Today students at Branchville, Farmingville and Ridgebury were treated to a performance by the internationally acclaimed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater sponsored by Productions for Young People (PYP).
The artists from The Ailey School performed a unique and exciting repertoire of works by emerging and established choreographers. The dancers are students who come from across the country - and around the world - to train and perfect their craft in the Ailey-style of dance which incorporates multiple techniques including ballet, Horton, Graham-based modern, jazz, West African, Dunham technique, and hip-hop.
In fulfillment of Mr. Ailey's long-standing dictum that 'dance is for everybody,' Freddie Moore, Rehearsal Director, brought volunteers from the audience on stage for warm-up exercises with the dancers. Mr. Moore continued to engage our children in a discussion about the music and choreography of each piece and provided a history of The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The performance was followed by a Q&A session with the dancers in which they shared their inspirations and experiences with dance.
Productions for Young People (PYP) is a group of parent volunteers representing each of Ridgefield’s elementary and middle schools. For over 30 years, this non-profit cultural arts organization has been striving to enrich the educational experience of our children by bringing professional cultural performances into Ridgefield’s public schools.
PYP thanks Ridgefield's PTAs and student parents for making these performances possible through annual contributions.
For more information on PYP, including how to support future performances, please contact your school's PYP representative through your PTA.
*Photo courtesy of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater