Alvin Ailey Dance: More Than Just Steps

by Courtney Giannone

For 16 year old Yaa Yaa Whaley, who has been dancing with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center since she was 9, dance is the ultimate. "When I dance, I block out the problems of the world. Dance gives me energy and it is spiritually uplifting." Yaa Yaa, who is an exceptional dancer, and a member of the Ailey School Professional Division (which rarely takes high school students) enjoys the hard work that she applies to developing her talent.

"Dance," as she told me in a recent interview, "is a form of expression without words." Each person has something special to express, with your body as the instrument for that expression. "No one else has what you have, and you have to learn to appreciate your uniqueness. My uniqueness is expressed after I look at the steps, internalize what I need to do, and then put my own interpretation into those steps." Yaa Yaa aspires to become a professional dancer. She especially wants to dance with Ailey because Alvin Ailey offers different kinds of techniques, where as other companies offer just one style of dance, ballet, jazz, etc. Yaa Yaa is likely to be a huge success wherever she dances.

You don't have to be Yaa Yaa Whaley, however, to enjoy dance. Dance is for everybody, whether you are a participant or a spectator, whether you are a guy or a girl. Yes, even if you are a guy. Many guys may think that they do not like to watch ballet because they feel it is "boring." Believe it or not, male dancers in the Alvin Ailey company are athletic, and they have the body of a professional athlete. Watching them jump and perform their moves would really surprise many guys and get them interested in watching dance.

While Alvin Ailey used to be an all black company and school, today it is multi-racial, and attracts teens like Yaa Yaa Whaley from all over the world. Dancers at the Ailey School come from 75 different foreign countries. At the Ailey School, dancers can take various styles of ballet, modern, jazz, tap, yoga, dances of West Africa, as well as work on Ailey repertory. All of the classes are offered with live accompanists. "All you need is the desire to move, an open mind and spirit, musicality, and the enjoyment of one's physicality," said Denise Jefferson, Director of the Alvin Ailey School. "Dancing should be more than just steps. It should free you to express yourself," she added.