Hello my fellow Dance Consortium friends, my name is Constance Stamatiou. I’m a dancer from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. I am originally from Charlotte, NC and this is my fourth year with the Company.
A typical day for me starts early with Pilates or Gyrotonics before Company class at 10:30am. This week’s company class was taught by Clinton Luckett from American Ballet Theatre and on Wednesday we had floor barre from our very own colleague Renee Robinson and then rehearsed from 12:00pm-3:00pm with Christopher Huggins’ new work “Anointed”. After our lunch break from 3:00pm-4:00pm we rehearsed other works from 4:00pm-7:00pm. Twice a week I attend Ballroom classes after work and study international Latin dancing. I take on extra activities for my Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Awardwhich I received last year to help me put together a program that will help me grow as an artist. I’m learning to be more aware of my body and to strengthen where I am weak. I try to stay active not only while home in NYC but while on the road as well. I bet your wondering how in the world do I find time to do it all or isn’t dancing enough? But to feel progress is amazing and I want more. However, I have learned I need more patience, because it doesn’t happen overnight. Dancing is a great way to get in shape but I believe you have to train your muscles, especially to control your flexibility and prevent injury, which is common with the line of work I do.
I am very excited for this tour! “Anointed” by Christopher Huggins is definitely going to be a crowd pleaser! The music is beautiful within itself and the choreography is fluid, fast, organic, and even athletic. The choreography and the partnering are challenging, which makes you work that much harder to do what you thought was the impossible. The piece is about Alvin Ailey and Judith Jamison’s relationship and his passing the Company down to her, the amazing recognition the Company has received as well as the growth of the organization including Ailey 2, The Ailey School, AileyCamp, etc. Mr. Ailey believed that “dance came from people and should always be delivered back to the people”. His dreams and aspirations have become a reality because of powerful and beloved women such as, Judith Jamison, the late Denise Jefferson, Sylvia Waters, and Nasha Thomas-Schmitt to name a few. Not only will the audience get to see the story but they will Ms. Jamison’s words as part of the compelling soundtrack.
I hope that you will enjoy hearing about my upcoming experiences rehearsing and touring. I can’t wait to share pictures, and my thoughts on great cities to come, many of which I am returning to. It will be a lengthy tour as we are on the road from September 11th – October 31st. I’ll get a little homesick, especially being away from my husband who I just married on June 26th. How will he ever survive without me? LOL! Hopefully, he will visit and perhaps will be in your town. Well, it is now 11:00pm here in the city that never sleeps, but I must to prepare for a new day of rehearsal. Until next time, stay blessed & DANCE!!!
With love,
Constance Stamatiou-Lopez