Revelations: The Autobiography of Alvin Ailey. He wrote that he was also stirred by the sculptures of Henry Moore, the writings of Langston Hughes, and the technical elements of Martha Graham and his mentor Lester Horton: “Moore’s work inspired the costumes made of jersey in the first part. When the body moves, the jersey takes on extraordinary tensions.”

Linda Celeste Sims and Glenn Allen Sims. Photo by Paul Kolnik, courtesy AAADT

The piece premiered in New York City at the 92nd Street Y on Sunday, January 31, 1960, with nine dancers including Ailey, and live musicians. “The theater was packed,” recalls Sylvia Waters, a former Ailey II director, and current director of the Ailey Legacy Residency. “I was in the balcony, and when the curtain came down there was a moment of silence and then an eruption of clapping, stamping…it was huge!”

The original version was a full hour, which Ailey said he then “snipped, cut, pushed and pulled down to a half hour.”

And it proved hugely popular. “Once, in Germany, we had already gone offstage and into our dressing rooms; I was about to take my eyelashes off, but the audience kept going, so Mr. Ailey had us do an encore, and all the bows, several times,” recalls Jamison. “They closed the curtain, they opened it again—it went on for 15, maybe 20 minutes. We finally put our heads in our hands, like ‘We are tired.’ They had to lower the metal fire curtain!”

Gert Krautbauer, courtesy AAADT

Reaching the pinnacle of his choreographic career early on, Ailey struggled at times with his personal relationship to Revelations. “He sometimes referred to Revelations as ‘the albatross around his neck,’ ” says Waters. “He was frustrated, always being put in that box, because he created 79 ballets and many thought this was the only piece he ever created!”

As Revelations approaches 60 years of nearly uninterrupted performances, Ailey’s hopeful message continues to spread. “Alvin Ailey was able to create a work about faith in God, yet it transcends religion,” says Battle. “Revelations has a way of breaking through spiritual and language barriers.”

Battle has witnessed the passing of the torch firsthand since becoming director in 2011. “I see new dancers in their first performance, or longtime dancers moving into iconic roles—it connects them to the past, to Alvin Ailey himself. It is a powerful, moving experience,” says Battle, who sometimes marks the movement in the wings to interplay with the dancers. “I never danced Revelations myself, so [associate artistic director Masazumi] Chaya has threatened to put me into ‘yellow section’ at some point…I humbly decline!”

Robert Battle and Masazumi Chaya in the wings. Photo by Michael Francis McBride, courtesy AAADT

The post Why We Need Ailey's Revelations Now More Than Ever appeared first on Dance Magazine.

We caught up with her for our “Spotlight” series:

What do you think is the most common misconception about dancers?

That we don’t have real jobs. I wouldn’t trade a moment of my career, as each experience has groomed me for the next, but is this a real job? Oh yes, it most certainly is.

What other career would you like to try?

I’ve been standing behind the camera lately as a director and choreographer, and loving every new experience it brings.

What was the last dance performance you saw?

The Ailey/Fordham BFA senior showcase of works by future choreographers. These young artists are on the way to saving the world.

What’s the most-played song on your phone?

“Wait For It,” sung by my friend Leslie Odom Jr. on the Hamilton soundtrack. [Ed note: He narrates Boykin’s r-Evolution, Dream.]

Do you have a pre-performance ritual?

The most important one is my prayer. I simply ask that the audience will see the most honest artist in me. Despite the frustrations, feelings, aches and pains I may be experiencing, I long for the best performance to resonate in the hearts of those watching.

Where can you be found two hours after a performance ends?

Snuggling up with my pillow after a long bath. I am a morning person, and my favorite meal is breakfast. There’s nothing better than a good night’s rest, so that I may start the day with the sun.

What’s your favorite book?

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice

Where did you last vacation?

My annual trip to Miami. I simply love the early morning walks on an almost empty beach and taking my journals to write as the tide comes in and out.

What app do you spend the most time on?

Candy Crush Soda Saga. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I know I’m not alone.

Who is the person you most want to dance with—living or dead?

