Dance Informa’s Tara Sheena spoke with acclaimed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancer and choreographer Troy Powell in late September as he was about to embark on his first season as Artistic Director of Ailey II. Powell spoke about his past influences, the exciting new repertory for this season, and what he hopes to accomplish in his new role.

Congratulations on your first season as Artistic Director of Ailey II. Is it a lot different than your previous position as Associate Artistic Director?

Actually, no, because I have been working with [former Ailey II Artistic Director] Sylvia Waters for the past several years as the designated Associate Artistic Director, choreographer, and teacher. I think the main thing is the fact that I am not as involved in the studio as much as I’d like to be. That’s my passion. There’s a lot of administrative stuff to do. Nothing has drastically changed though. Not yet, at least. I was very well groomed by Sylvia Waters, Judith Jamison and even Alvin Ailey, who I met and worked with as well. Let me just say ‘it’s all in the pocket’. They [Waters, Jamison and Ailey] really set a precedent in making sure [to groom] the next generations for positions like this. For me, the road map is clear. Of course, there are going to be some challenges, which I am up for. We’ve got seven new dancers this year.  With me being new, my rehearsal director being new, and a new crew, this year’s all about new. That along with a lot of the traditional stuff in the repertory makes a great balance and a great combination.

Sylvia Waters and Troy Powell. Photo Eduardo Patino

This combination of the old and the new is clear this season. I see the ‘new’ in the three new commissions you have this season: Benoit Swan-Pouffer, Amy Hall Garner, and Malcolm Low.

I picked those three choreographers because they are totally different choreographers. They come from different backgrounds, from different cultures, they have a different style, they use different music and have different movement qualities. I wanted to really challenge the dancers in a different way by bringing in each of those choreographers.

I had really been influenced by Amy Hall in the way she worked – her process. She really, really digs into the dancers. Her piece is about energy and consistency. It’s very vibrant, it’s very bright and it’s very fast.

I brought Benoit Swan-Pouffer in because he’s a much more seasoned choreographer who has a company – Cedar Lake Ballet. I wanted the dancers to work with someone of that status. Not just so they can be seen by him, but I wanted them to work with a choreographer who was going to dig into them and get these dancers to start working more on a professional quota. He brought the energy of how he works with his company to the dancers of Ailey II.

Ailey II dancers with Artistic Director Troy Powell and Rehearsal Director Alia Kache. Photo by Eduardo Patino.

Malcolm Low comes from a postmodern background. You know, there’s really no postmodern anymore. That kind of died out. So, now the dancers are training, training, training to get their ability, their technique and their physicality but Low’s movement is totally relaxed and thrown with feet not pointed. It’s vulnerable, yet powerful, in a way.

You’ve been a part of the Ailey family forever. Were there any big takeaways from your years in the Ailey company that you brought to your role as director?

Definitely. I have watched my mentors so closely: how they taught and what they said. It’s funny because when I stopped dancing and started working with Ailey II, I was a choreographer and I began to see what was on the other side of the table. I guess it seemed natural because I just loved to give back and I was very passionate about the next generation and about giving them the same type of nurturing and grooming that I got as a dancer. I remember Alvin Ailey saying, “You are the next generation.” He really, really [emphasized] the fact that we were human beings before we were dancers and we were expressing ourselves through what we were experiencing and going through as individuals. That is what I want to bring to the table.

Troy Powell leads class for Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls students. Photo by Joe Epstein.

Did you know that you wanted to be on the other side of things as a director?

It kind of happened naturally. I didn’t think I was ever going to be the Artistic Director of Ailey II. As dancers and choreographers we think to ourselves, “Oh, I love teaching. I love choreographing. It would be great to have my own company.” You know? You think it’d be great but I just never thought that it would happen. It’s hit me so much harder now because I look back on my past and I think how far I’ve come, how hard I’ve worked and how passionate I have been, and I am very blessed. I am very honored to be in this position. I still feel passionate. I am not drained, I am not too busy, it’s not too crazy, and it’s not going to get that way. I want to stay at a pace where it’s easy and stress-free and we are all enjoying it, we are all having fun, and we are all passionate about it.

Is the company doing any of your work this season? Or, do you have future plans to choreograph on the company?

I definitely have plans. They are not doing my work this season but they did my work last season and I definitely have plans to choreograph or even bring stuff back that I have done in the past.

What’s your vision for Ailey II?

