When a school is a training ground for a company, its performances offer an interesting opportunity to see the way technique and performance styles are forged. On Wednesday night the Alvin AIley School presented its Spring Celebration Concert at the Ailey Citigroup Theater, and the senior students who too pride of place were remarkable for the ardent sincerity of their demeanor as well as the excellence of their dancing.
Yes, absolutely, there was a great deal of pomp and circumstance (ball gowns, black ties, a red carpet and celebrities), because after all, it was time for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater annual spring gala at the world famous Apollo Theater to celebrate and support dance education under the Ailey umbrella.
I cannot tell you how immensely excited I was about starting this series. I got the idea after I interviewed Ms. Forsythe for Dance Magazine's Teachers Wisdom section. Since we both work at The Ailey School we see each other almost daily but this was the first time that we had opportunity (and cause) to sit and talk about the work.
It takes many years of study to acquire a professional level of dance technique, so aspiring dancers must begin training at a very young age. Even those who start performing professionally as youngsters must continue training through their adolescent years.
Today the contemporary dance family tree has all kinds of offshoots, but its base includes four modern dance branches: the techniques created by Martha Graham, Jose Limon, Lester Horton and Merce Cunningham.
Once upon a time only the wealthiest elite could afford purple clothing. The dye was extremely rare - it came from a sea snail! You don't have to be an aristocrat to wear the royal shade now. We found rehearsal pieces in periwinkle, puce, plum, lavender, lilac, violet, and orchid.
"What does age have to do with it?" DT asked dance educators at all stages of their careers. "How long did it take to hit your stride? What do you wish you knew when just starting out?" And perhaps most important of all, "What do all dancers need to know beforer they teach?"
William B. Ward School third graders were treated to a three-day residency by Alvin Ailey dancers, which culminated in two performances at the school Friday.
You see it everywhere in contemorary and modern choreography. It's the "wow" step that takes you from standing to the floor with just a simple bend of the knees: the hinge.
On July 17, Denise Jefferson, director of The Ailey School, died of ovarian cancer. Affectionately known as Ms. J, her warmth and megawatt smile belied the fact that she was the mastermind behind the educational juggernaut for 26 years.