Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

I signed my daughter up for a class here last summer and I wasn’t too impressed. The lady instructor was not friendly at all. She would often roll her eyes at the children if they were not acting like college students. When my daughter went in a few minutes early unbeknownst to her that she was early– the lady pretty much told her to leave while rolling her eyes when her three year old body was not moving fast enough. The instructor clearly does not enjoy teaching children dance/​movement so why she is there is beyond me. i found other establishments with much more joyful instructors who clearly enjoy interacting with young children.

I was lucky enough to obtain tickets to see the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. Without a doubt, it was the highlight of my trip to NYC. The show consisted of five acts with three intermissions, with the entire show lasting about two and a half hours. The third titled «Caught» consisted of a dancer on a darkened stage with strobe lights.
The combined effect was tremendous, as the dancer appeared to move and flip around the stage without ever toughing the stage floor! All five acts were very moving, and the talented dance group deserved every sanding ovation given throughout the show.
Be sure to see the Alvin Ailey Dance Company when you are in NYC, or in your city on tour!

Studio Rental for Party — A GREAT Experience!
I rented a studio room at Alvin Ailey Dance Studios for a private party and it was a wild success. Working with the Alvin Ailey folks was terrific — everyone was so knowledgeable and helpful, friendly and professional. Thank you Alaric and Julia! The studios are beautiful and everything was set up and managed wonderfully on the party day — Thank you Kate!

We saw the company perform «Four Corners» at the Fall for Dance Festival last night — it was astounding! The artists are so powerful, fluid and aligned. The music and lighting were fantastic. A splendid experience!!!

I love my clases at the Alvin Ailey extension! They provide such a great workout, particularly the samba and zumba classes.
I do have a few recommendations as to what could make it a five star experience.
1) I find that the front desk location where guests sign in is a bit inconveniencing at times — people line up in all sorts of different places and the process definitely isn’t as fluid as it could be.
2) If you sign in for a class online, BE SURE TO TELL YOUR FRONT DESK PERSON, otherwise they’ll charge you for an additional class
3) My class room got moved once and I wasn’t notified and so waited in front of the wrong door on the wrong floor like a moron.
Regardless these issues are in my opinion, overshadowed by the beauty of the building, the views from the classrooms and the quality of the teachers.

Mostly only good things to say
The studios and changing rooms are well maintained and clean.
The check in staff are friendly and on top of it.
I mostly took classes with Finis Jhung who is an excellent beginner teacher. There are a wide range of abilities there (pros, kids from Billy Elliot, to adults trying to get their ballet in after a day of work) He also does workshops on jumps and pirouettes that are pretty good. I also think the DVDs are pretty good. I would prefer live music, but that’s not a deal killer…
I also thought Horton with Karen Arceneaux and Yoga with Irini Res were pretty good.
The bad
All the classes are quite popular, so it can get crowded sometimes.

THIS IS A REVIEW FOR «FIRST STEPS», the kids’ class.
The company is beyond fantastic, I am a huge fan. Their «Tiny steps» class is great. As for FIRST STEPS, PARENTS BEWARE. The teaching method is great but don’t get fooled by the nice building, fantastic company and great overall professional programs. some of the FIRST STEPS teachers are not qualified to teach kids. Kristin Dexnis in particular can be extremely rude to kids (3 years old kids!). my (again 3 y.o.)child was humiliated in one of her class for wanting to use the bathroom too much. I tried to reach out to the person in charge of the program and she never had the decency to answer my emails or agreed to meet with me. The AILEY name is something special. The company is so unique and still one of the best in the world. I don’t understand why some of the faculty teaching their kids programs is so unprofessional.

For me, their dance class was really disappointing. I’m not a professional dancer and have no illusions I will be. I am trying to return to ballet, after longer than most ballet dances have been alive. I was happy to find their «advanced beginner» ballet as I’ve forgotten a lot. Maybe if I were trying to be a professional it would have been OK, but the teacher was very critical. During class he said we looked like chickens trying to lay eggs. He kept telling us not to fall out of our pirouettes, for example. Well, I actually knew that before I signed up for this class! It would have been far more helpful if he had If you fall out of a pirouette, maintain your core posture – no point in losing your arms too” or something I didn’t actually know before the class began! If you are looking for ballet for your own enjoyment, this class sure wasn’t it for me!

Since moving here, I have been waiting and waiting in anticipation to see Alvin Ailey perform in New York City. I was lucky enough to be in attendance for their final performance this season. I think this will be a worthy first review of 2015.
The show was performed at New York City Center. We had second row balcony seats, which allowed us to see all the levels and different rows in the choreography. I loved it.
I felt like two pieces really stole the show for me:
A Hole in the Bucket, with vocals performed with Harry Belafonte and Odetta
and
Revelations, of course– an Alvin Ailey original, choreographed in 1960.
The incredible ease and energy with which the performers tackle pieces that portray the human condition at many points in history is mesmerizing. It’s difficult to write about Alvin Ailey dancers in a way that doesn’t sound trite, because really, they are anything but.
Whether you come for the story, the dancers, or because you saw them plastered on a subway billboard, you will be equally entertained. Whether you came to be moved or not, trust me, you will be.