I can imagine dancing in Mr. Ailey’s classic work Night Creature with one of my best friends, Matthew Rushing. And I’d love a simple dance floor jig with Michael Jackson.

What’s the worst advice you’ve ever received?

I will never forget being told that I had learned all I could where I was studying at the time, and that I should go and try something else. Ultimately, that is what I had to do, but I never worked harder to stay on the path I knew was meant for me. I would never speak to a student in such a way, but it didn’t deter me. It only pushed me toward my goals.

The post Spotlight: What Ailey's Hope Boykin Says to People Who Don't Think Dance Is A "Real Job" appeared first on Dance Magazine.

“I was really struggling,” he says. “I knew I wasn’t reaching the same bar as I had with Hamilton.” Seeing his frustration, his wife reminded him that there would never be another Hamilton—but that didn’t mean his other work couldn’t be great, too. “She saw how I was beating myself up trying to accomplish a similar thing.” Happy ending detour: Blankenbuehler regained his footing and won his third Tony Award for choreography for the Broadway production of Bandstand.

For choreographers, the postpartum pangs that follow a big triumph can summon doubts about their ability to duplicate a career’s artistic zenith. Critics sneer, ballet masters and directors stifle skeptical looks, audiences question, producers pressure and choreographers agonize about the label of “one-hit wonder.” Has he backed himself into a corner? Has she burned out on ideas? How do you bring something original to the stage without copying yourself or experimenting with disaster?

New visibility can come with increased expectations, warns Ronald K. Brown. In 1999, his masterwork Grace seemed to have found a new spiritual compass for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, a way to usher the troupe forward in a choreographic manner that only Alvin Ailey had previously accomplished.

“There was a kind of curiosity about the work,” says Brown. Even ballet companies started calling about potential commissions. After Grace, he says, “they might have an expectation that I may use house music or that my style may have a signature look.”

He kept in mind words that the late Bessie Schönberg, Brown’s former composition teacher and legendary mentor, had told him: “Don’t always give in to the pressure to do something new.” When he veered off course, Schönberg let him know: “You said you wanted to do X, Y and Z. I didn’t see that. Speak up for yourself. I want you to do what you intend.” Schönberg died before Grace was choreographed, but the idea of resisting the pressure to create something revolutionary with each work stuck with him.

Expectations can lead to opportunities, however. Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s first full-length narrative ballet, A Streetcar Named Desire, was hailed as a triumph of dance/drama and won the best classical choreography award at the UK’s 2012 National Dance Awards, as well as an Olivier Award nomination. “Streetcar didn’t make me an international choreographer,” she says. “But it opened doors and placed me on the market as a choreographer who can tell stories.” It was an affirmation of her talent for weaving dance into plot-driven theater.

Ochoa jokes that “I’m past the age to be the next great thing because I’m 44, not 27.” Yet her ongoing, hard-won successes have earned her the respect of directors who trust her to create quality work. Today, Ochoa knows that she’s booked with eight commissions for the next two years, even if a current piece registers a “meh”; that’s a luxury that she feels fledgling choreographers—particularly female choreographers—can’t count on.

“When you’re a young choreographer, you have a lot of fear, thinking if your work is cool or hip enough, or whether it’s repeating someone else’s choreography,” she says. “When you’re older, you don’t have that many questions in your head.”

For her part, Ochoa feels that her Broken Wings, a ballet about Frida Kahlo, created for the English National Ballet in 2016, was actually more creatively adventurous than Streetcar. A similar feeling holds true for Robert Binet. His first major commission outside of Canada, The Blue of Distance, was praised by The New York Times as the “most remarkably poetic among the premieres” of New York City Ballet’s fall season in 2015. But Binet, now 26, considers his 2016 site-specific commission at the Art Gallery of Ontario for the National Ballet of Canada, The Dreamers Ever Leave You, “creatively, a game changer.”

The fact that both Binet and Ochoa champion ballets other than the ones that were promoted as critical hits says something about the subjectivity of what constitutes a success. Many choreographers are wary of obsessing over critical opinions. Ochoa uses them for practical purposes: “Every two years, I make a huge pile of all the reviews saying I’m amazing, in order to apply for a U.S. visa.” Brown has his associate director Arcell Cabuag filter reviews and alert him “if it’s something I need to hear.”

