For Christopher Taylor, dancing in the street led to dancing on the stage. Taylor had a blast dancing in Military Park, he says, while growing up in Newark. Now, he makes his debut Wednesday as a member of Ailey II, where he takes the stage at Manhattan’s The Ailey Citigroup Theater, playing until April 3.
In celebration of Women's History Month, we highlight a trailblazer in the world of ballet who is now heading up the next generation of performers at a dance theater in New York City. Francesca Harper is making her New York City debut as the artistic director at Alvin Ailey II on Wednesday night. Harper is following her mother, the late Denise Jefferson's footsteps. Her mother directed the Ailey school for roughly 26 years. When Jefferson was a child dreaming of becoming a ballerina, a teacher pointed out that there were none of color, and she quit. She would later return to dance, but that story stuck with Harper.
First-year Ailey II member Hannah Alissa Richardson will join, the celebrated second company to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, as they return to their home, The Ailey Citigroup Theater, for a highly anticipated two-week season featuring 10 performances from March 23 to April 3. In the first New York Season led by Artistic Director Francesca Harper, the gifted 12-member ensemble will showcase their artistry in three programs featuring premieres and returning favorites: Dichotomous, New Lens and Pulse, as well as the special celebrating Robert Battle's 10th anniversary program paying homage to his visionary leadership and Ailey journey, which began in 1999 choreographing Mood Indigo for the second company. Broadwayworld had the pleasure of interviewing Hannah Alissa Richardson about her career and the upcoming performances by Ailey II.
Francesca Harper, internationally renowned performer, choreographer, director, and multi-disciplinary artist, has changed the trajectory of The Ailey II Company New York after being tapped by Robert Battle, Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, to lead the renowned dance company in the 21st century. Harper assumed the duties of Artistic Director of Ailey II, the Ailey organization's acclaimed company of young dancers September 7, 2021, and immediately started preparing for Ailey II's return to the stage.
Ask Francesca Harper how she felt when Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Artistic Director Robert Battle announced her appointment as artistic director of Ailey II, that internationally renowned AAADT’s acclaimed troupe of young talented dancers and she gushes with excitement declaring, “It’s kind of surreal.” Yet, in many ways the appointment seems a natural step in a rather remarkable career, as well as a promising beginning of a critically acclaimed dance company’s next chapter, and last but not least, as a perfect example of the circle of life.
Today, Zoey Anderson, Corey John Snide, and I are all professional dancers thriving in the industry. But we were once anxious, excited young college students in NYC, hoping to make it big. The three of us graced the September 2013 Dance Spirit Higher Ed Issue cover together. Anderson graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in 2015, the same year Snide graduated from The Juilliard School; I completed the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in 2016. Recently, we reconnected to talk about how we've grown over the years.
This spring has seen ballet leap into the digital world... Hosted last night on YouTube, the night raised funds for the Ailey company as well as the Equal Justice Initiative (a non-profit organization providing legal representation to the wrongly convicted and the disadvantaged). The night would bring a world premiere, archival footage of one of Mr. Ailey’s first-ever performances, and an expanded reimagining of Revelations. With cameos and kind words delivered by Ailey fans like Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom, Jr., Timothy Shriver (whose own daughter was student at The Ailey School), Angela Bassett, and more, it was a celebration of the dance company’s rich history and a moment of much-needed togetherness in honor of Black Lives Matter.
Since 2013, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has appeared annually at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater. This year is the exception, somewhat. As part of its Ailey All Access series of online presentations, begun March 30 in the wake of the pandemic, the troupe has been working on ways to still offer a June season of a sort. Before the theater shutdown, live performances had been scheduled for June 10 to 14. Instead, starting this Thursday at 8 p.m. EDT, viewers at home will be able to stream a four-part mixed bill, performed on the Koch stage, the was filmed in 2015.
It's every young dancer's fantasy: Attend a summer intensive, dazzle the artistic staff with your flawless technique, land a company contract, and grand-jets into the sunset. If only it were that simple, right?... We caught up with six pros who followed the summer-intensive-to-dream-job route to get the inside scoop on how to give yourself a fighting chance at that coveted end-of-summer offer. For Jamaris Mitchell, who's in her first season with Ailey II, attending the company's summer intensive made all the difference.
From 1961 to 1994, legendary photographer Jack Mitchell captured thousands of moments with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Now, this treasure trove of dance history is available to the public for viewing via the online archives of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.