Invited to a matinée on the 23^rd; my first time to witness what I now know as the brilliance of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The day was rainy and bleak; NYC in December. But boy, am I glad I went! I loved it. And, what great theater it was; the dancing was ridiculously inspiring – these dancers are fierce and athletic and give 110% of their hearts. Oh and, the music, the costumes, the variation of the pieces – all of it knocked me out of my holiday funk. Christmas? Blah. Not after seeing AADT– consider me cured. This was the best theater (I see mostly straight plays) I have experienced in a while. This particular series contained a famous piece from 1960 «Revelations» choreographed by Alvin Ailey. By the end, we were up on our feet clapping along with music and the dancers. I didn’t know Modern Dance could be so spectacular. I highly recommend catching this series; especially during this winter gloom. Let modern dance heal you! Plus, City Center is well-​run and felt busy enough without a crazed holiday crowd.
My friend and I plan on a spring return to see AADT in 2015.

This company puts forth a show that was absolutely haunting, such that I have been thinking about their show at City Center at least once a day for the past two weeks. I have seen at least a dozen classical ballets, modern dance, tap, tango and flamenco pieces in the past year and this company blew every single one of those experiences out of the water.
I love modern dance, such that if the quality and the skill of the dancers are not that apparent, the odder the dances seem, the more it appeals to my eccentric nature. This was nowhere near the case with this dance company, such that the movement and timing of the dancers made it seem as if the music was dancing to them. An odd turn of phrase for sure, but at one point the dancers were quickly dancing to what sounded like the chorus of «Get Behind Me Satan» by The White Stripes, which was a feat I did not think possible.
The pieces I saw (they vary depending on your ticket date) were «Chroma,» «Suspended Women» and «Revelations.» Chroma was the most modern piece of the three and within five minutes of seeing what they were doing, my mouth hung open as I did not realize humans could move that way. I lack the capacity to properly describe the movements during that piece, but it looks like this:
.
Suspended Women was more of a wispy, decadent look into the Disney Princesses’ forest adventures such that more than half a dozen women were executing fairly complex twists and turns primarily in floor length gowns. Even if you are not a huge dance fan, the intricacy, glamour and movement ability of the costumes alone made this piece stand out.
Revelations is the piece that the company has been performing for almost 40 years, which is a testament to the timelessness of the dances and the fact that slavery, even when filtered through modern dance, never fails to elicit strong emotion. For obvious reasons, this piece was the most moving and especially when the dancers were dancing alone, the overwhelming gravity of what Alvin Ailey was trying to accomplish shines through. At intervals, I lightly cried because in addition to the groups dances to Southern gospel music and the sad violin solos, the actual timeline from initial slavery to the hope inspired by religious gatherings weaved a couple hundred years of suffering in a 20 to 30 minute piece.
Unfortunately, their stint at City Center only runs for another eight days, but it is well worth the cost of admission. I obtained my ticket through TDF for around $ 43 (it ended up being a balcony seat), but save for those on
and
I could not find any other online discount.

I have taken various beginner classes, my favorites being Jonathan Lee Hip Hop, Slam Contemporary, Quenia for Samba, and Tweetboogie also for Hip Hop. They are beyond amazing teachers and fill the class with energy and inspiration. They challenge you but have tons of patience no matter the question or level. I thank these teachers everyday for bringing the love and beauty of dance into my life again.

Modern dance, I know you get a bad name.
Thankfully, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is here as the nation’s standard-​bearer in your name. The quality of their performances is almost universally top-​notch, and they can make a fan out of all but the most strident curmudgeons.
Its headquarters are a welcome addition to the neighborhood, and they offer a variety of classes for pros to regular folks, as well. Keep up the great work!

I love this place. It’s just the best. So pretty to dance in their studios. Such good dancers. Great school. Amazing company. Love, Love, Love.

The Alvin Ailey extension provides the best student dance performance around. It’s like a dance recital for adults. I had an amazing time! There was a variety of dance from Brazilian samba, west African, to masala Bhangra dance workout (Bollywood type) move over Zumba!
The music was on point! Modern sounds that you are familiar with. The student performance age ranged from young to old, from Asian, white and black. Your CEO of a company to the cashier that serves you at Starbucks. They all looked to genuinely be having a great time performing with one another.
The theatre was spacious, clean and the staff was very welcoming. It encouraged me to want to take some classes.
The only thing that didn’t make it perfect was there were no refreshments for sale and the seating was a little low that made your knees cramp.
Overall this was a fun and energetic show. This is among the experiences that makes New York culturally the best places to be!

