Ailey II

Ailey II arrives in Lake Placid. Photo courtesy Ailey II

On Tuesday, October 24, 2024, the Lake Placid Center for the Arts welcomed the acclaimed Ailey II company to the perform for the region.

Founded in 1974 as the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, Ailey II has advanced Alvin Ailey’s vision by giving early-career dancers the vital experience of transitioning from training as a student to becoming a professional dancer. Ailey II dancers bring their technical mastery and emotional depth to works by the most daring established and emerging choreographers. Just as Mr. Ailey envisioned, the company continues to expand the audience for dance through global touring and community-based performances.

The Lake Placid performance featured the following numbers, selected specifically for this audience by Artistic Director Francesca Harper:

  • An excerpt from DIVINING
  • A suite of Ailey highlights including: BLUES SUITE, THE LARK ASCENDING, and STREAMS
  • John 4:20
  • Luminous

Prior to the performance, members of the company attended classes at the Lake Placid School of Dance to meet local dancers and provide an inspiring conversation around the life of a professional dancer. Alice Schonbek, director of the School of Dance, is a former dancer for Alvin Ailey and provided additional context prior to the perfomrance. School of Dance students then received one free ticket to the performance. Students additionally served as ushers for the performance and took part in the post-show talkback with the Artistic Director and artists. The Dance Sanctuary, a nearby dance studio, received heavily discounted tickets ($5 each) in an effort to encourage their students to see live dance in their own community.

The company last performed in the region in 2017 – prior to the pandemic.