Chalvar Monteiro saw his first Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performance at 12 and was smitten. Today, at 28, he’s a lithe, elegantly understated member of the company. But he’s experienced some happy detours along the way—namely as a dancer with MacArthur-winning choreographer Kyle Abraham, as well as Sidra Bell and Larry Keigwin. After a […]

Your first dance job can be exhilarating. And terrifying. Those initial few weeks especially can feel like an obstacle course of incredible opportunities and narrowly-avoided mistakes as you navigate the nuances of a company life. It’s a process that many recent grads are just getting to know as companies rev up for their fall seasons. A few months ago, I spoke to Alvin […]

The first time Jacqueline Green auditioned for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, she was 16. She’d taken her first dance class just three years earlier—when teachers had to physically hold her foot to teach her a tendu. Yet when she and a couple of friends learned that Ailey’s main company was holding auditions in Washington, […]

The new Ailey repertoire is going to knock your socks off. In a recent rehearsal of Aszure Barton’s new piece, I was blown away by the searing, pulsing vitality of it. The company is also taking on Wayne McGregor’s hyperactive, strangely clinical, kinetically powerful Chroma. Plus there’s Bill T. Jones’ hard-driving, exhilarating D-Man in the […]

There isn’t much that seems to pose a serious challenge to Jamar Roberts. At 6′ 4″, with the uncanny ability to shape energy to its most attractive or powerful or luscious impact, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancer has given unforgettable performances of Alvin Ailey’s lyrical Night Creature, Robert Battle’s tortured tour-de-force In/Side, and […]