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Love the skyline views from the upper floor dance rooms. Versatile and spacious studio rooms with beautiful floors. I was here for Frankie 100 and would go back in a heartbeat.

All these recent 5 star reviews look a bit fake. Why? Because Alvin Ailey received a bunch of negative reviews after they inexplicably cancelled the best, most popular, most dynamic teacher — Ben Byrd. Have you ever been to Ben’s Zumba classes at Alvin Ailey? Packed to the gills. You had to get there at least 15 min beforehand for any chance to get into the class. Suddenly Ailey cancels him and replaces him using the same exact times and days as Ben’s prior classes trying to trick people into thinking maybe Ben was coming back. HA! Joke is on Ailey. ALL of Ben’s students went with him to his new classes.
Here’s Ben Byrd”s schedule — you won’t regret it and you’ll never ever want to go to a different Zumba class again — The BALL NY at 131 West 35^th Street, 5^th floor — Wednesday 630 PM, Sat 11 AM and 12 PM, and Sun 10 AM.
Oh and try to ask someone at Ailey about what happened to Ben and they are rude, shrug their shoulders and roll their eyes. Who would have thought a name like Alvin Ailey could treat its students and teachers like crap? Who needs Alvin AIley? NYC is full of great talented teachers.

I’ve been going to see Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AA) since I was a teenager and in my opinion, and I am choosing my words carefully here… «there is no finer, more talented, more spectacular contemporary dance troop in the world!»
I’ve seen many of the best of global modern dance troops in great cities I’ve lived in such as New York, Chicago, Beijing, Hong Kong, Sydney, Tokyo etc and the many places I’ve travelled and AA is in a league of their own. They never fail to thrust the audience to their feet in bursts of applause, thunderous clapping, cheering and screams of joy. In between those moments we are caught up in the tender passion of their solo’s and duets, transfixed by their unique fluid choreography and otherwise mesmerized by how they do what they do. They are that amazing!
The dancers are the 1% of the 1% in terms of their talent and craft, flawlessly performing numbers containing such power, beauty, grace and emotion that you left breathless after each number, wondering how they perform those moves, then screaming for more.
AA is a globally recognized iconic American (African American) cultural institution and has been around for probably over 50 years. The choreographers, dancers and others understand their roles and responsibilities not only to deliver cutting edge, best in class dance, but as custodians in time for all that AA means to the African American community and its history. There dance numbers inspired by the rich, yet harsh history and culture of the African American people celebrate their roots, spirituality and struggles with a dignity that can only make us all proud. From where these performers draw their passion I don’t know, but I do know that you can always «feel» the power and passion of their performances in a very special way.
If you have never seen AA, run to the Auditorium Theater. They are in town the entire week.
Lastly, I’d like to give a big shout out to the Auditorium Theater. There are few performing venues in the country as spectacular as the Auditorium. Not only are they significant and relevant to the Architectural history and culture of Chicago, but they make our city richer by providing a venue for world class global performances, which makes our city both diverse and great. Thank you Auditorium!

