ALVIN AILEY DANCE FOUNDATION - Key Persons
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- AILEY SCHOOL PROGRAM ADVISOR
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- Director
- Education Press Kit
- in Education & Community Programs Expands Remote Learning Activities With Revelations Virtual Dance Workshop Series
- in Education ( AIE ) & Community Programs Staff
(New York, NY) February 4, 2021 - Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs is proud to announce an inspiring new virtual series that expands available Remote Learning Activities for schools and organizations looking for alternatives to in-person dance classes and residencies, supplements to physical education offerings, or to provide an engaging extracurricular activity for students. Launching during Black History Month as Alvin Ailey's signature American masterpiece Revelations marks six decades, Revelations Virtual Dance Workshop Series furthers Ailey's mission of using dance to inspire, enlighten, and entertain people of all backgrounds and ages.
New York, NY - August 3, 2021 - Director Jamila Wignot's powerful AILEY documentary, a resonant biography of trailblazing visionary Alvin Ailey, opens in movie theaters nationwide on Friday, August 6. Heralded as a must-see at the Sundance Film Festival and a Tribeca Film Festival critics pick, the film is told through Ailey's own words, along with interviews with those close to him, and features evocative archival footage and rarely seen historic performances. The official trailer here previews the film acclaimed as "extraordinarily moving" and "a movie that pulses with joyful expressiveness" that "hauntingly evokes Alvin Ailey's majesty."
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- With Celebration of Founder Alvin Ailey, New Weekly Classes, and Free Dance Cardio Workshop
(NEW YORK) January 6, 2022 - Ailey Extension is helping people all around the world kickstart their 2022 resolutions with new workshops and weekly classes to help make movement part of a fun and healthy lifestyle. Throughout January, students of all ages and experience levels will have the chance to explore new dance styles and get started on their fitness goals by getting moving with New York City's elite instructors. The updated weekly schedule offers dancers ages 16 and up plenty of new opportunities to join in the dance either in-studio at the Joan Weill Center for Dance - NYC's largest building dedicated to dance - or virtually from wherever they are located. Kids ages 5-11 and teens/tweens ages 12-17 can also get moving with Ailey during the Kids & Teens Sunday Dance Series.
New York, NY, June 29, 2023-Embracing people everywhere in the city that is its home, the Ailey organization will once again offer Ailey Moves NYC!, presenting six days of free performances, dance classes, and workshops throughout the city's five boroughs. Presented for the second year, this summer dance celebration takes place July 31-August 5, featuring performances by the rising stars of Ailey II, as well as classes and workshops led by highly regarded teaching artists from The Ailey School's renowned training programs, Ailey Extension's dance and fitness classes for the general public, and Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs, which fulfill Alvin Ailey's belief that "dance is for everybody."
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- Director of Studio & Theater Operations
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- Director of Administration
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- AILEYCAMP NEWARK STAFF Member
ANDREW BRYANT (Miami, FL) began his formal dance training at the Young Contemporary Dance Theatre in his hometown, under the direction of Traci Young Byron. He received his BFA from Towson University where he studied under renowned artists Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, Vincent Thomas, and Runqiao Du. After graduating, Mr. Bryant trained at The Ailey School as a scholarship student where he performed works by Alvin Ailey, Bradley Shelver, and Rebecca Margolick. This is his second season with Ailey ll.
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- Seasonal Institutional Giving Assistant
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- Administrative Support Coordinator
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- Institutional Giving Officer
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- Junior Division Program Assistant
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- Administrative Staff Member
- Executive Director
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- Director
- Director, Arts in Education & Community Programs
Cathryn Williams is responsible for the management, growth, and development of Ailey's Arts In Education & Community Programs. During her tenure at Ailey, participation by schools in Ailey's residencies has more than doubled; a new curriculum, Night Creature: An Imaginative Journey Through Dance, was developed for elementary schools and two new programs have been launched: AileyDance Kids SOAR: Success. Opportunity. Artistry. Respect., and AileyDance for Active Aging. In 2020, Ms. Williams has led the pivot to Ailey Arts In Education's online Remote Learning Activities, making residencies, workshops and the newly designed virtual Revelations residency more accessible to schools and organizations across the country.
Ms. Williams has over 20 years of experience in program design, implementation, and staff development. Prior to joining the Ailey organization in 2012, Ms. Williams created and managed international and cross-cultural education ventures with institutions for Lincoln Center Institute (LCI) and supervised LCI's teaching artists. Ms. Williams has also worked as a consultant in arts and education, conducted artist residencies for the National Endowment for the Arts and other organizations, and has served as Director of the 92Y Harkness Center for Dance. She performed internationally with modern dance companies and on Broadway and taught on the faculties of prestigious dance institutions.
