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Life's A Pitch

For immediate release: the arts are marketable

Dance: 3, Looks: 10

May 12, 2009 by Amanda Ameer

After recently writing about Alvin Ailey’s Extension program (dance classes for “real people”), I decided try it out last weekend. It didn’t hurt that Sunday was a beautiful day, but the scene around the building was quite lovely and inviting.

Ailey1.jpgThere were attractive actual dancers (not that “real people” can’t be attractive, too…) hanging out on the steps outside, and the ground-floor studio is all-windows so passersby can see what’s going on inside (ahem).

Ailey2.jpgThat said, I’m glad my class was on the sixth floor; no need to use Real People Zumba to advertise your company to the city-at-large. Showing them little ballerinas-in-training is much better PR strategy. There was also good signage out front, so if the ballerina cuteness did catch your eye, you’d know you too could take classes there.

Ailey3.jpgThe sixth floor studio space was airy, open and had a great view. The class was packed, and they took attendance like a real dance class not for real people. There were some not so real-looking real people waiting for a ballet class after the Zumba class, so I suspect there are different ability-level classes offered.

Ailey4.jpg

There was a gift shop with Ailey work-out clothes, big screens advertising new classes and upcoming performances, and about 6 warm and welcoming staff members manning the lobby. When I went down to the locker room in the basement to shower and change after class, there was a student performance going on, and parents and siblings were standing outside the theater all dressed up with bouquets in hand.

I’ve seen Alvin Ailey performances at other venues but never at their space. My only complaint is that, when I went to their website yesterday to figure out what I should go see there, I couldn’t figure out if the company actually performs at the 55th street location or if that’s just for classes and student performances.

Filed Under: Main

Amanda Ameer

is a publicist who started First Chair Promotion in July 2007. She currently represents Hilary Hahn, Gabriel Kahane, David Lang, Michael Gordon, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Sondra Radvanovsky, Julia Wolfe, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Lawrence Brownlee. She thanks Chris Owyoung at One Louder Photo for taking the above photo very quickly and painlessly. Read More…

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