Remember about a year ago, when we introduced you to the D(n)A Arts Collective? At that point it was a brand-new group founded by two extraordinary sisters: Alicia Graf Mack, one of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s brightest stars, and Daisha Graf, a successful commercial dancer and MBK/Epic Records recording artist. They’d just put together […]
You guys already know Daisha Graf. She’s the super-talented commercial dancer and recording artist who formed the D(n)A Arts Collective with her sister, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Alicia Graf Mack. (Seriously, the genes in that family.) Well, Daisha just released a new single, “REBORN”—and she wants your help choreographing the music video. How, you […]
Here’s the understatement of the year: Daisha Graf and Alicia Graf Mack aren’t your average sisters. Daisha is a commercial dance and music success story who’s worked with the likes of Beyoncé and Rihanna. Alicia is a celebrated concert dancer who’s performed with Dance Theatre of Harlem and Complexions Contemporary Ballet and is currently a […]
ABT’s Veronika Part and Marcelo Gomes in “Swan Lake,” part of the gala program. (photo Siggul/Visual Arts Masters) Nobody puts on a ballet gala quite like Youth America Grand Prix. Their must-see performances routinely feature bold-faced names from all over the world. Watching all those ballet superstars sharing a single stage is one of those […]
Last night, I was able to snag a ticket to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s “season preview” performance, a sampler of works from their upcoming New York City Center season. There was an excerpt from From Before, an earthy, polyrhythmic company premiere by legend Garth Fagan. There was the spankin’ new Another Night by up-and-comer […]
Wendy Whelan (by Henry Leutwyler) Wendy Whelan Principal Dancer, New York City Ballet “One of my most memorable performances took place at the Palais Garnier in Paris in 2008, alongside dancers of the Paris Opéra Ballet. I danced the ballerina role in the second movement of George Balanchine’s Symphony in C. It took a lot of […]
First things first: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater‘s Alicia Graf Mack is extraordinary. I initially watched this New York Times video without sound, and that was just fine: Mack’s endless limbs and serene focus were enough to keep me glued to the screen. (There’s some nice footage of AAADT performing Ailey’s Revelations and Rennie Harris’ […]