Where to begin?!
In the three months or so a year I live in Manhattan, I dance almost daily at Luigi. This trip I went to Steps and worked a bit so didn’t get there as much as usual but part of my reason for coming to NYC is dance as I live part-​time in SB (NO jazz worth mentioning, just ballet) and part-​time in WLA (all dance moved to Hollywood or deep Valley, difficult with traffic). This review is about the class I took plus the facilities and vibe of this legendary (but clearly renovated) place.
1. Sharon Zaslaw’s Sharqeez
My friend, Sharon Zaslaw, has been teaching Sharqeez and I SO wish I had come before last night. She’s been inviting me to try it for a long time and I had NO idea how fun it is. I was also shocked that jazz isolations transfer so easily and that this is not the most difficult style to learn. I mean, this was first class and 90% or 95% of the stuff I could instantly follow (thanks, Luigi). Sharon is a Boston Conservatory-​trained actress and a «triple threat,» as they say, with a terrific voice and all-​around musical comedy talent. I’m not sure when she got into this.
I resisted because I don’t like Middle Eastern music and in fancy restaurants where you on occasion seem belly dancing, I could NOT be less attracted to the entire aesthetic. But this is JAZZ BELLY DANCING, a particular style with really pumping, fun, cool music, some of which I intend to buy just for the pleasure of it. Shakira was ubiquitous but there was a lot of other stuff I liked, more ballad-​like yet with a beat.
It’s a combination of pure cardio workout and belly dancing. Since Sharon is an actress, she projects and she’s a mom too so she’s a natural teacher. After the warmup, there is an across-​the-​floor (nothing hard or intimidating as in a intermediate or advanced jazz with turns or 8 count anythings to master).
The combination was fun and if you’re a dancer, you can’t not pick it up, as the footwork is very basic. The super fast «shimmies» and hip rolls will be easier for those who do some form of hip hop I think but with, oh, 5 – 10 classes, any dancer can pretty much master this style for the purposes of a class. A person with no training in jazz (just ballet) will find this a bit alien, I imagine, but the skirts you wear (Sharon provides them) are FUN!
Only ONE part of me is sore (really sore) because of the extremely minute, fine-​tuned movements in shoulders: the trapezius muscles. Thankfully, I have pass to Equinox and can soak in jacuzzi.
2: The Studio/​Vibe/​Facilities.
a) As you approach the building, you are immediately struck at the sheer beauty and magnitude of what has to be a renovated facility. I know people who have studied Horton seriously here and they’re too old to have been at this incarnation of the studio. It’s 6 stories with I don’t even know how many individual studios.
b) It’s a formal check-​in desk – large – because the place is so huge. But it’s NOT like Steps at all (though I love that too). This is obviously a studio for ballet, modern and African primarily (there were a couple jazz classes out of a few dozen classes for the day). Having visited steps for my friend Joey Doucette’s intemediate musical theater (which I didn’t understand till this trip is the name of what I did in the 1980s as part of a general Luigi-​based lyrical dance (Hama and Tracey Durbin in LA), I immediately got the «bun warmer snotty factor» point of several Unilocalers.
The people here are SO sweet. Now the musical theater teacher – packed class – after Sharon was definitely formidable and not at all cuddly. But that class looked amazing too. I told this woman at the desk how beautiful it all was and how much fun I had at Sharon’s and she was genuinely happy. A little girl went to the African class (live drums) next to Sharon’s and I peeked in while getting water. Too cute for words
I am sure if you do ballet (I don’t though of all the kinds of jazz, the kind I did intensively as a teen, many hours a day in the summer), it’s snottier because of course ballet is by nature snotty, uptight, intense. I love Steps and I’m not a professional so it doesn’t bother me. But even some desk people at Steps are officious. Everyone is so friendly at Ailey!. But Steps is snotty: also it’s cavernous, dark, gritty, and old. Ailey is like a fancy art school– think International Center of Photography – or a modern art museum/​gallery.
14.50/class if buy a series. I should have done the 25 dollar deal for two but didn’t think I’d get there before leaving for LA. This is a bit cheaper than Steps. Luigi is 130 for 13 classes but 20 for a single: less for a series but more for a class than either Steps or Ailey.
The posters of past Ailey dancers are breathtaking of course. Steps is an entirely different vibe of course, but here, you have to be paying in part for the facility. Steps hasn’t renovated, clearly, in a long time so if you factor that into the experience, Ailey is a bargain

So far, I’ve tried ballet at Ballet Academy East, Joffrey, and Alvin Ailey. Alvin Ailey has been the best so far, followed by Ballet Academy East.
I’ve taken Adv. Beginner Ballet with Kat Wildish. Of all the ballet teachers that I’ve had since moving here, I feel like I clicked with Kat. She’s sarcastic and sassy, and definitely goes around giving you critiques. If you don’t like that, if you want a class where you can coast, Kat’s not for you. But I enjoyed this. I don’t like going to a class and feeling like I’m not improving or the teacher’s not paying attention to each student. I feel like Kat really is watching everyone and while her humor is sassy, I find her attitude refreshing and encouraging. She was a bit intimidating, but it’s strange,… it works. I look forward to taking more classes with her.
I’ve also taken a beginner advanced class. I thought it was fun but I hope Alvin Ailey offers higher level classes. The moves weren’t too intricate. What made the choreography challenging was the speed. Regardless, I hope Alvin Ailey is able to offer a greater range in levels for hip hop. Right now all they have is absolute beginning and advanced beginner. Most of the students in the advanced beginner could easily have handled harder choreography. On a positive note, Robin Dunn is funny and she makes you feel comfortable, which is important to me.
The space at the Alvin Ailey itself is huge and beautiful. The pay system is organized and easy. You can pay as you go or pay in advanced. If you pay in advance, the number of classes you are credited are saved onto your account. This info is saved onto a small key chain card, like a grocery card. You scan it when you arrive, and you’re done!
Also, if you’re a first time attendant at the Alvin Ailey, they offer a great introductory deal, 2 classes for $ 25! They’re class prices are also the cheapest out of all the other studios I’ve tried. If you buy in a bulk of 10 for instance, it’s $ 14.50 a class. Most other places charge $ 1 or $ 2 more.
Overall, fantastic!