For more than forty years, Ailey II has merged the spirit and energy of the country’s best young dance talent with the passion and creative vision of today’s most outstanding emerging choreographers. Started in 1974 as the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, Ailey II embodies Alvin Ailey’s pioneering mission to establish an extended cultural community that provides dance performances, training and community programs for all people.

The Hunt , Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Artistic Director Robert Battle’s athletic work for six men reveals the predatory side of human nature and the primitive thrill of the hunt. A thundering percussion soundtrack by Les Tambours du Bronx drives the explosive movement that runs the gamut from modern sports to the rituals of the gladiators.

Amy Hall Garner is emerging as one of America’s most diverse creative talents, with a career that spans from Broadway to ballet. In her new work, Virtues , set to a vibrant score by Karl Jenkins, Garner delivers high energy with a sophisticated edge. The dancers radiate with regal grace, while deftly executing a distinctive blend of contemporary modern and jazz movement.

What legacy will you leave behind? Darrell Grand Moultrie’s Road To One passionately embraces the journey we all take to find meaning in our lives and eventually pass it on to the next generation. Inspired by a mentor who introduced him to the arts at a young age, Moultrie pays it forward with the Ailey II dancers, creating a high-energy ensemble work that uses elegant, modern movement with a contemporary edge. The musical score features an eclectic range of artists, including Ezio Bosso, Kinjey Bunchens, Monica Chuchi, Oliver Davis, and Spark.

South African-born Bradley Shelver’s high-energy Where There Are Tongues is inspired by the idea that we are all in this world together, succeeding or failing as a collective. The rhythmically complex music, by French a cappella group Lo Còr De La Plana, couples with Shelver’s quirky style to make dance theater that will set pulses racing.

Teaser / Ailey II

Director : Denis Caïozzi - 2019 - France - 69 minutes
Producer : 24images - Broadcaster : Culturebox