By Kathleen Wessel.

After more than three decades with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, acclaimed dancer Renee Robinson will take her final bow this season. Robinson is the last remaining dancer to have been chosen by Ailey himself and the only company member to have worked under all three Artistic Directors – Alvin Ailey, Judith Jamison and now Robert Battle.

In 2012, Robinson officially retired, but the company and her many fans weren’t quite ready to say goodbye. After a series of farewell performances in New York City, Robinson is currently performing as a guest artist in a three-city tour that includes Atlanta, Boston and her hometown of Washington D.C.

As part of that tour, Robinson is teaching open classes – which included one at Spelman College in Atlanta on February 13th – aimed at spreading the message of Ailey and his 1960 iconic work Revelations. Now, more than 50 years after its debut, the classic work has been seen by an estimated 23 million people in 71 countries – more than any other modern dance piece in history. At Spelman, the nation’s top ranked Historically Black College/University, Robinson taught short sections of the classic work and deepened the experience with historical and personal connections.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Renee Robinson. Photo by Andrew Eccles.

“If she’ll teach me how to dance, I will give her my life!” said Michaela Johnson, a star struck Spelman student, as she watched Robinson prepare for the class at Spelman’s Baldwin Burroughs Theater. Robinson must be used to reactions like these, but humility, it seemed, is in her nature. “If I’m an inspiration, it’s because I have great examples,” she said in reference not just to famed directors Ailey, Jamison and Battle but also to the many students she has encountered over the years. “I’m an example because I’ve been influenced by them, through performance and outreach [experiences] like the one that’s going to happen this morning.”

Though she has been a professional dancer for most of her adult life, Robinson is also a natural-born teacher. “Who here has seen Revelations?” she asked a crowded stage of about 50 students, “What do you remember about it?” As they answered, Robinson wrote key words from their responses on a large, white notepad, then read them aloud. “Spirituals, struggle, praise, the elements, community. Did I hear somebody say ‘community’? No? Okay, that’s going to be my word,” she said with a laugh.

Alvin Ailey’s original mission, as he put it, was to “deliver dance back to the people,” and Robinson upholds that legacy in mind, body and spirit. After the brief discussion, she removed her outer layer of clothing to reveal a taut, muscular torso in a pink tank top. A murmur of amazement bubbled through the group as Robinson stretched her expertly-toned arms wide and began talking the students through some warm-up exercises.

“Long, long, long, long – you’ll hear me say this a lot,” she said, “Even your foot is long. Long supple muscles ready to move.” Her voice, rhythmic and expressive, was so musical I hardly noticed that it was the only sound in the room. Robinson didn’t need accompaniment for the warm-up, her rich voice was a song in itself.

Renee Robinson performs Alvin Ailey’s ‘Wade in the Water’ as part of ‘Revelations’. Photo by Andrew Eccles.

Entranced and inspired, a student later asked how Robinson has kept her body performance-ready for so many years. Her many answers included sleep, drinking lots of water and keeping yourself in good company. “I’m very serious about the way I eat,” she added, “But y’all, I will kill a diet for macaroni and cheese!”

It is this youthful energy, this easy connection with her students, which makes Robinson an ideal spokesperson for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and its affiliate school. When her official “retirement” sets in, she hopes to continue leading workshops and Revelations residencies in public schools. She’s also thinking about writing a children’s book aimed at giving aspiring dancers a behind-the-scenes look at the profession.

Near the end of the class at Spelman, Robinson taught parts of Wade in the Water and Rocka my Soul, two of the most lively and least technically-demanding sections in Revelations. As the students watched the detailed rippling of her arm, the practiced steps and piercing focus, it became clear that executing the movement was going to be harder than it looked. “Yes! I felt that!” she yelled when the group began to get it, “That’s when you start to feel the correct energy, the seriousness of it and we become involved in your journey.” She went on to explain the meaning behind these sections, the images of splashing water and the ceremony of a Baptism. “Revelations is part of humanity,” she said and paused, “I’m going to start crying.”

Robinson has performed these sections countless times, but she dances with such immediacy, as if every movement is as powerful to her now as it was 30 years ago. When she appeared on stage at the Fox Theatre the following night “holding that umbrella high” as Robert Battle said in his curtain speech, the audience erupted into applause. She led the company in Wade in the Water, stepping over the fluttering pieces of fabric with commanding grace.

