The New York City-based Alvin Ailey Dance Theater held a public workshop Wednesday night, giving local dancers across South Florida a chance to learn some of the company’s iconic choreography.
During the nearly two-hour training session at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, more than thirty participants followed the steps and rhythms of two Alvin Ailey dancers. The workshop was a way for the theater—which is performing in Miami this week—to carry out the mission of its founder Alvin Ailey, said company dancer Jacquelin Harris.
“Mr. Ailey was really about giving back to the people,” Harris said. "He believed that dance comes from the people and that it should be given back to the people. And outreach is an absolute major part of what we do.”
The modern dance company, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary, has historically tried to address social justice through dance. Past works have explored the civil rights movement, black womanhood and mass incarceration.
During the training session, local dancers learned a part of “Revelations,” one of the theater’s most celebrated routines.
“It’s all about freedom and love,” Harris said, noting that the choreography includes balet and negro-spiritual music.
Attendees at the workshop included dancers for the Miami Heat and local middle and high-schoolers.
Trinity Cox, who lives in Fort Lauderdale, said the workshop gave her a sense of what it’s like to dance to Alvin Ailey choreography.
“I almost cried,” she said. “I really felt the essence of Alvin Ailey.”
Mei-Ling Ho-Shing, who is black, added that it was notable the workshop came during Black History Month. She praised “Revelations” for addressing freedom and black rights though its choreography.
“All the stuff that we had to go through and risks that we had to take. It’s an amazing piece,” she said.
The original version of this story misspelled the names of Jacquelin Harris and Mei-Ling Ho-Sing. We regret the error.