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- Director of Information Technology
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- Licensing & Clearance Manager
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- Group Sales / Ticketing Assistant
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- Managing Director of People, Equity, and Inclusion
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- Director of Public Relations
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- Assistant Rehearsal Director
- Assistant Rehearsal Director . ( Read More ) Assistant Rehearsal Director Clifton Brown ( Hide )
CLIFTON BROWN (Goodyear, AZ) began his dance training at Take 5 Dance Academy and continued in the first class of the Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance program. Mr. Brown began his professional career when he joined the Ailey company in 1999 and served as choreographic assistant to Judith Jamison. He has also danced with Earl Mosley's Diversity of Dance, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, and was a founding member and rehearsal director for Jessica Lang Dance. He was nominated in the U.K. for a Critics Circle National Dance Award for Best Male Dancer and received a Black Theater Arts Award as well as a New York Dance and Performance ("Bessie") Award. As a guest artist Mr. Brown has performed with Miami City Ballet, Rome Opera Ballet, Nevada Ballet, and Parsons Dance. He has set the work of Alvin Ailey, Earl Mosley, and Jessica Lang on various companies around the world. Television appearances as a guest artist include So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars. He has had the privilege of performing at the White House for President Obama. Mr. Brown became Assistant Rehearsal Director in 2019.
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- Director of Product Development and Merchandising
Colette Hawkins, Director of Product Development and Merchandising
Jeffrey Bynum, Boutique Manager
Items sold at the Ailey Boutique and AileyDancewear.com are managed by Fine Arts Merchandising Ensemble, Inc.
www.AileyDancewear.com
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- Associate Director of Admissions
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- AILEYCAMP NEWARK STAFF Member
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- Application & Desktop Support Specialist
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- Executive Assistant to the Executive Director
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- Director of Children 's Aid AileyCamp New York
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- AILEYCAMP NEWARK STAFF Member
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- Associate Director of the Junior Division
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- School Operations Manager
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- Director of the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries, NYU Langone Orthopedics
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- AILEYCAMP NEWARK STAFF Member
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- Program Administrator / Assistant to Co - Director Melanie Person
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- Public Relations Associate
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- Lighting & Sound Supervisor
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- Artistic Director
- Member of the Leadership Team
Francesca Harper began her professional dance career with Dance Theater of Harlem, after having performed at the White House as a young Presidential Scholar in the Arts, and subsequently was a member of William Forsythe's Ballett Frankfurt (1991-1999), becoming a Principal Dancer in 1994. In Europe, she was chosen to perform with designers Issey Miyake and Gianni Versace and to perform in a film, Dancing Pleats, that was a 30-year retrospective of Issey Miyake's design work in Japan. She also performed in Miyake's and Versace's fashion shows in Paris and Milan. Following a vocal performance in Frankfurt, she was invited to record her first single, Slow Groove, which was produced on a compilation album and distributed in Europe and the U.K. In 2006, she self-produced her own album, Modo Fusion, currently available on iTunes. Her first full evening of work as a choreographer, Dark Violet Light Stone, was commissioned by The Holland Dance Festival while she was still a member of Ballet Frankfurt.
Ms. Harper has performed in Broadway productions including Fosse, All Shook Up, and The Color Purple, and starred as Helene opposite Molly Ringwald in a national tour of Sweet Charity (2007) and in Judith Jamison's role in a revival of Sophisticated Ladies (2009). She also created her first play for the Cherry Lane Theater in New York, 50 minutes with Harriet and Phillis, produced by Anna Deavere Smith, with her aunt, Pulitzer Prize- winning writer Margo Jefferson, and Paul Miller a.k.a DJ Spooky. She debuted her critically acclaimed one-woman show The Look of Feeling as a writer, actor, dancer, and vocalist in 2014 in New York City. She was invited to develop a new character for Punchdrunk's Sleep No More, jazz vocalist Cecilia Robertson, a.k.a. Ceci, as well as several other roles in the innovative, immersive production. In 2018, Ms. Harper was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical by Broadway.com for her role as Billie Holiday in a production of Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill.
Her television appearances include Boardwalk Empire, Late Night with David Letterman, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. She also served as ballet consultant for the feature film Black Swan (2010), directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman, who won an Oscar for her performance. Ms. Harper was also a featured performer in Zinnias - The Life of Clementine Hunter directed by Robert Wilson, touring internationally with the production. She received a Living History Award in 2013 during Black History Month from Long Island University and the Innovation and Technology Award for her choreography for Fashion Week with designer Louis Vuitton. She is the writer, producer, composer, and narrator of the documentary film To Lillian (2021).