On the other hand, Binet reads a bunch of reviews, but only once they’ve all come in. “Then you see the full spectrum, rather sitting with one for a day and a half and sitting with another for two days,” he says. But generally, choreographers say that critics’ words are rarely a driving factor in how the next work unfolds.

Binet admits that since The Blue of Distance, some of his subsequent ballets have worked, others not so much. “It’s not like you’ve cracked the code and now you know how to make a great ballet and can make it forever,” he says. “Naively, I didn’t realize if you figure it out for one ballet, that doesn’t mean you have it figured out for the next one. You can only take forward what you’ve learned.”

Blankenbuehler learned to honor his post-Hamilton projects as their own events, and, equally importantly, to analyze the successful ingredients of Hamilton‘s staging and choreography. “I’m not going to duplicate the choreography, but I’m trying to test myself against that,” he says. “Hamilton is very honest. Things don’t look like dance steps, things look like emotional ideas and literal words. I’m very proud of Bandstand because it is consistent with Hamilton in that it is honest. Even though there’s a big shadow from Hamilton, it has simply made me a better artist.”

To avoid being pegged as a one-trick pony, many choreographers aim for versatility. Brown keeps expanding his vocabulary through other dance genres: West African, Afro-Cuban and Afro-Haitian dance forms, for example. Ochoa continues to choreograph both abstract and narrative works in classical and contemporary idioms. And Blankenbuehler moves seamlessly from Hamilton‘s hip hop to Bandstand‘s swing, bebop and jitterbug.

Pacing yourself can prove challenging once the phone keeps ringing. Binet tries to manage his time sensibly and not say “yes” to everything. “When you’re starting, you need practice to build your reputation and get your work in front of people,” he says. “Now I’m in the process of making the transition to larger-scale works and just trying to understand what kind of time I need to set aside for that.”

Many choreographers find that proving their artistic currency gives them a stronger negotiating stance. For example, to allow for “the work to get in the dancers’ bodies and marinate and simmer a bit,” Brown now requests a healthy amount of time in between the rehearsal period and the premiere. Because Blankenbuehler prepares extensively in advance, he requires extra studio space and time before the rehearsal process even begins. He also needs demo tracks with arrangements featuring at least horns and drums, as opposed to a solo piano recording. “That’s an odd thing to ask for, but I have to have that,” says Blankenbuehler.

Rather than being crushed by the weight of their successes, choreographers are seemingly served best by understanding what works for them. Very little in the act of creating new dances is predictable. “I think it’s so easy to get caught up in how your career is building and what each piece is going to lead to,” says Binet. “You have to be ambitious, but you can’t plan for everything because it never happens that way. Wherever you are and whoever you’re working with, you just try to make it your best work and trust in that.”

The post How Choreographers Avoid The One-Hit Wonder Trap appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Kyle Abraham

Kyle Abraham (whose company, Abraham.In.Motion was featured on the August 2017 cover of Dance Magazine) was recognized for his unique work both as a solo artist and choreographer for his company. He told OUT that his work “speaks to experiences of isolation and longing helps audiences find a kind of commonality.”

Bill T. Jones

Photo by Stephanie Berger

Bill T. Jones has been using dance to address social issues like LGBTQ rights and the AIDS crisis for over four decades. “Queer life at its best represents individual freedom in search of beauty,” Jones told OUT. “I’m in search of deeper meaning in a time evermore under the shadow of fascism. Today asks me, ‘What are you made of? And are you really as brave as you say you are?’ ”

Adam Shankman

Director, producer and author Adam Shankman told OUT, “I think all we can do is use our voices to speak our truth and stand up for ourselves and our beliefs—but we also have to listen.” Having directed the film adaptations of musicals like Hairspray and Rock of Ages, Shankman is currently co-producing Step Up: High Water, a scripted drama for YouTube Red, whose leading character is a young gay black dancer.

