Returning to the UK for the first time since 2011, Dance Consortium is proud to present the twelve exceptional young dancers who make up the company of Ailey 2, for a UK-wide twelve venue tour this autumn.
Andrew Bryant, Spencer Everett, Jaryd Farcon, Maya Finman-Palmer, Patrick Gamble, Kali Marie Oliver, Tamia Strickland and Maggy van den Heuvel all return to Ailey 2 for their second season with the company while Alfred L.Jordan II, Kiri Moore, Corinth Moulterie and Kayla Mei-Wan Thomas are currently dancing their first season as members of Ailey 2.
The dancers are led by newly appointed Artistic Director, Francesca Harper who herself studied at The Ailey School, the official school of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Harper aims to bring fresh perspectives to Ailey’s legacy, while nurturing new creative voices and propelling the company forward. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ailey 2 have built powerful legacies which have impacted generations, notably through the companies’ extensive outreach programme.
Ailey 2’s Autumn Tour features masterclasses, open rehearsals, and a variety of workshops, all hosted by our Dance Consortium member venues. Please see our member venue’s websites for further details.
The dancers of Ailey 2 will feature in an exhilarating repertoire, put together by Francesca Harper, to include excerpts from her own work Freedom Series and William Forsythe’s Enemy in the Figure along with The Hunt, choreographed by Robert Battle, artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Revelations¸ Alvin Ailey’s 1960 masterwork and a signature piece of all the Ailey companies.
While all twelve of Ailey 2’s dancers have studied through various programs at The Ailey School, they have gone on to work professionally with numerous world-renowned choreographers; Vincent Thomas, Omar Roman de Jesus, Helen Simoneau, Jamar Roberts, Yoshito Sakuraba, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Julie Taymor, Amy Hall Garner, Martha Graham, Bradley Shelver, Stephanie Batten Bland, Francesca Harper, Hope Boykin and Alvin Ailey to name just a few.
You may also recognise some familiar faces within the company as TV appearances include;
Jaryd Farcon: Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance?
Patrick Gamble: Saturday Night Live and Gossip Girl
Maggy van den Heuvel: The Today Show, Good Morning America, Extra TV and Teyana Taylor’s music video Lose Each Other featuring Elton John.
Please see our Tours Page for more information on how to book your tickets to catch Ailey 2 in the UK this Autumn.