Ms. Harper has choreographed works for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, Dance Theater of Harlem, Hubbard Street II, Tanz Graz, and many more companies, including her own The Francesca Harper Project, which she founded in 2005. The Francesca Harper Project has performed at venues including La Biennale di Venezia, Holland Dance Festival, Harkness Dance Festival, The Colors Festival in Stuttgart, Central Park Summerstage, New York City Center, Harlem Stage, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Joyce Theater. Ms. Harper served as movement director for Nick Cave's The Let Go, commissioned by the Park Avenue Armory, which received a Bessie Award for Outstanding Production. Ms. Harper is a long-time artistic collaborator with MacArthur Foundation "genius award" visual artist Carrie Mae Weems, rock star Nona Hendryx, multimedia artist Carl Hancock Rux, and Margo Jefferson. Ms. Harper was awarded a two-year choreographic fellowship with Urban Bush Women, providing support toward her dance-theater work An Unapologetic Body, and a Fellowship at The Ballet Center at NYU. Recent engagements include serving as co-director and choreographer for the musical Rose's War and as movement director for Tommy Hilfiger and Zendaya for their fashion show at the Apollo Theater in fall 2019.
During quarantine, Ms. Harper was the creator and directorial consultant for 16 world premiere virtual films. Her latest works include a new creation for Wendy Whelan, Associate Artistic Director of New York City Ballet, and renowned poet Marc Bamuthi Joseph. Ms. Harper is currently engaged as Executive Producer with Sony Pictures on a series in development.
As an educator, Ms. Harper has served as a Professor at The Juilliard School, an adjunct professor at NYU, a former associate professor at Barnard College, and a professor in the Ailey/Fordham BFA program. She recently received her Masters of Fine Arts degree from Goddard College.
Francesca Harper, Artistic Director Ailey II. The dancer, choreographer, singer, actor, producer, teacher, director and educator, as well as ballet consultant for the Oscar-winning Black Swan, became the artistic director of AIley II eight months ago, following in the footsteps of her late mother, Denise Jefferson, who directed The Ailey School from 1984 until 2010. "It feels so much bigger than me," she has said of the appointment.
The dancers of Ailey II are back on stage after a long pandemic pause. The season returns with exciting new works and leader Francesca Harper, who tells CBS2's Dave Carlin she feels like she's just come home. Carlin had an Illuminating conversation with Harper, the renowned dancer, choreographer, singer and writer whose role now is artistic director of Ailey II. On Wednesday the season opened, and she took the stage to introduce her dancers. She has familiarity with Ailey dating back to her childhood. Her mother was a dancer and longtime educator at Ailey, and she counts as her mentors the legend Judith Jamison and Sylvia Waters. She talked about the new work she premiered for the company and how she hopes it brings people hope.
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- Associate Director of Donor Events & Stewardship
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- AILEY SCHOOL PROGRAM ADVISOR
- Rehearsal Director, Ailey Student Performance Group ( ASPG )
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- AILEY SCHOOL PROGRAM ADVISOR
- Coordinator for the Professional Performing Arts School ( PPAS ) Program
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- Associate Director of Arts in Education
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- Administrative Staff Member
- Chief External Affairs Officer
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- Director of Company Business Affairs
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- Individual Giving Assistant
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- Graham - Based Modern Chair
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- Payroll / Student Accounts Assistant
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- Director of School Business Operations
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- Manager of Donor Events & Stewardship
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- Studio Operations Manager
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- Associate Director of Marketing
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- Associate Director of School Business Operations
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- Director of Admissions & Student Affairs
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- Director of New York City Ballet
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- Kids & Teens / Private Group Coordinator
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- Director of Donor Events & Stewardship
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- Artistic Director Emerita
Judith Jamison joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1965 and quickly became an international star. Over the next 15 years, Mr. Ailey created some of his most enduring roles for her, most notably the tour-de-force solo Cry. During the 1970s and 80s, she appeared as a guest artist with ballet companies all over the world, starred in the hit Broadway musical Sophisticated Ladies, and formed her own company, The Jamison Project. She returned to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1989 when Mr. Ailey asked her to succeed him as Artistic Director. In the 21 years that followed, she brought the Company to unprecedented heights - including two historic engagements in South Africa and a celebration of the Company's 50th anniversary with a 50-city global tour and a year-long series of special performances, collaborations, events and commemorative merchandise including the photographic book Ailey Ascending: A Portrait in Motion and an Ailey Barbie® Doll by Mattel that she designed.
Ms. Jamison is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, among them a prime time Emmy Award, an American Choreography Award, the Kennedy Center Honor, a National Medal of Arts, a "Bessie" Award, the Phoenix Award, and was presented the Handel Medallion by Mayor Bloomberg, the highest honor awarded by the City of New York. She was also listed in "The TIME 100: The World's Most Influential People" and honored by First Lady Michelle Obama at the first White House Dance Series event. In 2013, Ms. Jamison was the 50 th inductee into the Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Dance.
