Now approaching its 60th anniversary, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has, since the death of its founder, in 1989, been a troupe of fine dancers in search of choreography. New York City Ballet continues to perform the considerable body of work that George Balanchine left behind; Ailey's company, now helmed by Robert Battle, has not been as fortunate.
When Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater comes to town Tuesday night to perform at the Kentucky Center for the Arts, they’ll bring along their executive director, Bennett Rink. For the Ailey company, it’s the 10th stop on a 20-city tour, but for for Rink, it’s a journey home.
The path to becoming an actor can often lead to something else entirely. While Bennett Rink ended up in New York City, he didn’t find his career on the stage but behind it as executive director of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, which performs at the Kentucky Center on Tuesday, March 15.
La talentosa bailarina Samantha Barriento regresa a Nueva York.
During the course of its nearly six decades as a cultural phenomenon, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has created a unique and enduring bond with its audiences. And when the company arrives for its annual Chicago engagement something else pops into place: The Auditorium Theatre instantly becomes the most racially mixed hub in a city that can still be divided.
Robert Battle, artistic director for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, explains why it was important for him to come back home to Liberty City to teach a master class to aspiring dancers of Miami's Northwestern High School.
Can you remember an inspirational experience that changed your life? Robert Battle certainly can.
With an adrenaline-fueled rush, Robert Battle's "Awakening" ushers in a new era for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. But while it feels like a departure for both Battle as choreographer and for the company, in truth "Awakening" in many ways continues Alvin Ailey's vision.
"I will never again say I can't do anything!" declares 14-year-old Kyle Grant from Mitchells Plain, a crime-riddled township of Cape Town. This young dance student has just witnessed the exhilarating Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's (AAADT) mini-performance for school children at the city's largest theater.