Curtain up.What is spirit, and what is spirituality? Each dancer has a unique spirit that's larger than anything concrete about our bodies or our technique. It's made up of our individual energy, our passion for dancing, and who we are in the world. If we're lucky, it's what people see on stage. Each company has a spirit too, and this month we focus on Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is a modern dance company based in New York, New York. It was founded in 1958 by choreographer and dancer Alvin Ailey. It is made up of 30 dancers as well as artistic director Judith Jamison and associate artistic director Masazumi Chaya. , whose spirit has touched people all over the world (see page 34). Writer Joseph Carman Car´man n. 1. A man whose employment is to drive, or to convey goods in, a car or car. brings us up-to-date on this fabulously successful company and the challenges of their new repertory. Susan Reiter outlines the scope of their magnificent new building and the reach of the Ailey activities. And, in a flash of insight, Sylviane Gold, our "On Broadway" columnist, tells us one of the secrets to Alvin Alley's broad appeal: He brought the spirit of Broadway to his choreography. Each ballet has its own spirit as well. The Nutcracker spirit has to do with family and fairy tales This is a list of fairy tales, the dates of their earliest known printed version, the author and, if known, the collection of tales in which it was published. It should be noted, however, that not all stories listed below would be categorized as fairy tales by a strict definition , and it's been reimagined many times. In this issue we report on three of the recent reinventions--by Matthew Bourne This article is about a British ballet and dance choreographer. For Matthew Bourne the British jazz musician, see Matthew Bourne (musician). Matthew Bourne (born 13 January 1960) is a British ballet and dance choreographer. , San Francisco Ballet San Francisco Ballet, or SFB, is a San Francisco, USA based ballet company, founded in 1933 as part of San Francisco Opera Ballet. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, where it is directed by Helgi Tomasson. , and Washington Ballet The Washington Ballet is one of the premiere ballet companies in the United States. The company is an outgrowth of the Washington School of Ballet, which was founded in 1944 by Lisa Gardner and Mary Day; pioneers in American dance. . And in "Nutcracker Mishaps and Mayhem," contributing editor A contributing editor is a magazine job title that varies in responsibilities. Most often, a contributing editor is a freelancer who has proven ability and readership draw. Cheryl Ossola shows that sometimes the Nutcracker spirit embraces a bit of chaos too (see page 48). Spirituality, like spirit, is elusive and very personal. It comes from a strong sense of connection to something larger than oneself, for example nature, humanity, a deity, or one's ancestors. Our sense of spirituality is close to our sense of beauty, which may explain why we have transcendent moments during a performance, either while witnessing it from the audience or being part of it onstage. Some dancers don't feel the need to look for faith outside of their dance lives: Dance is their religion. One can find spirituality, in the beauty of the moving body or the power of a force that compels us to move. In "The Divine Within: The spiritual dimension of dancers' lives and work" (page 62), writer Eva Yaa Asantewaa interviews dancers from different cultural and aesthetic backgrounds whose spiritual lives and creative lives are inseparable. Spirit and spirituality. Energy and beauty. These are the intangibles we thrive on in the dance world. |
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