As a highly regarded choreographer, Ms. Jamison has created many celebrated works, including Divining (1984), Forgotten Time (1989), Double Exposure (for the Lincoln Center Festival in 2000), HERE . . .NOW. (commissioned for the 2002 Cultural Olympiad in Salt Lake City), Love Stories (with additional choreography by Robert Battle and Rennie Harris, 2004), and Among Us (Private Spaces: Public Places)(2009). Her 1996 ballet Sweet Release featured original music by Wynton Marsalis and Reminiscin' (2005) was inspired by great female jazz artistis and Edward Hopper's famous painting Nighthawks. In 1993, Ms. Jamison created Hymn as a stirring tribute to Mr. Ailey, which was the centerpiece for the Emmy award-winning PBS "Great Performances: Dance In America" special, A Hymn for Alvin Ailey.
Ms. Jamison's autobiography, Dancing Spirit, was edited by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and published in 1993. In 2004, under Ms. Jamison's artistic directorship, her idea of a permanent home for the Ailey company was realized and named after beloved chairman Joan Weill. Ms. Jamison continues to dedicate herself to asserting the prominence of the arts in our culture, and she remains committed to promoting the significance of the Ailey legacy - using dance as a medium for honoring the past, celebrating the present and fearlessly reaching into the future.
"There is about her an aura of mysticism. She appears onstage, larger than life, more an apparition than a performer, compelling us to look upon her as we might a temple dancer-with a sense of religiosity, of awe." Those were the opening lines of Olga Maynard's November 1972 Dance Magazine cover story on Judith Jamison, then in her late 20s and at the height of her powers as a star performer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
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- Digital Marketing Assistant
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- AILEYCAMP NEWARK STAFF Member
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- AILEYCAMP NEWARK STAFF Member
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- AILEYCAMP NEWARK STAFF Member
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- AILEY SCHOOL PROGRAM ADVISOR
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- AILEY SCHOOL PROGRAM ADVISOR
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- Associate Director of Studio Operations
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- AILEYCAMP NEWARK STAFF Member
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- AILEY SCHOOL PROGRAM ADVISOR
- Associate Director, the Ailey School Horton Pedagogy / Rehearsal Director, Ailey / Fordham Student Dancers ( AFSD )
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- AILEYCAMP NEWARK STAFF Member
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- Director of Institutional Giving
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- Associate Director of Institutional Giving
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- Director
- Arts in Education
- Director of Ailey Extension
When I was in high school, my friends at The Chicago Academy for the Arts told me about Lisa Johnson-Willingham, an impressive former Ailey dancer who was teaching Horton at Joel Hall Dancers & Center on Thursday nights. I decided I ought to give her class a try. The first time I went, I didn't even pay for class. In fact, I don't think I ever paid for her class. She was tough as nails, but she was always generous. The room was packed with people from all over the city. From modern dancers to professional ballet dancers to young students-everyone wanted to learn from her. Her classroom got so hot from sweaty bodies that the windows completely fogged up and contrasted the cold night outside.
Lisa Johnson-Willingham became director of Ailey Extension in 2011, expanding Alvin Ailey's vision that dance is for every body through innovative and accessible dance programs for students of all ages, levels, and backgrounds. Under her leadership, the program has continued to thrive since its inception in 2005, attracting over 83,000 new students and incorporating virtual offerings to reach a global audience of over 43,000 students in more than 70 countries. In addition to creating annual workshops like Ailey Experience and student performance workshops such as Voices and Visions and World Dance Celebration; Lisa has further enriched Ailey Extension's public programming by hosting premiere guest artists including Judith Jamison, Robert Battle, Les Twins, Yanis Marshall, and Pretty BIG Movement; and creating legacy panels with revered dancers and choreographers such as Renee Robinson and Sarita Allen.
For five years (1994-1999), Ms. Johnson-Willingham was a member of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater under the artistic direction of Judith Jamison. Throughout her career, she also danced with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, New World Dance Company, Donald Byrd/The Group, Joel Hall Dance Company, Deeply Rooted Productions, Footprints, and Cerqua/Rivera Art Experience.
During her time with the Ailey Company, Ms. Johnson-Willingham was invited by Judith Jamison to choreograph for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater during its 40th Anniversary Season - a piece entitled Restricted (1998). While living in Chicago, she choreographed for many prominent dance companies, theater productions, and musicals at the Goodman Theater, Steppenwolf Theater, Chicago Dramatist, and Congo Square Theater Company.
Ms. Johnson-Willingham's leadership experience in the arts includes a decade-long position as Director of AileyCamp Chicago, heading dance programs at the Dance Conservatory of Chicago High School for the Arts and Whitney Young Magnet High School, and teaching positions at Columbia College, Olive Harvey College, and Joffrey Ballet Academy of Dance.