I definitely want the company to evolve in a way that it’s not just a second company. I want to work more on a professional level, so that’s why I am challenging the dancers with bringing different choreographers in, as well as doing a lot of traveling and bringing in rep that I danced – rep that Mr Ailey choreographed. I am bringing in those traditional works because those are the ones that made me grow as an artist. I want these dancers to be able to grow in a way where when they leave Ailey II, there’s no question that they’ve received two years of grooming and training in the most professional way.

Keep up with Ailey II on the road this season at  www.alvinailey.org/aileyiitour

Top photo: Ailey II’s Troy Powell. Photo by Eduardo Patino

By Tara Sheena.

The sixth annual Capezio A.C.E. Awards took place at the Hilton New York on July 28, 2012. Fifteen lucky choreographers from across the United States were chosen after a long admission process that involved each dance maker submitting a video of their work online for votes. After months of gathering votes, these choreographers and their dancers put their long hours of relentless rehearsal to the test by hitting the A.C.E. Awards stage. Not only would they perform in front of an audience of thousands, but in front of the most respected figures in the dance industry. This year’s judges were choreographers Mia Michaels, Ray Leeper, Benoit Swan Pouffer (Artistic Director of the Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet), Troy Powell (Director of Ailey II); Christopher Freer of Clear Talent Group; Kate Lydon of Dance Media; and Michael Terlizzi of Capezio.

The competition opened with the languid, strong movement vocabulary of Calen Kurka in his piece, Recognition. The six strong female performers, clad in navy leggings (with socks to match) and neutral gray tank tops, slid and twisted across the space in a stripped down, bare bones showing of nonstop movement. Smooth, sweeping passes across the space were punctuated by sky-high extensions and deep lunges. Kurka’s piece was a welcome opener for the entire competition.

Liz Schmidt brought her work Dust Bowl to the stage next. A studio owner from Chesterfield, Michigan, Schmidt also received this year’s Dance Teacher Award for Studios/Private Conservatories. Her young students showed a beautiful maturity in their dancing. An emotionally stirring piece, the dancers worked in chorus against a main male figure. Gestural movement met large jumps and boundless bolts across the space. What was most engaging was the genuine performance quality of these dancers, who were noticeably younger than most in the competition. Their commitment to this dramatic, dejected, at times violent, character was admirable.

This year's Caepzio ACE Awards choreographers

Andrew Winghart’s fiery troupe of females brought I’m Back and I Want What Is Mine to the stage. If the title is not enough of an indicator, this group of strong, vengeful women took the stage at full force. His brand of hip-hop inspired moves melded with contemporary lines and partnering created a piece that was as sassy as it was engaging. Winghart has a taste for the subtlety of hip hop movement and it was brought out by dissecting pops and locks and, even more, deliberately making movement that usually has an in-your-face punch transform into a toned down beauty.

Terminal Soul by Bree Hafen was purely angelic from start to finish. A main soloist took the space, harnessed by a large white fabric. A push and pull took place and she weaved in and out of this all-encompassing force embodied in the drapery. A trio of young ladies, in navy dresses, became the Greek chorus for this goddess as she went on a clear journey from emotional betrayal into solace. The piece stood out not only for the thoughtful use of this gorgeous prop but also for the technical purity of the dancers.

Alex Little (one of our fellow Dance Informa writers!) brought some L.A. star quality to this New York audience in Remembering Back. Little’s piece was the only work of the night to use video as a backdrop. The beautiful black and white scenarios illustrated a male and female couple in various stages of their relationship—fighting, consoling, and loving each other. Simultaneously, the ensemble cast of dancers mimicked and recreated what was portrayed in the video. It was a beautiful rush of leg extensions and buoyant partnering work that used the accompanying film in a way that made Little’s choreography an experience rather than just a series of dance steps.

KC Costellano’s Detesolc was a pulsating series of various scenarios reflecting a male figure in search of his sexual identity. The music constantly jumped back to accelerate forward and the dancers responded. As if hitting the rewind button on your remote control, these movers created these stories with genuine abandon and clear dramatic themes. Not to mention, they were all incredibly committed, hard-hitting performers.

This.Could.Save.Me. by Marinda Davis had one of the largest casts of the evening, which made for a completely electric performance. Similar to the melding of pure gestural language and intense physical movement in Liz Schmidt’s work, Davis used this combination of qualities to maintain a consistent and clear high energy throughout the work. I saw the most individuality among performers in this piece. Each dancer brought their own style to the movement and it was evident this variation was something Davis encouraged.

Speed dating meets cha cha, meets outrageous performers; this was the showy appeal of Marcos Santana’s Speed Date Mambo. And, it was just that – a mambo that showed a speed dating setup. The high energy, ballroom-esque romp was incredibly rhythmic and constantly entertaining. Easily a crowd favorite, a standout moment was when the suave, “macho man” character beat the flirty vixen’s butt like a drum. Though not the most innovative piece of the night, it was definitely the most amusing.

