Ailey II, the celebrated second company to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, returns to the Joyce Theater on April 9-14, fresh on the heels of a successful world tour with a program that celebrates its 50th anniversary. During the eight-performance engagement their “dynamic movement and dazzling technique” will shine in premieres by Artistic Director Francesca Harper and the exciting duo of Baye & Asa (Amadi ‘Baye’ Washington and Sam ‘Asa’ Pratt) alongside repertory favorites and revered classics by beloved founder Alvin Ailey, William Forsythe, and Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison.
Founded in 1974, the company embodies Alvin Ailey’s pioneering mission to establish an extended cultural community that provides dance performances, training, and community programs for all people. Under the leadership of Sylvia Waters, who served as artistic director for 38 seasons, Ailey II flourished into one of the most popular modern dance companies, providing a bridge between The Ailey School and the professional dance world. On its 50th anniversary, Ailey II continues to thrive, with Francesca Harper bringing a fresh dimension to the company as she propels a beloved tradition forward.
Harper, in a recent interview, referred to this season’s celebration as “legacy framing the future,” which embodies her love for and longstanding relationship with the Ailey family, a bond that creates an aura she hopes envelops Ailey II audiences. “For me this program celebrating the 50th embodies our luminaries—Mr. Ailey, who I knew as a young person and have very vivid memories of, and Miss Jamison and Ms. Waters, who are both mentors—while also showing the new voices, Baye and Asa.” Harper said that while her voice is relatively new as Ailey II, artistic director, as daughter of the late Ailey School administrator Denise Jefferson she, too, is a longstanding member of the Ailey family. And, it’s that concept of family ties that permeates the upcoming Joyce program.
Harper’s “Luminous,” for example, pays homage to five decades of Ailey II, weaving iconic moments of the past into a tapestry of the periods when Ailey launched the company that influenced the international cultural landscape. Drawing on extensive conversations with Waters, Harper weaves a rich tapestry of stories and memories that testify to Ailey II’s continuing commitment. It also shows Harper’s determination to break boundaries, push artistic limits, advocate for social change, and highlight the power of community. The original composition and vocals by Nona Hendryx is additional proof of that.
2023 Dance Magazine Harkness Promise Award recipients Baye & Asa’s ”John 4:20” expands the duet the choreographers originally created in 2018. The piece began as an interrogation of their shared history and divergent identities as New Yorkers, male dancers, and as a white American and a Black American. Through the personal dynamics of their brotherhood they address the larger political landscape of their upbringing. The new iteration of “John 4:20” captures relationships, friends, and siblings in a group of new bodies struggling to show the reality of violence and the necessity for empathy.
Other performances include: William Forsythe’s captivating work “Enemy in the Figure” (excerpt); new productions of ”Ailey Highlights,” a collection of excerpts from three classics choreographed by Alvin Ailey between 1958 and 1972; and Judith Jamison’s ”Divining,” a solo excerpted from her first major work as a choreographer for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, created in 1984 at the request of her mentor, Alvin Ailey. Set to a score of North African, Central African, and Latin rhythms, “Divining” builds on African dance idioms to create a striking, pulsating modern dance work.
Praising her dancers, the rising stars of the second company who come from near (Queens native Patrick Gamble and Brooklyn native Corinth Moulterie) and far (Dutch dancer Maggy van den Heuvel), Harper said, “It was important to me that the New York season recognize the rich history of the company as well as its legacy shaping the future.”