Throughout her nearly thirty-year history with Ailey, Lisa has been passionate about mentoring aspiring dancers, such as Ailey II dancer s Martell Ruffin and Brena Thomas and Ailey dancer Solomon Dumas - who was a group leader and instructor at AileyCamp Chicago during her tenure and in 2016 became the first former AileyCamper to earn a role as member of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
A Washington, D.C. native, Ms. Johnson-Willingham attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and is a graduate of University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She currently lives in New Jersey with her two children, Quincy and Noah.
Sandra Bookman sits down with Director of Ailey Extension, Lisa Johnson-Willingham to discuss the Kids and Teens Sunday Dance Series and all classes offered through the Ailey Extension, bringing "real classes for real people."
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- Associate Director of Marketing
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- Associate Director of Sales and Ticketing
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- Director of Special Projects
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- Associate Artistic Director and Beloved Mainstay of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, to Retire at the End of Upcoming New York City Center Season
- Beloved Mainstay of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Celebrated With Special Performance During His Final New York City Center Season As Associate Artistic Director
Masazumi Chaya was born in Fukuoka, Japan, where he began his classical ballet training. Upon moving to New York in December 1970, he studied modern dance and performed with the Richard Englund Repertory Company. Mr. Chaya joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1972 and performed with the Company for 15 years. In 1988, he became the Company's Rehearsal Director after serving as Assistant Rehearsal Director for two years. A master teacher, both on tour with the Company and in his native Japan, he served as choreographic assistant to Alvin Ailey and John Butler. From 1991 to 2019, Mr. Chaya served as Associate Artistic Director of the Company. Through The Masazumi Chaya Fund & Alvin Ailey Choreographic Legacy Project, he continues to provide invaluable creative assistance in all facets of its operations.
In 2002, Mr. Chaya coordinated the Company's appearance at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree-lighting ceremony, broadcast on NBC. Mr. Chaya has restaged numerous ballets, including Alvin Ailey's Flowers for the State Ballet of Missouri (1990) and The River for the Royal Swedish Ballet (1993), Ballet Florida (1995), National Ballet of Prague (1995), Pennsylvania Ballet (1996), and Colorado Ballet (1998). He has also restaged The Mooche, The Stack-Up, Episodes, Bad Blood, Hidden Rites, and Witness for the Company. At the beginning of his tenure as Associate Artistic Director, Mr. Chaya restaged Ailey's For ‘Bird' - With Love for a "Dance in America" program entitled Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Steps Ahead. In 2000, he restaged Ailey's Night Creature for the Rome Opera House and The River for La Scala Ballet. In 2003, he restaged The River for North Carolina Dance Theatre and for Julio Bocca's Ballet Argentina. Most recently, Mr. Chaya restaged Blues Suite, Forgotten Time, Streams, Urban Folk Dance, and Vespers for the Company.
As a performer, Mr. Chaya appeared on Japanese television in both dramatic and musical productions. He wishes to recognize the artistic contribution and spirit of his late friend and fellow artist, Michihiko Oka.
Masazumi Chaya, a beloved animating spirit of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre since 1972, first decided to retire in 1986. But Ailey asked him to stay on as an assistant to the rehearsal director, and so Chaya stayed, and stayed - through Ailey's death, two changeovers of artistic director, and several generations of dancers. Now, as Chaya finally follows through on his retirement plan, the company honors its associate artistic director with a tribute evening on Dec. 22, part of its five-week season at City Center.
NEW YORK, NY - November 25, 2019 - Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater announces programming for a historic night at Ailey celebrating Associate Artistic Director Masazumi Chaya on Sunday, December 22nd at 7:30pm at New York City Center. Previously, Robert Battle, Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, shared the news that the Company's beloved mainstay for nearly five decades, Mr. Chaya, intends to retire on January 5, 2020, at the conclusion of the Company's New York City Center season. Having joined the Company in 1972 as a dancer, Mr. Chaya performed under Mr. Ailey's direction for 15 years, subsequently assumed responsibility for rehearsing the Company-a role for which Mr. Ailey had cultivated him-and for more than 28 years, as Associate Artistic Director, has maintained the repertoire, handled innumerable creative decisions, and guided generations of the Company's dancers.
Masazumi Chaya starts off an interview in his office on the subject of food, recalling when he used to cook meals for his fellow Company members, including his especially popular chicken with ginger soy sauce. With his warmth, enthusiasm, and easy sense of humor, Chaya (as he is known) seems like an ideal dinner companion. The primary recipe that Chaya has developed is the singular position - Associate Artistic Director - which he has decided to relinquish following this City Center season after nearly 3 decades.
