If you missed Ailey II when they came to Indianapolis in February, you have a second chance to see them. 

In partnership with Fort Wayne Dance Collect, Embassy Theatre is bringing this world-renowned group to Fort Wayne as part of FWDC’s annual guest artist residency program. 

“Ailey II has not come to Fort Wayne before. This is their first time,” FWDC Artistic Director Mandie Kolkman said. “After their Indianapolis show, they spent the rest of the month touring out of the country, so their first time back in The States will be in Fort Wayne.”

Kolkman remarked at how excited she is that this group will be accessible to audiences in Indiana twice in such a short span of time. 

“Our ticket sales are already performing really well for this show,” she said. “It’s great to be able to offer two shows in the greater Indianapolis area.” 

Tickets have already sold out for a pair of master classes on Wednesday, March 6, but tickets remain for the performance on Thursday, March 7, at Embassy Theatre.

Choosing right guests

Those familiar with FWDC’s annual Guest Artist Residency Program will recall the high-caliber talent the program has brought to the Embassy Theatre stage over the years. Since 1989, a wide range of notable performers have come to Fort Wayne for this program, including Chloe Arnold’s dynamic, all-female tap group Syncopated Ladies last year. 

The artists that participate in the residency are chosen carefully.

“The Embassy and Fort Wayne Dance Collective work with a guest artist residency advisory panel,” Kolkman said. “This is where we gather some of our community stakeholders within the dance and performance realm and get their feedback and input on what they think constituents in our general area would want to see as far as performing arts goes.

“It’s such a hard decision because sometimes dance gets looked over when it comes to booking different shows. So, we have to be very intentional about what type of dance/movement performing arts we want to bring here. Otherwise, the closest dance performances are going to be in Indianapolis or Chicago, which are really not accessible to our local community.” 

For this reason, Kolkman said a lot of research and discussion goes into choosing guest artists. 

“The Embassy really helps us out with researching all the companies and presenting them to our panel,” she said. “Then, through that process, we’re always able to narrow down what our community is going to want to see that upcoming year.”

Recognizable repertory piece

All of that work paid off for the Embassy and FWDC when they successfully secured Ailey II. 

“The Ailey name speaks for itself. Alvin Ailey himself is a legacy,” Kolkman said of the famed dancer, director, and choreographer who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dancer Theater in New York City. “The specific company that we have engaged is part of Alvin Ailey’s brand name. 

“There are two companies under that name: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ailey II. This specific one, Ailey II, was established in 1974. Their specific purpose is to nurture new creative voices. So, even though this is an older, historical company, they really do have a fresh vibe as they take on the classical art form of modern dance.”

One of the ways Ailey II will be putting a fresh spin on classical modern dance is by performing one of Ailey’s master repertory pieces, Revelations. 

“If people don’t know who Alvin Ailey is or aren’t sure about the company or Ailey II, they actually might recognize Revelations,” Kolkman said. “Revelations has been featured in opening ceremonies for the (1968 Mexico City) Olympics. The piece has also been performed at the White House for different presidential inaugurations (Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton). It’s also just something you may have seen in movies or on TV.”

“It’s set to spiritual, gospel/blues music. It’s a depiction of the suffering of slavery and a celebration of how we move on from those hardships. It has moved many audiences to tears.” 

Going beyond the stage

Those members of the Fort Wayne community who have secured a spot in the master classes will have the opportunity to learn parts of the Revelations choreography. 

“The master classes were open to the general public,” Kolkman said. “I say ‘were’ because they have completely sold out. It just goes to show our community is craving these opportunities. They want to be learning from performance companies like this.” 

For those who may have been interested in taking the classes but couldn’t secure a spot, no need to fear — FWDC offers modern dance classes every week.

“Horton, the technique that many of Alvin Ailey’s works are based in, is always included within a semester of work that we do in our modern dance classes,” Kolkman said. “But students are also going to get a bit of Graham, Taylor, and other forms of modern dance technique. So, we don’t do Horton specifically, but that’s not to say that they can’t study the different founding mothers and fathers of modern dance by taking our weekly classes.”

In addition to Ailey II’s performance at the Embassy and the master classes, they will also be doing an educational lecture demonstration for the students in Fort Wayne Community Schools. 

“We are going to be doing some community outreach during Ailey II’s residency,” Kolkman said. “We will be working with Fort Wayne Community Schools to bring some of the company members of Ailey II into the schools, specifically South Side (High School), to do a lecture demonstration.”

“Many of the other students of FWCS will have the opportunity to come to South Side High School for this lecture demonstration. We did something like this last year with Syncopated Ladies, and we had almost 600 kids learn about the performing arts, (Black, indigenous, and other people of color)-owned organizations and companies, and get to ask the company members about their career trajectory and be where they are today. 

“The students got to hear really unique stories that they’re otherwise not learning in school but could be really influential on their career path moving forward.” 

Whether you’re a seasoned modern dancer, avid patron of dance, or have never watched dance at all, you will not want to miss Ailey II.