Will Loftis brought us mysterious, Avatar-like creatures in We Are But One. It was a very serene, lyrical piece with an army of gorgeous women with sprawling long hair and nude, flowing costumes. Loftis’ work stood out most for his musicality and thrashing, yet juicy movement sensibility. The women operated in a sort of amoeba, staying contained mostly in the center of the stage and acting as the otherworldly pact they were meant to be.

Eryn Waltman’s In Flux was the most technically pure work of the night and definitely one of my personal favorites because of that. The women in plum biketards and the men in all black personified the cleanliness of line and clarity of focus that most dancers strive for. The effortless movement (especially the partnering) worked within a contemporary ballet vocabulary. The dancers were grounded and still managed to stay sleek with Waltman’s virtuosic choreography. I felt she especially stood out for her floor work, which was able to bolt the dancers across the space with slides and lunges that still remained connected to the precision of the work.

Hani Abaza brought us into a considerably more fantastical world with Expound Fairytale. Long, billowing dresses in fire engine red and periwinkle blue fluttered across the stage as the dancers moved in a nymph-like fashion. Abaza revealed a narrative rooted in familiar fairytales; there was a princely figure with a princess, a fairy, and many creatures echoing this action in a chorus. I felt the work was a friendly play on old story ballets, like Giselle and Sleeping Beauty, where these poetic characters come to life and lead us through their majestic world.

Melinda Sullivan wins the 2012 Capezio ACE Awards

Melinda Sullivan’s Gone was certainly one of the most innovative pieces of the night. The five women in the work, one of which was Sullivan, illuminated a robust, hoofing brand of tap. I was happy to see that Sullivan made the choice to put the women in combat boots instead of conventional tap shoes, as I felt the metal sound would have interfered with the integrity of the work. Clad in an array of beiges and pinks, they all donned long, flowing skirts that they could lift up and reveal their heavy hitting feet underneath. Stomping and stirring up the space, they were relentless in their rhythmic energy. The five women were a unit; every step or swipe of the feet was never done to upstage another, whether they were working in unison or not, but to compliment what the other was doing. And, what they were doing was some extreme hoofing that kept me engaged from beginning to end.

Incandescent Paths from Jeremy McQueen saw highflying, aerobically exhausting dancing from a flurry of movers in metallic gold and silver. From beginning to end, the piece never lost its steam and that was due, in large part, to McQueen’s kinetic choreography. Even more exciting was the performers’ response to this pure modern movement. When a change of level or direction would throw a hiccup into any conventional performance, McQueen’s dancers kept it moving full speed ahead. With a movement quality recalling the classicism of Lester Horton’s structured technique and Alvin Ailey’s impossible extensions, McQueen brought a well-crafted piece to the competition.

Lauren Adams did not make a dance for the A.C.E. Awards; she made a fully dramatic experience. In Song For A Lover Long Ago the dancers were strewn about the stage, as if they had taken some hallucinogenic drug and woke up five years later, wearing the same sweat pants and hooded jackets they had previously. As things unfolded, the audience experienced the dance right along with the performers. It was clear they wanted to remain in their own, isolated worlds. When the dancers’ convulsive movement would lead them to come into contact with another, they would fold up or retaliate in a violent manner. Seizure-like shaking and relentless stomping characterized the clear frustration and denial in the performers. The piece was easily the most emotionally believable of the night and one that seemed to be able to go on for hours if permitted to do so.

The final piece of the night was a fast and furious work from Dana Foglia titled Ribbons. It was pleasing to see a group of women so uniform in their movement and character. Part robot, part alien, the women weaved in and out of Foglia’s choreography with a sense of cool that was near untouchable. In black and white striped biketards with sleek hoods to match, Foglia’s dissected hip-hop paired with contemporary movement to create an army of separate beings moving as one. Every tick, pop, lock, and slide was done uniformly and that group energy made the work all the more striking.

A marathon night of dance, the 2012 Capezio A.C.E. Awards brought together a diverse and talented cast of choreographers and dancers. In the end, any choreographer could have walked away with the top prize of $15,000 to produce his or her own show in New York City, but there could only be one winner. This year, that honor went to Melinda Sullivan, with Dana Foglia earning first runner up (receiving a prize of $5,000) and Bree Hafen as second runner up (receiving a prize of $3,000).