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- AILEYCAMP NEWARK STAFF Member
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- Associate Artistic Director
Matthew Rushing was born in Los Angeles, California. He began his dance training with Kashmir Blake in Inglewood, California, and continued his training at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. He is the recipient of a Spotlight Award and a Dance Magazine Award and was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. He was a scholarship student at The Ailey School and later became a member of Ailey II. During his career Mr. Rushing has performed as a guest artist for galas in Vail, Colorado, as well as in Austria, Canada, France, Italy, and Russia. He has performed for Presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, as well as at the 2010 White House Dance Series. During his time with the Company, he has choreographed four ballets: Acceptance In Surrender (2005), a collaboration with Hope Boykin and Abdur-Rahim Jackson; Uptown (2009), a tribute to the Harlem Renaissance; ODETTA (2014), a celebration of "the queen of American folk music"; and Testament (2020), a tribute to Alvin Ailey's Revelations created in collaboration with Clifton Brown and Yusha-Marie Sorzano. In 2012 he created Moan, which was set on Philadanco and premiered at The Joyce Theater. Mr. Rushing joined the Company in 1992, became Rehearsal Director 2010, and became Associate Artistic Director in January 2020.
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- AILEY SCHOOL PROGRAM ADVISOR
- Ballet Chair
- Co - Director of . ( Read More ) Melanie Person, Co - Director of the Ailey School ( Hide )
- Co - Director of the Ailey School and Director of the Ailey / Fordham BFA Program
Melanie Person began her early dance training in Jackson, Mississippi at age six. Upon moving to Columbia, South Carolina a few years later, she continued her dance training at the Calvert-Brodie School of Dance while performing with the Columbia City Ballet. In the winter of 1976, by recommendation of her teacher Ann Brodie, Ms. Person auditioned for the Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) Summer Intensive and was offered a full scholarship. Upon completion of that summer program, she became an apprentice to the professional company and, in 1979, became a full member at the age of 16 after graduating from Professional Children's School. For 12 years, Ms. Person performed with DTH, traveling around the world performing a diverse repertoire. She performed choreography by artistic luminaries including George Balanchine, Geoffrey Holder, Agnes de Mille, Glen Tetley, Garth Fagan and Arthur Mitchell, DTH's Founder and Artistic Director. Her television credits include performances in NBC's presentation of DTH's Creole Giselle, CBS 60 Minutes with Ed Bradley featuring DTH, the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Olympics and the PBS presentation of Live at the Kennedy Center The Making of Firebird. She later went on to earn her B.A. from SUNY Empire State College. In 1999, Denise Jefferson invited her to join the PPAS ballet faculty at The Ailey School and in 2000, Ms. Jefferson appointed her as the Co-Director of the Junior Division alongside Tracy Inman. Shortly thereafter, Ms. Person was made Chair of the ballet department and President of the Emergency Fund for Student Dancers. Ms. Person has been on the faculty of the Dance Theatre of Harlem School, the Ballet Hispánico School, Marymount Manhattan College, Purchase College and as a teaching artist in the New York City Public School System. She is a member of the Council of Dance Administrators, Board of Directors for the National Association of Schools of Dance, and Prix de Lausanne's 50th anniversary jury panel. Additionally, she has taught as a guest at The Flint Institute of Music, Dance Institute of Washington, Boston Ballet School, and The Adaclam School in French Guyana. Ms. Person has served as an adjudicator for the Youth American Grand Prix and Japan Grand Prix. In 2009, she was named Associate Director of The Ailey School and in 2010, Co-Director with Tracy Inman after Ms. Jefferson's passing. For over a decade, Ms. Person has been a supervisor of the New Directions Choreography Lab working with Ailey's Artistic Director Robert Battle to provide opportunities for the next generation of choreographers and dance artists.
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- AILEYCAMP NEWARK STAFF Member
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- Professional Division Program Administrator / Assistant to Co - Director Tracy Inman
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- Company Business Affairs Manager
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- Digital Marketing Manager
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- Director
- National Director, AileyCamp
- Spokesperson & Master Teacher
Nasha Thomas oversees AileyCamp and designs the national outreach for Ailey's Arts In Education & Community Programs. As a primary liaison between the Ailey organization and the national arts-in-education community, she plays a central role in working with local communities to develop and run AileyCamp in cities across the U.S., as well as managing national residencies, leading workshops, and teaching master classes, helping Arts In Education reach over 100,000 people each year through education and community initiatives. A graduate of New York's High School of the Performing Arts and Southern Methodist University, she received the prestigious Presidential Scholar of the Arts award. At the invitation of Alvin Ailey and later under the direction of Judith Jamison, Ms. Thomas danced with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from 1986 to 1998.
Highlighted as one of Good Housekeeping's "Humanitarians Who Are Our Heroes," Ms. Thomas combines her passion for inspiring the next generation and personal experiences as a performer and Master Teacher to lead Ailey Arts In Education programs in public school classrooms across the country to the Lincoln Center Plaza and from Gracie Mansion to the White House, and more. In 2020, Ms. Thomas reached students across the world virtually as she helped kicked off the 60 th anniversary of Alvin Ailey's iconic Revelations with a social-distanced workshop streamed from the Rockefeller Center rooftop, with virtual programs for TED Discovery Series and Facebook, and was the lead instructor for the Revelations Virtual Dance Workshop Series, designed for middle school students blending dance with poetry, history, and music, which builds a foundation of artistic exploration that will enhance any students' academic experience.
