Vespers part II, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater

Alvin Ailey dance theater does it again! The company delivers another amazing performance proving why they are one of the best companies in the indusrty today. The piece Vespers was choreographed by Ulysses Dove and was performed by six of Ailey's female dancers.

The dancers all wore the same knee length black dress that hugged the curves of their bodies, but still expressed sophistication. Each dancer used two chair throughout the piece, one on each side of the stage. The chairs placed stage right were in a formation separating the dancers from one another. The chairs stage left were lined up in a straight line.

This section of the piece began with a solo, with the addition of other dancers one by one as the choreography progressed. The movement was very athletic but contained soft, feminine gestures as well. Many motifs stood out to me such as the high arches in the chairs stage left, the firm pulling of the dresses and the grounded runs to and from the chairs. I especially enjoyed the end of the section when the dancers broke off into individual solos. Each solo was very powerful and incorporated movements in previous choreography.

Vespers is a piece that leaves the message up for interprtation. the overall them that Ulysses Dove wanted to express to the audience may be totally different from the was it percieved. i believe the dancers are women who want to show the world that they are elegant and soft but at the same time very powerful and outspoken. Vespers is always breathtaking each time I wach it and the Alvin Ailey dancers add the icing to the cake!

A day in my life: As a Towson University Dance Major

Deciding to be a dance major wasn't hard at all for me. Since middle school I had been telling my mom that I was going to go to college, get a degree and become a dance teacher. I believed that all a dance major did was take classes in the studio all day and go to rehearsal. Although after a few years I realized that only some schools offerred this simple schedule and they didnt include any other degree. So, after some extreme research I finally decided to start my journey here at good ole' Towson University.

The first day of classes was a major wake up call. My schedule contained more classes involving written work than actual movement. Classes such as Intro to dance, Scientific basis for movement and not to mention the General education required by the university. The dream I had of dancing my way through college was much different from reality.

This year isnt any different from the last. The only thing that has changed is my focus in the dance department. At Towson they really set you up to succeed.along with the dance performance degree, you can also obtiain a k-12 certification that allows you to teach in schools after graduation. After reviewing the courses and cirriculum needed for that certification I decided it wasnt for me and that I rather not consume myself with something I probably wont even put to use when I leave TU. Now I am considering mathematics for secondary education. Math has always been my strongest subject so Why not?

This year I dont live on campus, therefore my day usually begins by getting up and hour and forty minutes before class starts. That leaves me enough time to get myself together, walk my dog Chloe, and leave my apartment early enough to find parking in those horrible garages and walk to class ON TIME. It seems like time is always working against me and i find myself rushing just about everyday. depending on the day, I might be pushing to get to class ten minutes early to stretch for ballet or 5 minutes early to make sure I have completed the correct written homework.

I have no Gen Ed's this semester, because of my failure to add them before the add/drop period, so all of my classes are in the Center for the Arts building. I am usually done classes by 345 everday, sometimes one o'clock. So I pretty much have a wonderful schedule to do whatever i please when classes are done. The semester has just begun, but already I can Predict smoove sailing. The work load isnt overwhelming and I love each and every class. Hey, i might even get a job this semester. All depending on how im feeling or how much money i start to spend at Towson towsn center!