Schools
World Renowned Dance Company Coming to Pollak
Ailey II will be taking their talents to Monmouth University at 7 p.m. on Sunday
One of the most unique dance companies in the United States will be coming to Monmouth University for a rare performance on Sunday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m., as Ailey II will be performing at the Pollak Theatre.
The group, founded by Alvin Ailey, had their first performance in 1958 at the 92nd Street YMCA, and have since performed all over the country for the last 50 years. In 1974, Ailey formed a second troupe, called Ailey II. This group is made up of 12 handpicked young dancers who perform all over the nation.
The performance of Ailey II will feature works by various performers, including Alvin Ailey, Talley Beatty, Ulysses Dove, George Faison, Lar Lubovitch and Judith Jamison. Some of the choreographers who will be contributing to this group include people like Robert Battle, Sidra Bell, Thang Dao, Carlos dos Santos, George Faison, Christopher L. Huggins and Jennifer Lang.
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For those who want to see what style of dance that the Ailey II dance company performs, there is a wide selection of videos to watch on the company website, found at http://www.alvinailey.org.
This will be the final United States performance for Ailey II for a few months. After Monmouth University, the dance troupe will have a showcase at the Glasgow King’s Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland, and at the Nottingham Playhouse in Nottingham, England.
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One of the more fascinating notes about the organization is that Ailey II was the first United States dance troupe to go on a United States-sponsored trip to China. This fits in right with Saturday’s Pollak Theatre’s simulcast of the opera, Nixon in China, as that performance is about the inaugural trip that President Richard Nixon took to China, being the first United States president to do so.
The American Masterpieces program of the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation funds this particular tour of Ailey II, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Following the performance of Ailey II at the Pollak Theatre at 7 p.m., there will be a question and answer period with the dance company for those in attendance.
Tickets for the performance are $42 for orchestra seats, and $35 for seats in the loge section. Tickets can be purchased at the Central Box Office by calling 732-263-6889, or by visiting the box office online at www.monmouth.edu/arts.
