REAL CLASSES FOR REAL PEOPLE Press Contact: Dezmon Gilmore [email protected] The Ailey Extension program was created to expand on the legacy of Alvin Ailey who believed that "dance comes from the people and should be delivered back to the people." Since its inception in April 2005, Over 70,000 people have taken classes at The Ailey Extension, where people of all walks of life can dance and be inspired – body, mind, and spirit! The Ailey Extension offers over 80 classes per week in over 25 different dance and fitness techniques such as Horton (the modern dance technique featured in Alvin Ailey’s signature classic, Revelations), Ballet, Masala Bhangra, West African, Samba, Jazz and Hip Masala Bhangra. Photo by Kyle Froman. Hop. All levels are welcome, including beginners. Teens and toddlers can also experience The Ailey Extension with Teen Extension and Tiny Steps, both offered year-round! Classes are held at The Joan Weill Center for Dance, home of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater - at 405 West 55th Street (at 9th Avenue). All classes are taught by leading instructors in their respective techniques. Classes range in price starting from $17 Introductory offer: 2-classes for $25 for new students For a complete schedule and additional information visit www.aileyextension.com or call 212-405-9500 For photos and video, visit pressroom.alvinailey.org Teen Ballet. Photo by Kyle Froman. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, recognized by U.S. Congress as a vital American “Cultural Ambassador to the World,” will inspire and entertain audiences globally on a 2013 U.S. Tour which includes performances in Los Angeles, Dallas, Newark and Boston. Led by Artistic Director Robert Battle, Ailey’s acclaimed dancers will return to New York City for a week-long Lincoln Center season from June 12-16. For the Fans of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater…Bring your ticket stub from any of our performances to The Ailey Extension and receive 1 FREE CLASS For newcomers (first time students) For returning students with the purchase of a 10-class card LISA JOHNSON-WILLINGHAM, Director Lisa Johnson-Willingham, born in Washington, DC, is a graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and received a BFA from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Lisa was a member of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for six years, 1993-1999. She also danced with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, New World Dance Company, Donald Byrd/The Group, Joel Hall Dance Company, Deeply Rooted Productions, Cerqua/Rivera Art Experience, Nucleus Dance Collective and Complexions. As a choreographer, Lisa has set pieces on such dance companies as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Joel Hall Dance Company, Cerqua/Rivera Art Experience, Melissa Thodos and Dancers, One World Dance Theater and Hubbard Street II. Lisa’s leadership experience in the arts includes a decade-long position as Director of Ailey Camp Chicago, heading dance programs at the Dance Conservatory of Chicago High School for the Arts and Whitney Young Magnet High School and teaching positions at Columbia College, Olive Harvey College and Academy of Dance. PUBLICITY HIGHLIGHTS THE AILEY EXTENSION “It’s an eye‐catching performance at the corner of Ninth Avenue and 55th Street, and passers‐by – sometimes one, sometimes 30 – take in the free show.” – Anthony Ramirez, The New York Times “It is the sweetest form of New York theater, polished yet spontaneous, top‐notch yet accessible...” – Anthony Ramirez, The New York Times “The instructors are first‐rate… “ ‐ Kimberly Straub, Vogue “…experience the pro‐training for the non‐pro…” – Julie Chang, FOX 5 Good Day New York HIP HOP “…[A] kicked‐back course that attracts young adults from all over the city and beyond.” ‐Robert Dominguez and Gina Salamone, New York Daily News “… funky, calorie‐burning choreography..” ‐ Helen Yun, Time Out New York ZUMBA “… accessible to people with a wide range of ability.” – Beth Landman, New York Post CAPOEIRA “With the percussionists and singers accompanying the class, you might actually think you’re in Brazil.” – Time Out New York WEST AFRICAN “...exhilarating!” –AR, Time Out New York “...a vigorous, fast‐paced aerobic workout.” –Julia Lawlor, The New York Times MASALA BHANGRA “…even beginners and walk‐ins will appreciate the flavor of this full‐blown workout class.” – Kate A., Time Out New York SAMBA “…We all finished smiling and clapping – and drenched in sweat!” – Mallory Creveling, SHAPE Perfect Your Pop ‘n’ Lock October 7, 2013 By Lauren Levinson Beyoncé's Backup Dancers Les Twins Show Cosmo's Fashion Girls How to Bust a Move August 7, 2013 By Nicole Fineo While everyone and their mother were freaking out