The Alvin Ailey Dancers

Out gave a special shoutout to company members (and real-life couple) Michael Francis McBride and Samuel Lee Roberts, as well as Vernard J. Gilmore, Yannick Lebrun, Jermaine Terry and Daniel Harder. For nearly 60 years, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has been breaking boundaries in dance as they tour the world with works by choreographers like Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Talley Beatty and Twyla Tharp.

The post See the Dancers & Choreographers Who Made 'OUT' Magazine's 100 Most Influential LGBTQ People of the Year appeared first on Dance Magazine.

“Rue Montorgueil” was choreographed by French artist Redha Medjellekh—and it’s only the beginning of Medjellekh’s collab with Ailey. Over the next year, he’ll make a series of videos starring Ailey dancers, with the goal of reaching as broad and diverse an audience as possible.

“I wanted to illustrate that no matter your gender, nationality or age, we can communicate and share a common thread through dance,” Medjellekh said in a press release.

Check out an excerpt from the film below, and then click over to NOWNESS, which premiered the video, to watch the whole thing.

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The post Watch Ailey Celebrate the Beauty of Diversity in the Streets of Paris appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Today, we are thrilled to announce the four honorees for 2017:

Hip hop icon Rennie Harris

Dance medicine pioneer Marika Molnar

Ailey phenom Linda Celeste Sims

International ballerina Diana Vishneva

Keep your eyes peeled for our December issue to learn more about the extraordinary accomplishments of each of these leaders in our field today.

And join us to celebrate with live performances and special guests at New York’s Ailey Citigroup Theater on December 4. For the first time, this year’s event will donate proceeds to the Harkness Foundation for Dance to fund a newly-created award for choreographers in their first decade of professional work.

Click here
for the official press release.

Tickets to the performance and post-awards cocktail party and buffet are $250. Opportunities to participate at a leadership level of $1,000 are available and include a VIP pre-performance champagne reception. Performance-only tickets are $50. To order, email dmawards@dancemedia.com or call 212-979-4872.

The post Meet Our 2017 Dance Magazine Awardees appeared first on Dance Magazine.

When I was little, I wouldn’t stop dancing if I could help it. One of my favorite things to do was to pretend to be Gene Kelly in the backyard on my parents’ deck. As soon as a prairie sun shower came raining down I would drop everything and run out there to sing, laugh and listen to the echo of my tapping toes.

Dancing was my joy and my therapy. I grew up in a home that was often punctuated by anger and deep unhappiness. I often helplessly watched my dad struggle with bouts of depression and aggression.

His unhappiness was particularly hard for me; he was the parent I spent most of my time with and I loved him more than anything. Dance became my answer to this sadness.

While dancing and eventually pursuing my dreams of doing it for a living, I could both escape the darker realities of my life and bring healing into my family’s lives. I recognized my joy in dance as a gift from God. I felt strong, intelligent and fearless when I moved my body.

Photo by Paul Kolnik

I dance because it is a language that transcends the language of the tongue. It connects with the heart, and it so beautifully and thoughtfully reflects the human condition. Dancing with the incredible Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has taught me so much about this.

A favorite moment was when I was invited to perform Alvin Ailey’s solo masterpiece Cry as part of an event hosted by a branch of the United Nations that focused on fighting human trafficking. This event brought experts together to use data and their collective intelligence to try to solve one of the world’s most urgent problems.

I was there to use my body to offer a story of inextricable struggle, triumph and freedom in the form of 17 intense minutes of dance. I was there to influence hearts and minds in a way that perhaps words can’t.

Photo by Andrew Eccles

My mantra when I’m in the wings before I step onstage is “Be generous, without fear or hope.” Of course, there are times when I’m afraid I might execute a step poorly, especially if I’m exhausted or injured. And who doesn’t hope to hear a roaring applause after something they’ve done onstage?

But at the end of the day, I believe that dance is an offering best committed to with a sense of purity. I dance to be a vessel for love, empathy, generosity and healing. That is why I dance!

Photo by Andrew Eccles

The post "I Dance To Be A Vessel For Love, Empathy, Generosity and Healing" appeared first on Dance Magazine.

But how can performers learn to let music drive the dance? We asked some of today’s most musical dancers how they do it.

