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Foot in Mouth invited <\/span><\/span> In history books, memoirs, We like to As a dancer I was As a member of I began teaching Within the The first of Another bit of
\ndancer, dance teacher, and writer <\/span>Theresa Ruth Howard<\/span><\/span> to reflect on Alvin Ailey
\nAmerican Dance Theater’s fiftieth anniversary, which the company is currently
\nin the middle of, from the inside out. Here she is:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n
\nand biographies, the subjects of the photographs–peering out from so very long
\nago–appear to readers as we have come to know them: at home in their own skin,
\nfully formed–not as they were in that moment, in that state of becoming. <\/span>
\nimagine that we can see a glint of knowing in their eyes. Can one feel history
\nbeing made? I once met Muhammad Ali in an airport and had the opportunity to
\nsit and talk with him for about twenty minutes. Oddly undisturbed, I asked him,
\n“Did you know then? Did you have any idea what was to come?”<\/span>
\nalways fascinated with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, its founder and,
\nof course, its dancers. I marveled at grainy photographs of Mr. Ailey in the studio
\nwith his dancers working on what might in the future be deemed a masterpiece.
\nOne has to wonder if they had any idea that they were churning the mortar for a
\nfoundation that would support fifty years of work–that with their bodies,
\nsweat, and passion they were writing the first chapter of a legacy.<\/span>
\nthe New York dance community, I have taken class in the old, 61st Street
\nbuilding, wandered through the halls looking into classes, and befriended
\ndancers, faculty members, and students. Though I was never a student or company
\nmember, the Ailey studios always felt like home–perhaps not <\/span>my<\/span><\/i><\/span> home, but at least that of a loving
\ngodparent. It was always okay to stop by unannounced, rest awhile, socialize,
\ngossip a bit, or just hang. There was nothing like the end of the summer
\nintensive performance, appropriately named the Summer Sizzler because the
\nstudio was so hot, you could sweat off a third of your body weight. It was
\nalways a hell (pun intended) of a show, and it always sold out!<\/span>
\nat the school about four years ago. It never quite dawned on me what exactly I
\nhad become a part of; I was just happy to have a gig. It was not until we moved
\ninto our new home, the glass palace on 55th Street and 9th Avenue, that it hit
\nme: I was a part of history. The newness and the grandeur of our modern
\nfacility took many of us aback, and for a while we were lost in the space. We
\nhad to create new ways of interacting, new systems of finding and connecting
\nwith people who used to be just feet away and were now on a separate floor.
\nSlowly and each in our own way, we grew acclimated to our new home and the
\npalace became just our place. <\/span>
\norganization, we fringe people had been hearing rumblings about the impending
\nfiftieth anniversary and to be prepared for a higher level of visibility. You
\ncan only imagine what that would mean in a <\/span>glass<\/span><\/i><\/span> building. The March 27th, 2008, launch
\nof the anniversary brought the grandeur back full blast. The plans revealed
\nthat New York audiences would not have to wait until Christmas to see the
\ncompany but that a season at BAM, in Brooklyn, was planned, as well as numerous
\nSummerstage performances in several boroughs. The Alvin Ailey American Dance
\nTheater is marking its fiftieth the only way a dance organization could–with
\ndance, dance, and more dance. <\/span>
\nnumerous New York appearances was Ailey II at the Joyce this April. It is
\nalways a treat to see this part of the organization from the inside out, as the
\ndancers are the harvest of the school, the physical representation of a through
\nline. Associate director of Ailey II, Troy Powell, for example, has marked all
\nthe steps, beginning with his training at the school at age nine. He also danced
\nin both first and second companies, and has now created for Ailey II “External
\nKnot,” which is indicative of the powerhouse work that Ailey has become known
\nfor. <\/span>
\nhistory on the Joyce stage was “When Dawn Comes…” by Christopher Huggins, who
\ndanced under Mr. Ailey. The piece brought the physically dynamic movement
\nvocabulary and musically-infused virtuosity of Mr. Ailey’s legacy to mind. The
\nfreedom and abandon with which the young dancers presented the work was
\nrefreshing, and Mr. Huggins should be applauded for creating such meaty
\nmaterial for them to work with and grow through. As a footnote, two of the
\nAiley II dancers, Yannik Lebrun and Rachael McLaren, have just been taken into
\nthe main company.<\/span>
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