Dance | Fresh leadership for Alvin Ailey company - KansasCity.com

By LISA JO SAGOLLA

Special to The Star

Robert Battle (center, wearing black) took the helm of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in July. A former dancer for the Parsons Dance Company, Battle studied choreography at Juilliard. ?What I want to do,? he said, ?is constantly challenge the notion of what is possible for an Ailey dancer.?

This is a historic time for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Sporting the most famous brand name in the concert dance world, the troupe is changing artistic leadership for only the second time in its 53-year history.

From its founding in 1958 the company was led by venerated African-American choreographer Alvin Ailey. When he died, in 1989, the torch was passed to Ailey?s muse, the company?s former star dancer, Judith Jamison.

But when the troupe takes up residence at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Nov. 16-19, it will be led by a new artistic director, 39-year-old Robert Battle. An acclaimed contemporary choreographer, Battle took the helm July 1, upon Jamison?s retirement.

As a regular stop on the troupe?s touring schedule since the 1980s and the site of the seminal AileyCamp (a youth dance training program that has been replicated in nine cities nationwide), Kansas City is home to many longtime Ailey followers.

Will local aficionados find November too soon to detect Battle?s influence? Or will the new director?s stamp be evident from the get-go?

?There will be clear differences, for sure,? Battle said. ?A lot of it has to do with the fact that I hired nine new dancers, and that always changes the rhythm a bit, in a positive way.?

The more profound changes, however, are on the choreographic front and may become more evident over time.

Though he performed for seven years with the popular Parsons Dance Company (led by David Parsons, who was raised in KC), Battle?s outstanding reputation in the dance world rests largely on his work as a choreographer.

A Juilliard graduate, Battle has created choreography for numerous contemporary dance troupes, including those of Parsons and Ailey, as well as his own Battleworks Dance Company, which he debuted in 2002 and disbanded upon his Ailey appointment.

In 2007 Battle was awarded the Princess Grace Foundation Statue Award for artists who display consistent excellence in theatre, dance, or film. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the foundation and, to date, has had only 53 recipients.

In recent years dance critics have said the Ailey company?s choreography is not up to the caliber of its world-class dancers. By bringing in Battle, with his distinguished choreographic sensibilities, the organization is poised to take a big step toward addressing this issue.

Several people in the organization, including Jamison, have told Battle that he reminds them of Alvin Ailey.

However, Battle feels that the main reason he was hired for the leadership position was his ability to ?articulate a vision for the company that would move it into the future without dismantling what?s already here.?

Battle?s vision is likely to include a strong emphasis on sharing his choreographic views.

?I?ve always had the desire to teach what I?ve learned, from the time I was a little boy,? he said. ?When I was a kid I learned martial arts and taught it to the kids in the neighborhood. Then when I learned dance, I taught them that. And when I went to church, I?d come home and recite the sermons to my pretend congregation.?

Battle emphasizes that embracing the company?s illustrious history will always be at the forefront of his plans, yet he believes that one of the most important reasons it has such a vibrant history is Ailey?s commitment to creating a repertory company.

Unlike other choreographers, such as Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, or Merce Cunningham, who established companies to showcase their own work, Ailey envisioned that his company would present the works of many different choreographers.

?Its

mission was

always to foster a new generation of creative voices, while simultaneously honoring the past,? Battle said. ?So in keeping with that, what I want to do is constantly challenge the notion of what is possible for an Ailey dancer. I?m looking at inviting in new choreographers who haven?t yet contributed to the repertory, but I don?t just want new for new?s sake. I?m really taking my time to think about what work would be best suited for the company.?

The additions Battle is bringing to programming for the 2011-12 season reflect his dedication to moving forward and to honoring history.

On one hand, there will be a new work by hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris, as well as company premieres of pieces by Battle, renowned Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin and Paul Taylor (marking the first time the Ailey dancers have performed a Taylor piece).

But the season also will introduce a revival of ?Streams,? a 1970 Ailey work that has not been seen in a while, and the company premiere of ?Journey,? a 1958 solo by Joyce Trisler, one of the troupe?s early members.

And yes, the company still will present Ailey?s signature work, ?Revelations,? which has been performed regularly since its premiere in 1960. It will be danced at all of the company?s Kansas City performances.

?When it isn?t on the program we get a lot of complaints, either verbally or by people choosing to attend another night,? Battle said. ?But even more than that, it?s a masterpiece and it needs to constantly be seen. It?s like the Mona Lisa. No one ever says, ?My god, it?s been up there so long, why don?t you take that thing down.? Masterpieces, like ?Revelations,? endure place and time and circumstance.?

Source: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/08/26/3099180/fall-arts-fresh-leadership-for.html

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