Study the Score

Even if you can’t read a musical score, study the melodies and harmonies, measures and notes. Houston Ballet principal Karina González says that “actively listening” helps her to understand the piece’s mood and tenor, particularly if it’s a contemporary score with a complicated rhythm. “I constantly listen to the music—driving to work, working out, during a 5-minute break or right before rehearsal while going over the choreography in my head,” she says. “Then, when I am dancing I know the music so well that I do not have to think about it. It’s in my bones.”

When in Doubt, Count Every Note

“Although Balanchine is about as musical as it gets, his black and white ballets invariably demand counting,” says Pacific Northwest Ballet principal Noelani Pantastico. “I have no choice but to count because the Stravinsky challenges my ears. I have to listen religiously and constantly go over the counting so I can be comfortable enough to dance freely.”

Know the Steps Inside and Out

If you want to play with timing, the movement has to first become ingrained in your muscle memory. “When you become so familiar with the choreography that you get ignited onstage, you can hold a move longer, or make it faster elsewhere, then you can play with the music,” says Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Rachael McLaren.

Think of the Score as a Partner

Musicality is a kind of pas de deux, or game-playing, that helps to create the mood of the piece. Challenge yourself to find the space between the notes. McLaren points to Ailey icon Judith Jamison: “She knew how to use the back of the beat, with her groundedness, and depth, like in Cry. It makes for an incredible theatrical experience when the dancer experiments that way.”

Stay Present

Musical dancers respond to what they’re hearing moment to moment. Of course, this is easiest when you have live music. “Because the tempi can drift from night to night, you are obliged to listen even more attentively,” says Lucien Postlewaite, who is rejoining Pacific Northwest Ballet from Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo this fall. Regardless, staying aware of the music can focus your mind onstage, and keep your dancing connected to what’s happening in the moment.

Ask About the Choreographer’s Approach

Understanding the choreographer’s intent will inform how you play with timing. For example, New York City Ballet principal Tiler Peck points out how Jerome Robbins “wanted the movement to look easy, almost marked,” she says, “and also for you to work both with and off the music.” But don’t be afraid to make your own mark. “Musicality is the play between adherence to structure and freedom in interpretation,” says National Ballet of Canada’s Skylar Campbell.

Learn an Instrument

Although you don’t need to be a musician to be musical, the more exposure you get to music, the more it will develop your ear. McLaren trained in classical piano. For Postlewaite, it was the violin; for Campbell, the drums instilled in him a strong sense of rhythm.

Let the Music Lead

Musicality also can help with technique. For Peck, a good pirouette or fouetté is the result of listening to the music, rather than calculating it. “Turning is much more musical than technical,” she says. “I do my best turns when the music carries me through, whether I’m going to do two, or four.”

Visualize It

Imagine wrapping your body in the music. Let it take over, and see how the notes move you. “By immersing myself within the music,” says Campbell, “I can find the subtleties in phrasing within the steps I’m given.”

Find a Way to Fall in Love

“The hardest ballet for me to dance is one with music that I don’t like,” says Peck. “No matter how hard I try, the dance does not make sense.” Even if a score doesn’t immediately grab you, find your own way in—whatever helps you connect.

The post Today's Most Musical Dancers Share Their Secrets appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Starting Too Late

Chelsea Dumas, Charlotte Ballet

Peter Zay, Courtesy Charlotte Ballet

I didn’t attend my first summer intensive until I was 17. Instead, I took classes at my home studio and went to competitions and conventions. Finally, my teacher sat me down and said, “If you want to make a career out of this, you have to start training more seriously.” I auditioned for the School of American Ballet’s summer intensive on a whim, but once I was in New York, everything changed. Being around the New York City Ballet dancers was so inspiring. I saw what it was truly like to be a professional, and it fueled my passion. I’m grateful I grew up as a competition dancer because it made me extremely versatile, but I wish I’d immersed myself in the serious ballet world a few years earlier.

