As Maguette Camara seamlessly shifts between the front of the studio and to play drums that are clustered on the side, it's hard to tell where the musician leaves off and the dancer begins. He's instructing an advanced-beginner level West African class at The Ailey School in New York, and the intricate rhythms are proving challenging to the students - 30 pre-professional men and women.
Throughout February, the White House is hosting events to celebrate African Americans, past and present, who have shaped and strengthened our nation. Check out some of the highlights so far, and stay tuned for more Black History Month events to come.
Valentine's Day edition.
Denmark-born Peter Brandenhoff's talents have taken him around the world, performing with the Boston Ballet, Hamburg Ballet and San Francisco Ballet. An in-demand ballet instructor, he is currently teaching at the Ailey Extension.
The Ailey Company's Linda Celeste Sims Thrives On Work
The last of Alvin Ailey's hand-picked company dancers, Renee Robinson will give her final performance as a member of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater on December 9. Before she departs, Robinson will lead a four-week Revelations master class series at the Ailey Extension.
Christopher Cuomo, ABC News 20/20 anchor and extreme-fitness investigator for Men's Health, goes toe-to toe- with Alvin Ailey's dancers to learn how they develop world-class jumping power, insanely strong cored, and outrageous flexibility.
My love of West African dance far exceeds my capabilities as a practitioner. No matter. Fifteen years had passed since my last class, and I was ready for another try. So one recent afternoon I wrapped a piece of African cloth around my waist and entered a packed studio at the Alvin Ailey extension center in Manhattan.
Attending Indian weddings and ending up the night sweaty and tired from hours of bhangra dancing have been regular parts of my weekend repertory since I was a child. The catchy music can entice even the most die-hard wallflower to move.
Whenever I read about people who are in thrall to a dance craze, my world suddenly seems too small. Oh, to dance the mazurka until my footmen are forced to carry me home on a makeshift gurney at dawn; oh, to spurn a dinner invitation to Scott and Zelda's because I literally cannot stop doing the Charleston.