Friday, April 6, 2007
By EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER
No. 2 dance troupes from the nation's top companies – such as Boston Ballet II and the Paul Taylor Dance Company's Taylor 2 – carry the weight of their parents' fame on their shoulders but bring their youthful energy and experimentation to the family name.
Ailey II is no exception -- in fact, it may be the granddaddy of all junior dance companies. Established in 1974, it originally was envisioned as a proving ground for new choreo-graphy that might eventually be transferred to the main company. Under artistic director Sylvia Waters, who has held her position for 33 years, Ailey II began training young dancers in the classic Ailey repertoire while committing to new choreography each season.
From Wednesday through April 22, the Ailey II cast will be bringing that tried-and-true recipe to New York.
"One of the good things about Ailey II is that we're able to do works by other choreographers, including emerging choreographers," said associate artistic director Troy Powell. "We also have an all-Ailey evening and a 'By Popular Demand' evening."
Powell himself -- the choreographer behind the popular "How Small a Thought" -- is a product of Alvin Ailey's dedication to nurturing young talent. He was recruited in grade school by one of the Ailey School's outreach programs, entered Ailey II upon high school graduation, danced with the Alvin Ailey Dance Company and is now a resident choreographer and administrator.
"Mr. Ailey's idea was to recruit people -- especially people who didn't have the opportunity to go out to the theaters, and with little opportunities in general," said Powell. "They came to my school, and they did something called 'Arts Connection' ... I went to a little class that [taught] movements. Next thing I knew, I was traveling to the studio at the age of 9 during my lunch time."
Troy Powell. Courtesy of Ailey II. Nowadays, Powell's job is to groom his own young dancers. Company members generally stay for two or three years and are between the ages of 19 and 24. "We feel at that point in your career, we are setting the stage for you to perform in the professional world," said Powell. "You train in all these different styles so that when you go to different companies [as a professional dancer], you can use that."
The different styles this season include, of course, classic Ailey pieces, as well as what Powell calls the "three E's" -- the emerging work of Darrel Grand Moultrie, the evolving work of Jessica Lang and the established work of Abdel Salaam.
E-mail: shih@northjersey.com
Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.
No comments:
Post a Comment