Not Doing Research

Lloyd A. Boyd III, Ailey II

Eduardo Patino, Courtesy Ailey

Although I attended several amazing intensives, I regret not taking full advantage of everything that’s out there. I picked programs because I had a personal connection there; I didn’t do a lot of outside research. For instance, I chose Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp’s dance program solely because a friend had gone and had a great time. I wouldn’t change the places I studied—but I could have done more. I had friends who did multiple intensives each summer. I could have benefited from trying new techniques; I’ve never studied Graham, or tried Alonzo King’s movement. Every program offers a chance to network and meet different people. If I’d been exposed to more, I might’ve had a broader spectrum to choose from when planning for college and my career.

Overthinking It

Alicia Delgadillo, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago

Todd Rosenberg, Courtesy Hubbard Street

After doing a few other intensives, I spent four summers at Hubbard Street. I fell in love with the company’s culture, repertory and teachers, as well as the city. But during my third year there, I started to focus heavily on getting into Hubbard Street 2; at least one person was hired or taken on as an apprentice every summer. Soon, I was overthinking, trying too hard—always conscious of who was watching and the reactions they were having. The next year, I made myself let go of that pressure. Once I relaxed, that’s when it happened! My advice is to focus on improving your technique and artistry, and learning from new people—not landing the job.

Resisting New Styles

Cecilia Iliesiu, Pacific Northwest Ballet

Angela Sterling, Courtesy PNB

I always attended every summer intensive class, but I regret not being fully present when we did contemporary styles. I was so focused on ballet! One year, I even asked to trade a hip-hop class for an additional pointe class. I didn’t realize that tutus and pointe shoes are often only half of a professional ballet career; the other half tends to be contemporary work. I wish I’d been more courageous with different styles as a student. If you’re really invested in your art form, you need to explore beyond where you’re comfortable.

Staying In A Bubble

Kate Coleman, L.A. Contemporary Dance Company

Taso Papadakis, Courtesy LACDC

Growing up in the Chicago suburbs, summer programs were very accessible. I did intensives at Ruth Page Center for the Arts, River North Dance Chicago, Hubbard Street and other local studios. There was always something I hadn’t tried yet—and it was nice not to have to pay for housing. But after I came to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles for college and spent a semester in New York City, I realized that I’d been in a Chicago bubble. My dancing grew as I discovered what other cities had to offer. I found myself more open to new styles of contemporary, versus the contemporary jazz I grew up doing. This helped me find my own voice within a choreographer’s movement. I also learned that there’s no definite line between the concert-dance world and the commercial-dance world. I grew up with my heart set on dancing with a company, not realizing I could do concert and commercial work simultaneously. Summer study could have opened my eyes much sooner.

The post 5 Pros on Their Summer Intensive Regrets appeared first on Dance Magazine.

“I wish everyone would turn on the music and dance. It helps in so many ways to make life happier and more interesting.”

Q: Do you feel the role of the philanthropist has changed in today’s political climate?

“I believe that giving to humanity in any way that is beneficial is what the world needs now.”

Read the rest of Dance Magazine‘s list of the most influential people in dance today.

The post The Most Influential People in Dance Today: Glorya Kaufman appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Read the rest of Dance Magazine‘s list of the most influential people in dance today.

The post The Most Influential People in Dance Today: Robert Battle appeared first on Dance Magazine.

But we also discovered something that makes us love Angelou even more—and gives us a new perspective on her writing. Before she became renowned for her poetry and memoirs, Angelou was a bonafide professional dancer, touring Europe in a production of Porgy & Bess, studying with Martha Graham and performing with Alvin Ailey (she was even one of Ailey’s first partners!).

She was also a professional singer and recorded an album called “Calypso Lady,” according to NPR. “I was known as Miss Calypso, and when I’d forget the lyric, I would tell the audience, ‘I seem to have forgotten the lyric. Now I will dance.’ And I would move around a bit,” she said in a 2008 interview.

Of course, later in her career Angelou acted in various movies and television shows, including the mini-series Roots.

Sadly it doesn’t look like any video footage of Angelou dancing exists. But we’re sure she was as captivating onstage as she was in her writing.

The post Before Maya Angelou Was a Poet, She Was a Dancer appeared first on Dance Magazine.