about the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour concert, I decided to work on mastering her moves. Last night, Cosmo fashion assistant May Hasso and I channeled our inner Sasha Fierce at the epic Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre with Les Twins, the hot 24-year-old twin dancers on tour with Bey now. You may also recognize them from her HBO documentary Life is But a Dream and from the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, which some fans call her best performance ever. After weeks of obsessing over their YouTube videos and planning everything from what to wear to hair up versus hair down (FYI: hair down lasted all of two minutes in class), we were pumped to take a master class with over 100 incredibly talented Les Twins fans. When we arrived, the room was packed with dancers of all ages who also had killer style: Crop tops, mixed prints, harem pants, snap backs - you name it. Here I am with May in our Bey best: The class started with Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit blasting and the Twins warming us up with a run-in-place-while-booty-shaking move that felt so Beyoncé that we had to resist adding in the "Single Ladies" hand flip. Then they taught us a routine - set to an Usher remix - that combined the Les Twins' signature body isolations with some crazy hot Bey moves (see: "the seductive stanky leg"). We were super-inspired by their overall message to keep the idea of "a story" in mind when dancing and not be so focused on every specific technical move (also helpful in case you mess something up). Post-lesson, the Twins split up the class boys versus girls and we performed for each other with a West Side Story-style hip hop battle…and obvs our side won because WHO RUN THE WORLD?! Star Bodies: I Survived Beyoncé and Solange’s Zumba Class August 6, 2013 By Kelli Acciardo When you get invited to take a class that’s helped Bey and Solange get their bangin’ bods—you go. Or at least that’s what I though until I was midway through, sweating like a beast, tripping over my own feet, trying to keep up with the moves, regretting that decision. Alvin Ailey’s Zumba class is the worst slash best thing that’s ever happened to me and here’s why: 1. I was sore for three days afterwards, but in the kind of way that makes you think: accomplishment. 2. Pretty sure I dropped 25 lbs in the first 5 minutes of the class. 3. The music is FUN! Seriously where can I get the soundtrack for my next Latin dinner party? 4. Um, my instructor Sam taught Beyoncé and Solange??! And this is why they look like this: While I look like this (shout out to my cute pink/silver New Balances though): 5. When you’re at Alvin Ailey you’re surrounded by oodles of profesh dancers stretching, leaping around, and just being beyond major in the hallways and by the locker rooms—it’s amazing to witness really. 6. The mix of body-sculpting movements with fast and slow rhythms keeps you on your toes, literally. 7. The fat burning and total body toning benefits are pretty serious—you work every single muscle. 8. Ever since I took this class I just want to go back. And do it again. Every day. 9. And the best reason to take Zumba? Please refer to the photo of B’s abs and Solange’s legs. July 24, 2013 July 2013 Sarina Jain Brings on the Bhangra Indian dance isn’t just for weddings anymore. May 7, 2012 By Lizzie Crocker In a brightly lit studio tucked inside New York City’s renowned Alvin Ailey dance center, dozens of women and men sashay from one corner of the room to another to the beat of Bollywood rhythms, throwing their heads back dramatically. “Here we go, you’re in my world now!” their teacher, Sarina Jain, shouts, skipping around the room. Her waist-length black hair swishes as she lifts her sculpted arms into the air, her curved hands twisting, snakelike, as she roars, “Ho balle balle!” The others echo her call, which means “woo-hoo” in Punjabi, as they try to keep up. “Keep moving!” Jain encourages between songs. It’s a mantra that Jain, creator of the Masala Bhangra aerobic workout, repeats every day. A fusion of the traditional Bhangra Indian folk dance and Bollywood-inspired choreography, Masala (which translates to “spicy”) Bhangra boasts thousands of followers around the world, along with roughly 500 certified instructors, from Japan and the U.K. to Norway and Kuwait. Dubbed the “Jane Fonda of India” by her students, over the past 12 years, she has released nine workout DVDs and launched her own line of saris. Deepak Chopra, who interviewed Jain on his YouTube channel, hailed her “gift for energizing people.” And while she isn’t the only fitness guru teaching Bollywood and Bhangra-inspired aerobics in the U.S., she was the first Indian instructor to bring the workout craze to the masses.