Nasha Thomas leading ... (Read More) Nasha Thomas leading Revelations Residency at Richmond Heights Middle School (Hide)
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- AILEYCAMP NEWARK STAFF Member
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- Public Relations Manager
- Arts in Education & Community Programs
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- AILEYCAMP NEWARK STAFF Member
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- Administrative Staff Member
- Chief Financial Officer
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- Financial Assistant / Special Projects
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- Interim Associate Director of Patron Engagement
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- Front Desk Operations Manager
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- Artistic Director
- American Dance Theater 's Artistic Director
- Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
When you're enjoying the easygoing, joke-telling manner of Robert Battle as the welcoming emcee of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, you might not realize there is a ferocious choreographer underneath all that charm. To celebrate his 10 years as artistic director, at New York City Center on Tuesday night the company presented seven works Battle's created over the last 22 years. Each one held bold surprises-even for those of us familiar with his work.
Robert Battle became Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in July 2011 after being personally selected by Judith Jamison, making him only the third person to head the Company since it was founded in 1958. Mr. Battle has a long-standing association with the Ailey organization. A frequent choreographer and artist-in-residence at Ailey since 1999, he has set many of his works on Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ailey II, and at The Ailey School. The Company's current repertory includes his ballets Ella, For Four, In/Side, Love Stories finale, Mass, and Unfold.
In addition to expanding the Ailey repertory with works by artists as diverse as Kyle Abraham, Aszure Barton, Ronald K. Brown, Christopher Wheeldon, Rennie Harris, Hofesh Schechter, Jiří Kylián, Wayne McGregor, Robert Moses, Ohad Naharin, and Paul Taylor, Mr. Battle has also instituted the New Directions Choreography Lab to help develop the next generation of choreographers. Mr. Battle's journey to the top of the modern dance world began in the Liberty City neighborhood of Miami, Florida. He showed artistic talent early and studied dance at a high school arts magnet program before moving on to Miami's New World School of the Arts, under the direction of Daniel Lewis and Gerri Houlihan, and finally to the dance program at The Juilliard School, under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy, where he met his mentor, Carolyn Adams. He danced with Parsons Dance from 1994 to 2001, and also set his choreography on that company starting in 1998. Mr. Battle then founded his own Battleworks Dance Company, which made its debut in 2002 in Düsseldorf, Germany, as the U.S. representative to the World Dance Alliance's Global Assembly. Battleworks subsequently performed extensively at venues including The Joyce Theater, Dance Theater Workshop, American Dance Festival, and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival.
Mr. Battle was honored as one of the "Masters of African-American Choreography" by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2005, and he received the prestigious Statue Award from the Princess Grace Foundation-USA in 2007. In 2014, he visited the White House to accept from President Obama, on behalf of Alvin Ailey, the National Medal of Freedom - the nation's highest civilian honor. Mr. Battle was named a 2015 Visiting Fellow for The Art of Change, an initiative by the Ford Foundation. In October 2015, Simon & Schuster published MY STORY, MY DANCE: Robert Battle's Journey to Alvin Ailey, an inspiring children's book based on Mr. Battle's life. He is a recipient of the 2021 Dance Magazine Award and has honorary doctorates from The University of the Arts, Marymount Manhattan College, and Fordham University. He is a sought-after keynote speaker and has addressed a number of high-profile organizations, including the United Nations Leaders Programme and the UNICEF Senior Leadership Development Programme.
Robert Battle's journey to lead ... (Read More) Robert Battle's journey to lead the Ailey company (Hide)
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- Dance Teacher
- Rehearsal Director
Ronni Favors began dancing as a child in her hometown of Iowa City, Iowa. After studying at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, MI as the recipient of the Camp Scholarship, she traveled to New York to continue her training at The Ailey School as a Fellowship student. Ms. Favors was a member of Ailey II, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, and she is a recipient of the Min-On Art Award. As the assistant to Lar Lubovitch, Ms. Favors set his works on several companies, including Cleveland Ballet, the Juilliard Dance Ensemble, Ballet du Nord, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Ms. Favors was the ballet instructor at the 1989 inaugural session of AileyCamp in Kansas City and served as Artistic Director of the Camp in 1990. She is the founding Director of Children's Aid AileyCamp New York and provided guidance in the national implementation of the AileyCamp program. In 1997, Ms. Favors was named Assistant Rehearsal Director of the Company and was its Rehearsal Director from 1999 to 2010. Ms. Favors engaged and rehearsed local dance students who performed with the Company in Alvin Ailey's Memoria in Johannesburg during Ailey's return to South Africa in 1998, as well as in Seattle in 2003 and in Copenhagen, Los Angeles, Chicago, Kansas City, and New York in 2008. Most recently, she set Alvin Ailey's Night Creature on TU Dance in St. Paul, MN, and on Oregon Ballet Theatre. Ms. Favors rejoined the Company as Rehearsal Director in 2019.
