Renowned ballet instructor Finis Jhung is used to teaching people how to dance. For years, he’s been doing it at Ailey Extension in Hell’s Kitchen, where he teaches adults and seniors. But when the Coronavirus struck, his in-person classes came to halt, so he decided to digitize his moves and teach classes live on Facebook and Instagram.
Rennie Harris is one of the great dance makers of our time. In adapting hip-hop dance to the concert stage, he is at once authentic, imaginative and affecting. Critics have been saying that for decades, but in all that concert stages were pretty much the only places you could see what we meant. The availability of his work on video or online has been close to nil. That changes this weekend, briefly, as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater streams his "Lazarus" on its website.
The Ailey organization manifests founder Alvin Ailey’s belief that “dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people” with Ailey All Access, a series of digital dance offerings including online streaming of performances, dance and fitness classes, educational programs and original short films created by the Ailey dancers.
For most performing artists, the daily routine is roughly the same: rehearse, perform, rinse and repeat. But with the coronavirus shuttering live shows around the world, musicians, dancers, actors and others have had to adapt to a new reality — without an audience to prepare for. We talked to some about how they’re staying in shape and honing their craft while working from home. ‘You can’t sit still for long.’ – Constance Stamatiou, dancer, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Robert Battle has been charged with continuing Alvin Ailey's formidable legacy, bringing mesmerizing, educational dance to audiences around the world.
There may not be a crowd of folks gathering around a birthday cake. But make no mistake — Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is celebrating the anniversary of the company’s very first performance, on March 30, 1958, and we’re all invited. The organization is launching Ailey All Access (www.alvinailey.org/ailey-all-access) to share free online streaming of performances, classes, workshops, conversations, and short original films by company dancers.
In this uncertain time, dancers have a useful perspective: Gently loosen those joints and muscles as much as you can, firm your self-discipline, calm your mind. Dancer wisdom teaches us that life is live theater, forever an improv performance, and we can feel our way through it by establishing a routine, caring for our whole selves and also turning outward, to care for those around us. Yet performing careers are brief, and no dancer can afford to lose time — or money. The recently interrupted tours, canceled premieres, locked studios and social distancing requirements have hit the financially fragile, socially enmeshed dance world hard. When your life revolves around lifting, leaping, catching, jumping and otherwise spending time (often literally joined at the hip) with your dance partners, how do you deal with solitary confinement?
As the lyrics go in “I Been ’Buked” — the opening section of Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece, “Revelations” — “There is trouble all over this world.” Don’t we know it. Last week after Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater abruptly ended its tour and sent its dancers home, Danica Paulos — who creates content on Instagram for the group — asked her fellow company members if they were, she said, “down to create some positivity and some inspiration.”
When Judy Chicago debuted her now-iconic feminist art installation The Dinner Party 40 years ago, everyone had thoughts—it was striking and powerful piece to some, and controversial to others. Featuring a large triangular table with 39 dinner plate settings, the piece served as a tribute to women Chicago believed deserved a seat at the table and quickly became her most recognized and praised body of work. In honor of International Women's Day and the 40th anniversary of The Dinner Party, Chicago joined forces with The Ailey School to honor the 39 pioneering figures through another art form: dance.
As a young girl growing up in Huntington Beach, Danica Paulos pursued two passions: dance and photography. She never dreamed at the time that she would excel in both before she even turned 20. Paulos, now 26, will perform with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Los Angeles later this month. One of America’s pre-eminent dance troupes, it has been her home since shortly after she graduated from high school and this season will be her last with the company.