But the career move came with several challenges. Here’s how she’s tackled them:

To get used to the rep:

“I had to take a lot more modern classes to get the grounded feeling back into my body,” she says. “I had been doing a lot of contemporary work on and off pointe that required me to be more ‘pulled up.’ ”

To build stamina:

Mayeux visits the gym for cardio workouts whenever her schedule allows, using the treadmill or elliptical for 30 minutes at a time.

Thinkstock

To make it through long rehearsal days:

Mayeux is careful to pace herself: She never jumps into class or rehearsal without checking in with her body first. “I usually start my day out on the floor with layers and layers of warm-up clothes on,” she says. She begins by stretching her quads and flexing and pointing her feet, then likes to do the “cat-cow” yoga exercise to warm up her core and spine. “I try to get my body lubricated before classes.”

To keep her body healthy:

Once or twice a week, Mayeux has a company PT help her with her Achilles tendon—a common problem spot—by using manual therapy techniques to ensure her ankles are properly aligned and do not feel “jammed.” She also stretches (mostly her hamstrings) and self-massages (mostly her calves) every night before bed to address any areas of tightness.

And when the company’s on layoff? She heads home to Houston to take a break from dance, and spend time with her family and two English bulldogs, London and Rome.

Mayeux’s bulldogs, London and Rome. Photo courtesy Mayeux

The post How Ashley Mayeux Transformed Her Body to Handle the Ailey Rep appeared first on Dance Magazine.

It wasn’t until two years later that they started to bond over the TV show Brothers and Sisters. Although one thing led to the next, the two kept their romantic relationship private from the company for another year.

But it’s definitely not a secret anymore.

When the couple sat down for dinner at their favorite local restaurant in January, McBride had no idea what was in store. For almost a year, Roberts had plotted and choreographed a surprise proposal with over 40 friends and family, a world-class flash mob with dancers from both Ailey and Paul Taylor Dance Company.

Maybe if he had known, McBride says would have taken Roberts up on his suggestion to change out of his “mom jeans and sweatshirt”!

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Watch their story unfold on Instagram @samuellee.me & @mickey.mc.

Videographer credit: Daniel Robertson

The post When Two Ailey Dancers Get Engaged, Of Course There Are (Professional) Background Dancers appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Company:
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Age:
28

Hometown:
Montclair, New Jersey

Training:
Sharron Miller’s Academy for the Performing Arts, The Ailey School, BFA in dance from SUNY Purchase

Monteiro in action (the second dancer in this excerpt of the
“Sinner Man” section of Alvin Ailey’s Revelations)

Breakout moment:
Performing Abraham’s Untitled America—as an Ailey dancer. “Kyle was able to see me as ‘Chalvar the dancer’ and not ‘Chalvar the Abraham.In.Motion dancer.’ He started to see more of what I have to offer.”

“I really appreciate his quiet storm.

He has a certain effortlessness

that is intoxicating.” —Robert Battle

Being older has its advantages:
Earlier in his career, Monteiro says he was an impressionable young dancer. “If the wind was blowing to the right, I was going to the right. Now I feel I can dictate where I want to go and why I want to go there.” Dancing for a range of choreographers, learning Ailey’s immense repertoire and attending performances—he loved, for instance, a recent show by Michelle Dorrance—have helped broaden his perspective.

Monteiro (left) with Jamar Roberts in Kyle Abraham’s Untitled America. Photo by Paul Kolnik, Courtesy AAADT.

What artistic director Robert Battle is saying:
“Chalvar’s movement kind of simmers,” says Battle. “He’s the type of dancer that hasn’t even begun to hit the notes that he will eventually hit. He has a lot of potential even within his prowess.”

The trouble with being so flexible:
“My legs can just kind of fly up from underneath me! I’ve knocked myself over a few times.”

What he’s working on:
Ownership. “People expect to see a certain type of dancer when they come to see Ailey. But I’m just working on being honest,” says Monteiro. “I want to be myself without imposing myself on the work. I’m also working on being excited by the unknown. You know Virgos: I like to know what I’m doing, when I’m doing it and who I’m doing it with. Now I’m working with being okay with not knowing everything.”

The post On the Rise: Chalvar Monteiro appeared first on Dance Magazine.

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