Ailey’s works, especially Revelations, have “embraced people from all backgrounds,” says Robinson, and she continues to pass on that message, even off the stage. “I would like for everyone to know that’s what dance can be.”

Photo (top): Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Renee Robinson. Photo by Andrew Eccles.

New York City Center
December 16 2012

By Leah Gerstenlauer.

For an iconic dance company with a successful, history-rich repertory and a loyal following, the notion of newness can pose a problem. To strike a balance between inevitable forward motion and the grounding force of tradition is no trivial undertaking. But in his second year at the artistic helm of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Robert Battle is tackling the challenge with grace and guts to rival those of his dancers.

The company’s New York City Center season featured four premieres and over a dozen pieces, by various choreographers, selected from the vast Ailey archives. I took in a collection of new works delightfully varied in tone and illustrative of the company’s remarkable adaptability — nowhere more evident than in Jiří Kylián’s Petite Mort, the first ballet by the Danish dance-maker to enter the Ailey repertory.

The elegant athleticism of Ailey’s dancers proved a refreshing and powerful alternative to the neoclassical angularity characteristic of the artists normally seen in Kylián’s choreography. With a pair of Mozart’s piano concertos providing the soundtrack and not-so-subtle sexual imagery laced throughout, Petite Mort requires both daring and delicacy of its six-couple cast, and the dancers indisputably delivered. Agile Alicia Graf Mack slipped into Kylián’s movement with liquid ease, while Linda Celeste Sims and Glenn Allen Sims offered a duet delicious in its playful, expertly-timed contortionism. As a group, the dancers seemed to relish the technical demands of a piece unlike any other they have experienced with AADT.

Battle’s own Strange Humors spurred a sensation of a different sort, sending palpable electricity through the theater. The dynamic male duet, originally devised for Parsons Dance Company, is an apt outlet for the adventurous physicality of Ailey’s younger generation of dancers. Renaldo Gardner and Michael Francis McBride seamlessly blended Battle’s mixed bag of genres — classical modern dance, hip-hop, latin social dance, even gymnastics — into a performance equal parts personal statement and convivial dance duel. While executing simultaneous solo work, the two men moved in different dialects, yet easily unified their language during phrases of synchronized action. The result: two dancers and an audience collectively bereft of breath and ready for a second round.

The high-energy evening continued with Kyle Abraham’s Another Night, an infectiously upbeat world premiere that paid homage to the Big Band era dance hall scene. Rachael McLaren exuded an irresistibly arresting charisma throughout, Daniel Harder served up a solo notable for both its humor and mercurial movement quality, and every other artist in the ensemble-centric creation had more than a moment to shine. Abraham’s choreography, though mildly monochromatic at times, generated an exhilarating atmosphere that the dancers clearly savored.

A new production of Robert K. Brown’s spiritual and spirited Grace, originally set on AADT in 1999, closed the program with cheer-inducing vivacity and a message of mindfulness for the audience. Linda Celeste Sims’ rich solo segments were well complemented by the superb musicality and technical precision of the corps, particularly that of Demetia Hopkins, whose vulnerable magnetism drew the eye. By the end of the piece, viewers were on their feet and applauding the entire collection of deserving dancers. If this night of new works was any indication of Ailey’s direction under Battle’s dexterous hand, the already thriving company has nowhere to go but up.

Top photo: Alicia Graf Mack and Jamar Roberts of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Petite Mort. Photo by Paul Kolnik.

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger – Marlena Wolfe is making it big and helping others make it too.

By Leigh Schanfein.

Marlena Wolfe is living the quintessential American dance dream.  She has performed the works of many of the last century’s notable choreographers, was a member of a popular and large dance company, was a featured dancer and then rehearsal director and repetiteur of that major dance company, choreographs for her own group of freelance dancers, is a master teacher and guest instructor, coordinates an international professional training program for pre-professional dancers, and continues to perform.  She seemingly uses every moment of every day to continue reaching for the working dancer’s goal, not only forging the tracks towards her own improvement but also contributing to the development of other artists.  She strives for something greater while navigating a seriously vigorous schedule full of rehearsal, education, performance, administration, and a social life to boot.   And, believe it or not, she has done all of this before the age of 30.

