Director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater School, Denise Jefferson and Dr. Jill Biden watch dancers rehearse at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Joan Weill Center for Dance on October 19, 2009 in New York City.
An offhand remark from a teacher such as, "Gained a little weight?" can leave its mark on a young dancer.
The Ailey School's demonstration of Horton Technique with Ana Marie Forsythe and Milton Myers was named Editors' Choice for the July Dance Teacher Video of the Month.
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater was founded in 1958. Choreographer, dancer, and director Alvin Ailey played an important role in cultivating opportunities for African-American modern dancers, presenting choreography that explored a wide range of the black experience.
In a well-known segment of Alvin Ailey's signature dance, ''Revelations,'' performed to the spiritual ''Wade in the Water,'' dancers wave swaths of billowy blue fabric to simulate a river.