All eyes turned to Nasha Thomas as she stepped into the dance rehearsal. The room fell quiet. With a few words, the AileyCamp national director commanded the attention of dozens of students as she shared feedback with campers preparing for an upcoming performance at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in early August.
All eyes turned to Nasha Thomas as she stepped into the dance rehearsal. The room fell quiet. With a few words, the AileyCamp national director commanded the attention of dozens of students as she shared feedback with campers preparing for an upcoming performance at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in early August. Thomas continued making her rounds, observing ballet, modern, West African dance and a percussion class, offering thoughtful adjustments along the way. “Stagger your positions,” she told one group. “Practice once without music. Get used to dancing without your glasses. Don’t rely on seeing every step. Tuck in loose strings. Remove rubber bands from your wrists. Be ready before the music begins.” Individually, the corrections were small. Collectively, they revealed something larger: Excellence is built through dozens of little habits.
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is known in Atlanta for its wonderful performances that sell out every February. What some don’t know is that the Ailey dance company doesn’t leave in February. They recruit dancers for the six-week Ailey Dance Camp. Students from Atlanta Public Schools, ages 11-14, are invited to participate. The Ailey Dance Camp operates in 20 cities across the country, providing life skills, including critical thinking, conflict resolution, and more. While some participants may go on to have careers in dance, most will use the poise and discipline they learn throughout their entire lives and careers.
Christopher Taylor still carries Newark with him every time he steps onto a stage. He remembers summers filled with booming house music, crowded park festivals and long days spent dancing in the middle of circles of cheering adults. “My grandmother was a house head,” he said, naming DJs and artists like Black Coffee and Kenny Bobien he heard at home. “I grew up with house music blasting all day.”
ATLANTA, Ga. - It may be a new era for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, but audiences can expect the same powerful and passionate storytelling as the company returns to Atlanta’s Fox Theatre this week. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to the Fox Theatre stage starting tonight and continuing through Sunday, February 15th for six public performances, including the world premieres of two works and the company premiere of another. It’s a long-running tradition for the groundbreaking company — founded by Ailey in New York in 1958 — to perform in Atlanta during the month of February; while last year’s engagement paid tribute to late artistic director Judith Jamison, this year’s tour marks an exciting new beginning as the first under new artistic director Alicia Graf Mack. Graf Mack was a star Ailey performer from 2005 and 2014, and was brought into the company by Jamison.
Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs (AAIE) has partnered with 92NY’s Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) to launch Finding Grace, a new K–12 dance residency and curriculum inspired by Ronald K. Brown’s celebrated work Grace. Led by Ailey teaching artists, the program fosters social-emotional learning while inviting students to study Brown’s movement style, create movement, and develop cultural literacy.
Resilience is the theme of this summer’s AileyCamp. Named after Alvin Ailey, the renowned dancer and founder of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the camp has 10 locations around the country including one at Newark Arts High School. This summer, the Newark camp — which is free — is hosting 88 participants, who range in age from 11 to 14 years old.
AileyCamper Austin Fisher stood in a rehearsal room at Newark Arts High School with dozens of eyes on her, held the barre with her right hand, arched her left arm above her head, and ever so gracefully bent backward at the waist.
As CBS News New York's Dave Carlin reports, a vibrant combination of talent, teaching and tradition makes AileyCamp a game-changer.
Students at Detroit Public Schools Community District put books and computer screens aside to learn about dance Thursday. At the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, students are learning to dream big. "I love dance and I like when I’m feeling low, I like to dance my way out of my feelings," said Janiya Kennedy, Thurgood Marshall Elementary School.