Photo: Melinda Sullivan and dancers perform the winning routine at this year’s Capezio ACE Awards at Dance Teacher Summit New York.
Photos courtesy of Break The Floor Productions

Steps Studio Theater, NYC
May 2012

By Tara Sheena.

Every year the springtime comes bustling through Steps on Broadway in a big way. The studios see sunshine streaming through their oversized windows; the impending summer months attract a slew of new students, from recent college grads to seasoned vets, ready to emerge from hibernation; and, this well-respected NYC dance studio has its annual Faculty in Performance concert. This year’s sold-out concert took place on May 18 and 19 and showcased a wide array of some of the dance center’s most talented instructors. Everything from contemporary ballet to flamenco to hip hop was shown in a whirlwind production. It was a lot to take in in the two-hour period of time, but it was a definite testament to the variety and talent imbedded into Steps on Broadway. The curriculum is all-encompassing and it was a joy to see this cohesive attitude put to work in the performance.

The standout works of the night were undoubtedly the two pieces performed by the Steps Repertory Ensemble. The ensemble is a tightknit group of professional dancers, ranging from age 18 to 25, who represent Steps on Broadway by performing repertoire from emerging and established international choreographers at various venues throughout the year. One of their main performances is the Faculty in Performance concert, and they delivered two striking works on their home turf.

'Air Suite, Part IV' choreography by Larry Keigwin. Photo Eduardo Patino

The first work was Knead choreographed by Benoit-Swan Pouffer, current Artistic Director of Cedar Lake Dance Company. Donning black biker shorts, translucent tops of navy and burgundy hues, and black socks, this fluid and dynamic work showcased the dancers’ ability to navigate music and movement in a highly generous fashion. Set to the music of American chamber group, Rachel’s, a constant push and pull of bodies was at play.

An opening duet by Marielis Garcia and the incredibly astute Victor Larue was eye catching. Garcia was able to waver effortlessly from off-kilter arabesques to sky-high passes, allowing the quiet push behind from Larue to mold her body into what it was supposed to be. Their partnership pointed to Larue as a guiding tool to Garcia’s fluidity, never forcing or intentionally shaping, but allowing us to see how his calm force manifested on her form. I also saw a distinct gentleness from dancer Lane Halperin, whose ease and simplicity came through as a sign of maturity. The way she mixed the richness of the music with the discreet strength of her movement was a pure joy to witness.

The second standout work by the ensemble was by the inimitable Larry Keigwin (how can you go wrong?). It’s no secret that Keigwin’s choreography is developed and complex, yet accessible and entertaining, all in one easily digestible work of dancing excitement. It was no surprise the ensemble dancers took on excerpts from Air Suite with ease. It was one of the only pieces of the night that I felt used the entire scope of Steps’ studio theater.

A cheeky, gestural introduction saw the dancers mimicking the obligatory flight attendant instructions (aptly, they were all wearing flight attendance uniforms). The dancers had fun with this kitschy humor, which fed seamlessly into an equally hilarious duet between the lean and lanky Landes Dixon and the muscle-bound, compact Kyle Mullins. A gestural battle of wits, Dixon and Mullins showcased a cat-and-mouse game of flirtation. Quick jolts of movement were punctuated by pauses that found the men in compromising positions—at one point, Mullins’ hands cupping Landes’ bottom. You could not help but let a giggle loose.

The final section, set to the music of the ubiquitous Phillip Glass, was a lesson in free falling. I was taken on an airless journey as the dancers sliced and slashed through the air with such an effortless quality that I forgot a floor was under them to break their falls. Again, eating up space with a vengeance, the female solo moments stood out the most. Each dancer delicately tripped through the space and never gave any warning as to what was going to happen next. Standout moments came from the mesmerizing turning ability of Jesse Dunham and the delicious grounded quality of Emily Schoen (also currently a member of Keigwin’s main company, Keigwin + Co.). At the end of the two hour stretch, though I had seen a lot, I left wanting more of Keigwin’s full-bodied parade of smooth movers.

The ensemble represented the wide-ranging contemporary work happening at Steps on Broadway, but there were also notable pieces across other disciplines. Richard Pierlon’s jazz piece opened the show with a sultry, pulsing parade of ladies (and a few gentlemen) clad in short skirts, bra tops, and, of course, signature black LaDucas. And, I won’t soon forget the Flamenco stylings of Arielle Rosales—excitingly rhythmic and undoubtedly seductive. The night saw many standout performances ushered in by the talented faculty of Steps on Broadway. It is easy to see why they are considered one of the best dance centers in New York City.

Top photo: Shadows choreography by Richard Pierlon. Photo by Eduardo Patino