world premiere of dance performance by renowned company tonight
If you go box
What: World premiere of Alvin Ailey II dance company’s piece
When: Tonight, 8 p.m.
Where: Goldstein Auditorium
Cost: $5 with SU ID, $15 for registered family members and guests and SU faculty and $20 for the general public
Syracuse is not the first location that comes to mind with the phrase ‘world premiere.’
But world-renowned dance company Alvin Ailey II will debut ‘The External Knot,’ a piece choreographed specifically for the Syracuse University campus as a part of Black History Month, tonight at 8 p.m. in Goldstein Auditorium.
The dance has never been performed in any other public setting, said Sarah Ross, a member of Pulse, the event’s sponsor, which asked the African-American dance theater company to create a piece to represent the SU student body.
‘It’s a different culture for some people,’ Ross said. ‘Some people have never seen dance like this before.’
Alvin Ailey II is a partner company of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The late Alvin Ailey was a pioneer in African-American dance theater and founded the original dance company in 1958.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the original company with the SU performance a part of the dance company’s North American tour.
Ailey II was selected as a culminating performance in Black History Month because of its significance, Ross said. The dance is choreographed by Troy Powell, associate artistic director of Alvin Ailey II.
The dance company will hold a private master class for SU drama classes. In addition, SU Hip Hop, Caribbean and Latino cultural dance organizations attended an open rehearsal by the nationally acclaimed dance company.
Pulse staff members expect Alvin Ailey II to be a sold-out performance. There were less than 150 tickets available earlier this week; Goldstein seats 1,500.
Members of Pulse got a mini preview of three dance performances to be performed tonight.
‘It was very interesting, I really enjoyed it,’ said Na’Tasha Webb- Prather, student coordinator of Calabash. ‘I really picked up on the passion that each dancer had for dancing and their energy, even though it was just a run through.’
Published on February 27, 2008 at 12:00 pm
