February Dance Eventa Announced At 92Y

Fridays at Noon | AILEY II: CELEBRATING A RICH HISTORY

Fri, Feb 1, 12 pm tickets $15 online / $25 at door

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's inaugural performance took place at 92Y 60 years ago. 92Y celebrates this legacy as Black History Month begins, with this performance by the rising stars of Ailey II.

The program includes a conversation between Ailey II Artistic Director Emerita Sylvia Waters and current Artistic Director Troy Powell.

Alvin Ailey's commitment to a culture in which the young are not afraid to take chances and can hold onto their values and self-esteem is legendary. Founded in 1974 as the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, Ailey II and its pioneering mission to establish an extended cultural community through dance performances, professional training and community programs for all people, embodies Mr. Ailey's vision to this day. Under the direction of Sylvia Waters from 1974 to 2012, Ailey II flourished into one of the most popular modern dance companies, combining a rigorous touring schedule with extensive outreach programs. Under Artistic Director Troy Powell, the promise of Ailey II is limitless its roots in tradition and its promise in the excellence of Ailey trained dancers and new choreographers.

Fridays at Noon | INTO THE MYSTIC

Eva Yaa Asantewaa Curates Dances of Psyche, Soul and Spirit with Zav Martohardjono and iele paloumpis

Fri, Feb 8, 12 pm, tickets $15 online / $25 at door

Zav Martohardjono and iele paloumpis, artists who explore spirituality, mysticism and healing through the corporeal art of dance, perform and discuss their practices with Eva Yaa Asantewaa, guest curator. Zav a Southeast Asian, genderqueer trans artist, works from shapeshifting transcultural practices and is concerned with the question of whether, and how, embodied healing and storytelling can be used to de-colonize the body and untangle entrenched assimilation. iele descends from a long line of witches whose healing work is rooted in kinesthetic awareness, Tarot, herbal medicine, trauma-informed griefwork and astrological know-how.

Dance Education Laboratory | DEL ANNUAL MOVEMENT SENTENCE CHOIR

David Dorfman, Jody Gottfried Arnhold and Ann Biddle

Sat, Feb 9, 2 pm - 6 pm, FREE registration required

Celebrate dance and dance education by creating and performing in the fourth annual DEL Movement Sentence Choir led by Guest Artist David Dorfman.

The DEL Movement Sentence Choir is an annual community dance celebration that recognizes the grand work of Rudolf Laban, one of the great dance theorists of the 20th century, who created Laban Movement Analysis (a method and language for describing, visualizing, interpreting and documenting human movement) and Labanotation (a notation system of recording and analyzing dance). Laban originated the art of the Movement Choir, wherein large masses of people performed in choreography that incorporated personal expression. The DEL Movement Sentence Choir integrates a strategy of creating a movement sentence a choreographic process frequently used with schoolchildren to the grand scheme of Laban's original choreography for the masses.

Be part of creating a new dance in this 4-hour workshop, which will be live-streamed on DEL's Facebook so friends and family can tune in to watch from around the world. The movement and choreography is accessible to all ages and abilities. FREE, but spaces are limited. Register today.

Dig Dance | Intersections: CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF daniel gwirtzman dance company

Daniel Gwirtzman / Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company

Fri, Feb 22 & Sat, Feb 23, 8 pm, tickets $25 online / $35 at door

Intersections, Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company's 20th Anniversary New York season, marks a continuum of two decades of innovative and celebrated virtuosity, accessibility and charisma. A troupe I'd follow anywhere (The Village Voice), a troupe of fabulous dancers (Back Stage) that can't help but smile (The New Yorker).

In addition to twenty years of repertory, Intersections, the premiere, pushes dancers to the extreme, challenging speed and stamina. Central to the choreography is a highly-physicalized vocabulary of virtuosic suspensions, catches, and falls, set in a world of risk-taking and trust. There are the unforeseen and dangerous intersections: disasters, extreme behaviors, explosive events, crimes, and tragedies and there are the unforeseen and glorious intersections: chance encounters, lucky breaks, moments of beauty, love, and romance. Our lives are changed at certain intersections.

With his trademark blend of humor, musicality and inventiveness. Mr. Gwirtzman does know that in dance less can be more. And that's a good thing for any choreographer to know. He can evoke strong feelings with a few gestures. writes The New York Times. Don't miss this milestone celebration of twenty years of superlative dance performed by an exemplary cast.

Dig Dance | WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF DANCE: CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF DANIEL GWIRTZMAN DANCE COMPANY

Sun, Feb 24, 3 pm, tickets $25 online / $35 at door FOR AGES 5+

The dancers then take the lesson several thrilling steps further by inviting the young audience members to join in. By the time the last strains of the score from Saturday Night Fever were heard, most of the adults were on their feet, too. - The New York Times

Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company, renown as a family-friendly performing and teaching company, now celebrating its twentieth anniversary, offers the newest installation of its hit interactive kids show series Welcome To The World of Dance, which The New York Times called a delightful introduction...explaining what contemporary choreography is all about. A narrated primer of how to view and speak about dance, Gwirtzman and Company present a range of acclaimed dances from the Company's diverse, accessible, and entertaining repertory.

- CLASSES & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) and Dance Therapy Intensive | DANCE FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Diane Duggan

Mon, Feb 18, 9:30 am - 5:30 pm, from $375 for 3 sessions

Integrate dance therapy theory with the best practices in dance education and positive behavior supports. Create movement activities that meet the needs and utilize the strengths of children and adolescents who have emotional, behavioral, learning, sensory and/or physical challenges.
This course is a collaboration between 92Y's Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) and Dance Therapy Program.

Dance History and Appreciation | ASHTON, BALANCHINE, AND CLASSICISM IN BALLET, WITH ALASTAIR MACAULAY

Begins Thu, Feb 28, 6 pm - 8 pm, from $595 for 10 sessions

What is classicism? And how has it been shown in ballet? In the twentieth century, two choreographers the Russian-American George Balanchine and the English Frederick Ashton took classical ballet in new directions and to peaks not matched by their successors. They admired each other, share collaborations, took ideas from each other, criticized each other, and increasingly differed from each other. Because they mainly worked on opposite sides of the Atlantic, this worked to the advantage of all yet between the 1930s and '80s, they both enjoyed their greatest successes in New York. Alastair Macaulay, former chief dance critic of The New York Times, investigates.

About 92Y

92nd Street Y is a world-class, nonprofit cultural and community center that fosters the mental, physical and spiritual health of people throughout their lives, offering: wide-ranging conversations with the world's best minds; an outstanding range of programming in the performing, visual and literary arts; fitness and sports programs; and activities for children and families. 92Y is reimagining what it means to be a community center in the digital age with initiatives like the award-winning #GivingTuesday, launched by 92Y in 2012 and now recognized across the US and in a growing number of regions worldwide as a day to celebrate and promote giving. These kinds of initiatives are transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action both locally and around the world. More than 300,000 people visit 92Y annually; millions more participate in 92Y's digital and online initiatives. A proudly Jewish organization since its founding in 1874, 92Y embraces its heritage and welcomes people of all backgrounds and perspectives. For more information, visit www.92Y.org.