I’ve been impressed with Marlena since the day we met, and have discovered since then how determined she is as a person and as an artist.  It seems that we often expect high-level dance educators and administrators to have had years upon years of experience because professionals and students will glean from that by default.  Yet, Marlena turns that notion on its head as someone who can put her youth and current status in the professional dance world to exquisite use.  I asked Marlena to share some of her background, her decision to go to college, her experiences with choreographers such as Robert Battle (Founder of Battleworks Dance Company and current Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater), and her current work as Coordinator of the two-year Certificate Program at Peridance Capezio Center, an international dance hub in New York City.

You were a member of Robert Battle’s Battleworks.  What was it like to work with Robert?

I joined Robert’s company in 2007. To work with Robert was a blessing. Robert had many muses, his foremost being Erika Pujic who was with him for 20 plus years. However, I was honored and privileged to be the creative tool in seven critically acclaimed ballets that he created during my four-year stint with the company. The first ballet was a solo he created on me called Ella.  In this process, I immediately learned of Robert’s sensitivity to the individual and humanity. Any dancer he intimately works with in the creative process is a muse; he cares about the dancer as well as the person within the dancer. Robert told me after the process of creating the solo that after he first met me, he knew I was a person capable of multi-tasking, doing 1000 plus things at once. That I was a dancer who liked to move fast, relishing in the challenge, always wanting to take the risk, was a perfectionist, caring for and desiring to fulfill Robert’s choreographic vision, and overall believed in his work … most of these characteristics describe every dancer who ever danced with Battleworks and for Robert. Don’t be mistaken, with all the work created, Robert maintained a sense of humor that never failed to bring about that laughter with the tears, belly ache, and that overall, cannot contain yourself feeling. That was always one of my favorite parts when working with him!

How did you transition into serving as Robert’s rehearsal assistant?

The transition was a quick one! My first project with Robert was at The Juilliard School where I assisted him on creating a 33-minute ballet called No Longer Silent. For the process, I spent five months with him and he would translate choreography to me, from movement to staging, imagery, etc. The cast was large, 18 dancers in total. He would literally translate each dancer’s part, sometimes two-three minutes worth of choreography. I would do the movement for him and scribe the staging for when I went into the next meeting with him or once rehearsals started, for the next rehearsal. He wouldn’t come in for the first hour of the rehearsal with the dancers and I would set the choreography he had set the week before with me. You can imagine my nervousness with so much trust and faith put into my abilities to assist him in this way and in consideration of the importance of this project to his choreographic voice. I hadn’t been with him more than five months when I took this project on. He taught me so much that I couldn’t begin to explain how valuable that experience was, as I believe it led to where I am at now in my career. He was one of my greatest mentors and I continue to learn from my experiences I had with him.

You recently began working with choreographer Camille A. Brown.  Tell us about it.

Camille hired me into Camille A. Brown & Dancers in February 2012, so I have only been with her for a little over two months. Working with Camille has been invigorating; her work is her own and Robert’s work is his own, but in my bold opinion the two are cut from the same cloth when it comes to being curious about humanity, which fulfills me as an artist. Robert helped me find security in my voice and Camille has given me the opportunity to reinvent, continue to explore, and grow within that voice. This is the continuous and endless cycle of the evolution of an artist, and I couldn’t be more grateful to be given the opportunity to continue on this path with Camille. As far as being indulgent in my dancer-self, her explosive and physically demanding movement as well as her innate musicality is satisfying.

Marlena with her sisters

Tell me about growing up and dancing in Ohio.

I grew up in a small town called Champion. My Dad had a dairy farm with my grandfather, which was great-grandfather’s in the early 1900′s. We had over 300 cows, which I treated as my pets. I was a country girl. I was dramatic at a very young age and my sisters would call me Queenie. When I wasn’t playing at the farm or swimming in our swimming pool, I was creating plays and shows in my basement; anyone home had to attend. I would hire my willing neighborhood friend to participate and would direct her. Mostly, I trained at a competitive dance studio, Studio L Dance Centre, for 15 years before I went to Marymount Manhattan College. My sister, Amanda, was one of my teachers there and it’s from her that I cultured my work ethic. She challenged and encouraged me as she saw me develop and knew that I had potential to seek a professional career. She believed in me and will always be one of my greatest teachers alongside my teachers before her, Linda Poniewasz and Tracie Lenox.

You are still an active performer, but in 2011 you took the position of Certificate Program Coordinator at Peridance Capezio Center, working with pre-professionals in a collegiate-type program.  What led you to take this job?

I have always had the need to teach. I had always dreamed of being more than a teacher in the studio. I thrive on connecting with students, being on their level and helping them find their way through the haze that exists between themselves and their ultimate goals as aspiring artists. I have always had an open mind and heart. I do my absolute best to stray from what’s typical and uncover what’s unique when offering advice to students. I wanted to instill my sense of practical, yet holistic training, so that the students don’t get caught up in academia and are truly prepared to be artists in the real world. Igal Perry, the Program’s Director, has had this vision. With his grace, he’s allowed me to share in this vision and make it a reality. I am a nurturer, but I also have a firm hand. I believe in professionalism to the utmost. Professionalism is about respect. Respect is about honor. Honoring our art as dancers is the only way to truly be fulfilled, successful, and have our voices be heard.

Top photo: Marlena Wolfe, by Jaqlin Medlock

Published by Dance Informa digital dance magazine – dance news, dance auditions & dance events for the professional dancer, dance teacher and dance students.

By Tara Sheena

Summer is officially winding down and the fall season will emerge from the depths of yesteryear faster than Ashley Bouder’s petit allegro. The days of seeing your favorite dance companies light up the innumerable free outdoor venues NYC has to offer are long gone. Now, you have to pay for tickets and brave the chilled concrete jungle to catch a glimpse of your favorite movers and shakers. But, fear not! I have compiled a list of my top five ‘must-sees’ of the season so you can plan ahead and put that rainy-day cash to good use! Here they are, in no particular order:

Launch of NY Live Arts 

This fall brings us the launch of NY Live Arts, the merger between presenting venue, Dance Theater Workshop, and the chronically cutting-edge, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. The inaugural season of this historic partnership promises to keep the contemporary dance community on its toes. Established programs like the Studio Series and Lobby TALKS will continue with renewed momentum. New programs, like the Live Gallery and the broadened Replay Series, will allow greater exposure to the over forty performances New York Live Arts will present over the course of the next year. Major highlights I am looking forward to are Rosann Spradlin’s intensely physical vocabulary, the highly unique voices of Zoe | Juniper, and a promising replay of Big Dance Theater’s 2010 Bessie-award winning, Comme Toujours Here I Stand. The season kicks off on September 16, 2011 with a two-week run of Bill T. Jones’ highly acclaimed Body Against Body. What is already a historic event, this collaboration gives insight to where the dance community is headed and the endless collaborative possibilities the future holds for our beloved form.  www.newyorklivearts.org

Yannick Lebrun in Robert Battle's Takademe. Photo by Andrew Eccles

The Metropolitan Opera

The Metropolitan Opera is an amazing opportunity for classically trained dancers to perform alongside some of the world’s best opera singers, on one of the most revered stages, with some of the world’s best choreographers. Not a bad gig, eh? The upcoming season promises to deliver an exciting assortment of, to quote Wagner himself, ‘gesamtkunstwerk’ (AKA some really awesome stuff!) Two particular productions I cannot wait to witness are Faust, choreographed by Kelly Devine, and Manon, choreographed by Lionel Hoche. Devine brings a largely musical theater background to the project, most recently lending her moves to the US tour of Rock of Ages. It will be interesting to see the intersections between her brand of hard-hitting rock n’ roll with this tale of German folklore when it opens on November 29. During the second half of the season, we will see famed French choreographer Lionel Heche take on a fellow Frenchman’s tragic story: Massenet’s Manon. Heche has worked with many acclaimed companies, including the Paris Opera Ballet and Jiri Kylian’s Netherlands troupe, making him one of the most sought-after French choreographers in the world. His neo-classical style incorporates everything from Forsythe to ballet, and it will all be seen through the eyes of Manon when this production receives its Met premiere on March 26, 2012. www.metoperafamily.org

92^nd Street Y Presents the Out of Israel Showcase

It is rare that the United States gets to benefit from witnessing the highly physical, intensely visceral experience of Israeli contemporary dance. That is why I am so excited that the 92^nd Street Y is feeding all of the die-hard fans a dose of their own fanaticism (and saving me a trip to Tel Aviv) by bringing us the Out of Israel showcase in January 2012. Start the year off right with hometown favorite Andrea Miller and her electrifying troupe, Gallim Dance, and then delve into the worlds of Michael Samama, Neta Yerushalmy, Lior Schneior, and others. The entire weekend is devoted to this signature brand of movement, with varying programs and what is sure to be a unique set of shows. www.92y.org

