9/16/14 Reflections on Katherine Dunham and Lavinia Williams (part two)

By Noel Nantambu Hall

carib15k-4-copy

On her passing Mme. Williams was recognized by the Haitian government with an official national funeral and a posthumous award, Grand Officer De L’ Ordre National Honneur et Merite. She is survived by daughters Sharon and Sara, both of whom are active in the dance field. Sharon, a master percussionist and Sara, a former leading dancer with the Harkness and Atlanta ballets, the Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Continue reading

8/29/14 O&A Shall We Dance Friday (repost): Rainbow Round My Shoulder- Donald McKayle with Mary Hinkson

Shall We Dance

dance.doncarmen

Donald McKayle’s 1959 masterwork, Rainbow Round My Shoulder, is acclaimed as a modern dance classic. A searing dramatic narrative, it is set on a chain gang in the American south where prisoners work, breaking rock from “can see to can’t see.” Their aspirations for freedom come in the guise of a woman, first as a vision then as a remembered sweetheart, mother, and wife. The songs that accompany their arduous labor are rich in polyphony and tell a bitter, sardonic, and tragic story. It was created for the Donald McKayle Dance Company, and has been in the repertoire of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Batsheva Dance Company and Dayton Contemporary Dance, among others. The cast in the video excerpt includes Donald McKayle and Mary Hinkson. Continue reading

8/18/17 (Repost) O&A NYC Shall We Dance Friday: Desmond Richardson- Lament and Encore Performance Precious Blood with Carmen de Lavallade

Shall We Dance

DesmondRichardson022110

Desmond Richardson is a dancer, co-founder and co-artistic director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet. He has mastered a wide range of dance forms including classical, modern, contemporary ballet and jazz making him one of the most recognized performers of his generation. Continue reading

Dance Of The Village Elders Perform at Ailey School

By Walter Rutledge

Harlem Hospital Village Elders - 06-26-14

Dance of the Village Elders, a dance and fitness class designed for senior citizens, will hold their end of year demonstration and performance on Tuesday, July 1, 6:30pm at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Joan Weill Center for Dance, 455 West 55 Street at 9th Avenue in Studio 5A/5B. The 60-minute presentation will include a demonstration of the fitness training and movement program, the audience is encouraged to join in. Continue reading

Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center To Present A Song For You: An Evening With Dudley Williams

By Walter Rutledge

DudleyWilliams-690_0

The Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center will present the final PEEKS performance on Monday, June 30, 7:30pm at the Actor’s Fund Arts Center 160 Schermerhorn Street. The series will conclude with A Song For You: An Evening With Dudley Williams. Dancer and teacher Dudley Williams will discuss the creative process and collaborative relation he shared with choreographer Alvin Ailey, which lead to the creation of the ballet Love Songs. Continue reading

The Real Lesson in The Pleasure of The Lesson

By Walter Rutledge

Lesson_930_1

On Thursday, June 11, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater presented the world premiere of The Pleasure of the Lesson by choreographer Robert Moses. The work is a rich, sumptuous erotic adventure danced with an unbridled fervor by an ensemble of ten dancers. Continue reading

Linda Celeste Sims: Pure Light

By Walter Rutledge

Ailey_Headshots_LCSims

Outstanding performers have always been the hallmark of The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Dancers that consistently test the technical and artistic boundaries of modern dance remain a fundamental part of founder Alvin Ailey’s continuing legacy. Artists Carmen DeLavalallade, Dudley Williams, Judith Jamison, Miguel Godreau, Linda Kent, Sara Yarborough, Sarita Allen, Gary deLoatch, Desmond Richardson, and Renee Robinson all possessed an innate ability beyond technique, a God given gift that unfortunately cannot be taught. When the stage lights hit these special individuals it is refracted into dazing, flawless, pure light that pulls you in… moth to flame. Celeste Linda Sims is pure light. Continue reading

Ailey Returns To Lincoln Center Today

By Walter Rutledge

LC_Season+Poster+2014_d9bb2473-863f-4d46-935e-2ed911cda6b8-prv

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for 15 performances beginning, Wednesday, June 11.  Continue reading

Shall We Dance Friday: David Parsons- Caught

Shall We Dance

1004_10_07

David Parsons’ stroboscopic masterpiece, Caught, features more than 100 leaps in six minutes by a solo dancer who is repeatedly trapped in mid-motion by the strobe lights, to create an illusion of flight.  After thousands of performances, worldwide, for nearly thirty years, Caught continues to thrill audiences at every performance. Continue reading

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Returns to Lincoln Center

By Walter Rutledge 

LC_Season+Poster+2014_d9bb2473-863f-4d46-935e-2ed911cda6b8-prv

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center Wednesday, June 11 through Sunday, June 22.  The company will offer four programs over 15 performances. Continue reading