"I'm just thrilled that we are going back and getting feedback in real time from the audience, that's the secret sauce," Alvin Ailey Artistic Director Robert Battle said. No one knew it, but the season finale on January 5, 2020 would be the last time.
When sportswear brand Champion approached artist Tremaine Emory, aka Denim Tears, to collaborate on a new line, Emory looked to none other than Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for inspiration. To promote the launch of the resulting capsule collection, Ailey's own Samantha Figgins and Yannick Lebrun took over the Queens Museum for a short film, activating the empty space with their dancing. Directed by Taylour Paige, this video features gorgeous shots of the two dancers bringing the designs to life.
"He’s just as important as Michael Jordan,” said Tremaine Emory. Emory was referring to Alvin Ailey, the Black activist and choreographer who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1958, when Black stories weren’t being told onstage through modern dance. His name isn’t as familiar as Michael Jordan’s, but his impact is far reaching. Ailey passed more than three decades ago, but his name still lives on through the dance company that he founded and the work he contributed. In 1960 he produced “Revelations,” a piece that tells the story of African American culture from slavery to freedom, and is still being performed by his company today. Emory, the designer behind Denim Tears, wanted to honor that with his newest project, an apparel collection called Cry/Revelations that was produced by Champion. Emory said Champion approached him about a collaboration and he immediately knew he wanted to do something connected to Alvin Ailey.
In our third episode of The Freedom to Be video series, timed to coincide with #NationalDanceDay today (Sept. 18), we spotlight the Black dance community in NYC. Choreographer and dancer Alvin Ailey founded his namesake company in 1958 to bring African American dance to all corners of the US—and, eventually, the world. The dance theater, which forged a space for Black creatives in times and places where it often didn’t exist, is now a fixture of New York City culture. Meet two dancers from the troupe, Yannick Lebrun and Caroline Dartey, who emigrated from French Guiana and Switzerland, respectively, to pursue their dreams. Lebrun has been with the company for almost 15 years, while Dartey is just starting her journey. Both enjoy the sense of community and freedom of expression they’ve found at Alvin Ailey.
When star dancers retire, it's always a little sad. And if those dancers are still in their prime, fans can feel an especially acute sense of loss. The performances that won't happen are easy to imagine. But in the uncommon case when the dancer has already achieved distinction as a choreographer and is retiring to focus on that craft, the loss is offset by potential gain. The dancer will be absent from the stage, but the dancer's spirit and sensibility might spread across it... On Dec. 9, Jamar Roberts is giving his farewell performance with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Few dance companies are more prestigious and competitive to get into than Manhattan-based Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. So, despite years of training and confidence in the skills she’d honed, Bronx native Khalia Campbell was stunned when she was asked to join in 2018. “I cried and cried,” she says. “I was totally in shock, but I was elated and I was grateful. I think that’s the best word to describe the feeling I had — grateful. One could say that it was destined to be.” “I don’t come from a musical background, but my dad was pretty musically inclined,” Campbell says of her father, who died when she was 1. “He was a DJ and he also played the drums. He used to put his headsets around my mom’s stomach when she was pregnant with me, so I just came out being able to listen to rhythm and move to it."
Exploring the life and legacy of Alvin Ailey in the film “Ailey,” a profile on the legendary choreographer featuring historic performances and interviews.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Jacqueline Green is featured in “Really Love” performing an excerpt of Alvin Ailey’s Cry.
When I was in high school, my friends at The Chicago Academy for the Arts told me about Lisa Johnson-Willingham, an impressive former Ailey dancer who was teaching Horton at Joel Hall Dancers & Center on Thursday nights. I decided I ought to give her class a try. The first time I went, I didn’t even pay for class. In fact, I don’t think I ever paid for her class. She was tough as nails, but she was always generous. The room was packed with people from all over the city. From modern dancers to professional ballet dancers to young students—everyone wanted to learn from her. Her classroom got so hot from sweaty bodies that the windows completely fogged up and contrasted the cold night outside.
Last summer, Jonathan Stafford, the artistic director of New York City Ballet, was feeling isolated and anxious. It was a few months into the pandemic, and the strangeness of lockdown and the turmoil and urgency of the Black Lives Matter protests were on his mind. City Ballet’s performances, programs and plans had come to an abrupt halt — as they had for performing arts organizations across the country. No one knew when or how theaters would open again. Stafford called Robert Battle, the artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, to chat. “This is great,” Battle said after they had spoken for a while. “I wish we were talking to other artistic directors.”