Remembering September 11^th with the NYC Dance Community

Jacqulyn Buglisi has been an important preservationist of modern dance in the US for many years. A featured dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company, Buglisi’s own company has been an important pillar of site-specific performance, and this September will be no exception. As a tribute to the tenth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center buildings on September 11, 2001, Buglisi and one hundred other NYC dancers will stage a site-specific performance at Lincoln Center’s Josie Robertson Plaza. Collaborating with Ms. Buglisi on the work are Italian artist Rossella Vasta and flautist Andrea Ceccomori. An important day in American history, the dance community will come together to recognize this great tragedy and work to acknowledge the hope that the future holds. The event will begin at 8:20am on September 11 and conclude at 8:46am, the exact time that American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower. An amazing way to pay respect and come together as a community, this event will use dance to portray the unfaltering will and determination of the American people.

Top photo: Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company Body Against Body

By Emily Yewell Volin.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Matthew Rushing, 19 year veteran performer of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, early on a Friday morning in September.  His humility, humor, passion for dance and well rounded talents were apparent during our conversation as we spoke about his transition from principal performer to Rehearsal Director at AAADT. 

What qualities do you have that make you so well suited for the transition from performing dancer to Rehearsal Director? 
My undying love for the AAADT organization and my desire to share it are the qualities that make me suited for this transition. When I was young, it was a dream of mine to join the Ailey company.  My dream has come true and I feel my love and passion for AAADT has matured.   I will take this with me in my new position as Rehearsal Director.

During  my 19 years in the AAADT Company, I’ve learned a great deal about the company’s repertoire and the function of the organization.  I was able to play an important principal dancer role at AAADT and learned ballets that were created on me.  That learning of the ins and outs of the ballets and of the Company  structure have prepared me to fit right into a leadership role for AAADT. I have also already had experience working under Ms. Jamison to assist ballets and have helped run rehearsals for Assistant Artistic Director, Masazumi Chaya.

How are you finding balance between the artistic and technical demands of performing Company member and Rehearsal Director as you prepare for this season?
At the beginning of summer it was understood by myself and management that I would dance and be Rehearsal Director this year and I was up for the challenge.  After taking some time to really think about it, I spoke with Ms. Jamison and we agreed  I would benefit from a little time to transition.  I will be performing in AAADT’s 5 week NY City Center Season but will not be dancing during this year’s Fall UK tour. 

What are your most important goals as you make this career transition?
I look forward to learning about the work on a deeper level and gaining a broader perspective of the repertoire.  I aim to preserve the work while ensuring the dancers stay true to the work.  I want to be another eye for the dancers and help them grow as artists and dancers, guiding and aiding them both artistically and with their technical work within the repertoire.

Matthew Rushing in Maurice Bejart's 'Firebird'. Photo Paul Kolnik

Describe your work load this year. 
The beginning of the rehearsal season was very interesting.  Geoffrey Holder was reviving The Prodical Prince and I assisted him during those rehearsals.  Holder personally coached me when I danced the role in 1998 so I knew that ballet very well. 

However, I find that during most weeks, I do a lot of Rehearsal Director homework at night so I also have time to concentrate on staying in shape for my final season dancing with AAADT. 

I find one of the most incredible experiences as Rehearsal Director is to be working so closely with Ms. Jamison.  She’s been directing the Company since 1989 and I’ve previously assisted her on rehearsing ballets.   The way I am working with her now, in my role of Rehearsal Director, is much different because I am hearing her thoughts as I sit right next to her during rehearsals.  I hear her likes, her dislikes, and what she wants to see more of.  It’s really amazing getting more inside her head.

When and how did you realize you were ready to transition from 19 year performer with AAADT to AAADT rehearsal director?   
I remember first mentioning the idea to Rehearsal Director, Masazumi Chaya, when I was about 24 years old and had only been dancing with the Company for 5 or 6 years.  I was so young and he very generously began teaching me the basics of casting and directing.  Then, I let the idea go a bit to concentrate on my dancing. All these years later I spoke with Ms. Jamison, mentioning that soon I’d be retiring from the stage and that I want to retire at a certain high level.  I want to hang up my dancing shoes while I’m not on the way down.  (he chuckles)  These conversations with Ms. Jamison led to an invitation for me to become Rehearsal Director.  I had known it was time to transition but I wasn’t ready to leave the company.  I dabble in choreography, and love working with young people.  Yet, the complete vision for my future with the Company became clear with Ms. Jamison’s invitation to step into the role of Rehearsal Director.  I feel really good about my last performance season happening during the same season that honors Ms. Jamison in her final year as Artistic Director.  That’s very special for me.

