Corrin Rachelle Mitchell

The Baltimore Banner - America’s Most Prestigious Black Dance Company Fills Its Ranks With Maryland Dancers

The Baltimore Banner - America’s Most Prestigious Black Dance Company Fills Its Ranks With Maryland Dancers

She was the most beautiful dancer the kindergartner from Randallstown had ever seen: a petite African American woman, hair slicked back into a voluptuous bun, dancing a solo to a gospel number by Yolanda Adams. Jessica Amber Pinkett, wearing a sparkly tutu and standing in the wings, was watching her teacher’s former student Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, a Baltimore-born star at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, who had returned to share the stage with Pinkett and other young dancers.

ABC 7 Eyewitness News - 'Testament': Alvin Ailey Dance Theater Perseveres Through COVID Pandemic

ABC 7 Eyewitness News - 'Testament': Alvin Ailey Dance Theater Perseveres Through COVID Pandemic

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has been devastating for the performing arts in New York City, with concert venues and Broadway theaters shut down. But those who run the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater were determined not to cancel the Company's traditional holiday shows. The result is Ailey Forward, a series of nine performances online that are available for free. Ailey Forward is a fitting title for these presentations, which extend from now through to the end of the year. The work was filmed at a variety of locations in the city, including Wave Hill Public Garden and Cultural Center overlooking the Hudson River in the Bronx. That's where a new work called "Testament" was filmed, and it is a tribute to Ailey's resilience.