Set to spirituals, gospel songs and blues, Alvin Ailey's modern dance masterpiece "Revelations" was first performed in 1960. It was unlike anything audiences had seen before, and since then it's been performed continuously around the globe. On this edition of Talk of Iowa, host Charity Nebbe speaks with Iowa native Ronnie Favors of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater about her journey through modern dance and the troupe's upcoming Iowa performance.
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- AILEYCAMP NEWARK STAFF Member
- Co - Director, AileyCamp Newark
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- Development Operations Associate
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- Associate Director, AIE Business Affairs
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- Executive Liaison to the Artistic Director
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- AILEYCAMP NEWARK STAFF Member
- Co - Director, AileyCamp Newark
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- Director of Therapy Services / Health & Safety Advisor
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- Member of the Leadership Team
- Artistic Director Emerita
Sylvia Waters was personally selected by Alvin Ailey in 1974 as Artistic Director of Ailey II and led the company for 38 years. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Ms. Waters earned a B.S. in Dance prior to moving to Paris, where she appeared regularly on television. She toured in the European company of Black Nativity and worked with Michel Descombey, then director of the Paris Opera Ballet, as well as Milko Šparembleck. She also performed in Donald McKayle's European production of Black New World and worked with Maurice Béjart's company performing in Brussels and at the Summer Olympics in Mexico City. In 1968, Ms. Waters joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and toured with the Company until assuming leadership of Ailey II. She has received honorary doctorates from the State University of New York at Oswego and The Juilliard School, and she has served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts. Ms. Waters is a recipient of the Legacy Award as part of the 20th Annual IABD Festival, Syracuse University's Women of Distinction Award, a Dance Magazine Award, and a "Bessie" Award.
Ailey II, the youthful and gifted second company of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, will return to its home, The Ailey Citigroup Theater, from April 18-29 for a highly anticipated two-week season - the last led by 38-year Artistic Director Sylvia Waters. The 14 exciting performances experienced through two dynamic programs come on the heels of a successful North American tour to over 35 cities and an array of critically-acclaimed performances in Bermuda, Germany and Greece.
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- AILEYCAMP NEWARK STAFF Member
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- Individual Giving Manager
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- Director of the Junior Division
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- AILEY SCHOOL PROGRAM ADVISOR
- Co - Director of the . ( Read More ) Tracy Inman, Co - Director of the Ailey School ( Hide )
- Co - Director of the Ailey School and Director of the Professional Division
- Scholarship
Tracy Inman is a native of Washington, D.C. and a graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts where he majored in music. In 1981, he changed his artistic course from music to dance and moved to New York City where he was awarded a scholarship to study at The Ailey School. After completing two years of study, Mr. Inman joined Ailey II and, in 1990, he became a member of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater -- touring nationally and internationally with the Company for five years and working with choreographers such as Ulysses Dove, Jerome Robbins, Donald Byrd, and Louis Johnson. Mr. Inman danced in the Vienna, Austria and Antwerp, Belgium productions of the musical Cats and, in 1989, he was invited by Judith Jamison to be a part of The Jamison Project, prior to joining Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater the next year. In 1999, he began teaching the Horton technique at The Ailey School. Mr. Inman was then named Co-Director of the Junior Division in 2001 where, along with Melanie Person, he grew the program from 350 students to its current enrollment of over 900 students. Mr. Inman has served as a judge for Ballet Stars of the 21st Century Dance Competition in Panama City, Panama, The Seoul International Dance Competition in Seoul, South Korea, and Dream on Dance Competition in Verona, Italy. In addition, he conducts auditions for The Ailey School's national audition tour. In 2001, Mr. Inman launched the Ailey Athletic Boys Program providing scholarship training to a diverse group of young males and creating a pipeline into the world of dance for a population that would not have otherwise had the opportunity. He was appointed Associate Director of The Ailey School in 2009 and Co-Director in 2010. Mr. Inman is currently choreographer and consultant for FX's hit television show, Pose.
NEW YORK - September 5, 2019 - The Ailey School, now celebrating its 50th anniversary, was selected to perform in the 2019 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade®. Over 100 students from all programs of The Ailey School will answer the call of "Let's Have a ParadeTM," the iconic phrase that has signaled the start of every Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade since 1924. Led by The Ailey School Co-Director Tracy Inman, the dancers from age seven to 25 will perform a dance inspired by the "Rocka My Soul" finale of Alvin Ailey's American masterpiece Revelations.
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- Associate Director of Public Relations