What are your favorite responsibilities as performer and rehearsal director?
My favorite responsibility as a performer is sharing.  I really enjoy just totally exposing myself on stage.  It’s funny, because I’m not that way off stage.  I love tearing myself wide open and sharing – touching people’s hearts, as Ms. Jamison says.  Changing peoples’ lives and leaving people on a higher level than when they entered the theater…that’s my favorite responsibility as a performer.

As a Rehearsal Director, my favorite responsibility is assisting dancers as they grow into better artists. I don’t think I’m yet working at the capacity I want and I think that’s a good thing.  There are so many things I want to learn and I’m slowly gaining responsibilities.  Step by step, day by day learning.  I’m taking every little responsibility I get and doing the best I can with it.  And, I’m looking forward.

There is much excitement regarding Robert Battle’s appointment as Artistic Director of AAADT upon Judith Jamison’s retirement from the position in June 2011.  How do your 19 years of performance experience with the Company and this year’s dual role of performer and Rehearsal Director shape your perspective during this transitional year in Artistic Direction of AAADT?
My perspective has been shaped because I know the strengths of the organization and I know that in this kind of transition that everything will be alright.  If anything, things will continue to progress.  Believe it or not, I believe the Company will get better and better and reach more lives; new perspectives.  Yes!  And, that’s what Ms. Jamison wants.  She feels the focus and dedication will still be Mr. Ailey’s vision as seen through different eyes.  Because I’ve been with the Company for so long I understand what goes into the marketing, the financing, the assurance of physical therapy for the dancers…the WHOLE Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater organization is dedicated to preserving Mr. Ailey’s vision. Robert Battle has strong support from the organization and is part of a very capable team.

Matthew Rushing, Briana Reed & Rosalyn Deshauteurs in Alvin Ailey's Revelations. Photo Andrew Eccles.

What accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction in life? 
I think touching the lives of young people.  I just recently received a couple of emails expressing thanks from two students with whom I worked closely at the Ailey School.  Both have gone along to work in dance Companies in both the US and Europe.  I received the emails at a very important time.  Right now I am an unseen worker and am getting accustomed to life behind the scenes.  It was so good to hear from these students and to be reminded that whatever I give I receive; in sharing it I have positively impacted people’s  lives. It made me feel so good.  These young people will be good to others in turn, by continuing to share the power of art and by touching lives.  Being reminded that what you have done has touched people’s lives and is important to them is very special to me. 

How would your colleagues in the Company describe you?
I’m very blessed to say I have a really good working relationship with the dancers.  I’ve been there so long and have close relationships with the senior dancers.  We’ve really grown up together and know each other like family.  As far as the newer company dancers, I’m intrigued by them.  The new dancers bring such an energy to the Company and their newness is a breath of fresh air for me.  I’m attracted to them and we immediately build relationships.  I tell them, ‘If you need anything, you know I’m here’.  Overall, I have a great working relationship with all the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancers.  They’d say I’m supportive and they’d say I’m a hard worker.  They’ve seen my work ethic and they know what I expect from them as Rehearsal Director.  They know me as a choreographer and how I expect excellence.  They also know they can talk to me, share things, ask questions and approach me about challenges they are facing relating to or outside of the Company.  They are comfortable confiding in me and that means the world to me.

What advice do you have for dancers considering or experiencing a career transition from performing to directing?
Make sure that whatever you transition into creates as much passion in you as your old job.  A transition is not a step down; it is a step UP.  A lot of people feel ‘oh, okay, my performing career is over, let me settle for another job, the best time is over’.  That does not have to be the case!  Your transition should be upward.  Use the opportunity to become physically less active but emotionally more active.  Enjoy finding ways to utilize the different aspects of yourself and your talents.

Matthew Rushing will be performing during  Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s 5 week New York City Center Season (December 1-January 2)
AAADT 2010-2011 International and National Tour Schedule 

For more information about Matthew Rushing visit www.alvinailey.org

Top photo: AAADT’s Matthew Rushing. Photo by Andrew Eccles

Published by www.danceinforma.com