Auditorium Theatre 2019-2020 Alvin Ailey

WHO’S WHO IN THE COMPANY MARCH 4-8, 2020 | ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER | 21 Black Dance Theatre, and in 2008 joined Philadanco, where he also worked as artistic director of D3. Mr. Jackson joined the Company in 2011 and rejoined in 2015. YAZZMEEN LAIDLER (Miami, FL) graduated from New World School of the Arts. She trained at Mrs. Traci Young-Bryon’s Young Contemporary Dance Theatre and The Ailey School summer intensive. Ms. Laidler received her BFA from University of the Arts and was a company member of Eleone Dance Theatre. Ms. Laidler is the 2016 award-winning Pennsylvania Choreographer, setting work for Pennsylvania Ballet II. She has performed works by Jae Man Joo, Dwight Rhoden, Tommie Waheed-Evans, Doug Varone, Juel D. Lane, and Darrell Moultrie, to name a few choreographers. She has performed as a guest artist with Owen/Cox Dance and is a former company member of Ailey II. She is thrilled to be joining the company this season. YANNICK LEBRUN (Cayenne, French Guiana) began training in his native country at the Adaclam School under the guidance of Jeanine Verin. After graduating high school in 2004, he moved to New York City to study at The Ailey School as a scholarship student. Mr. Lebrun has performed works by choreographers Troy Powell, Debbie Allen, Scott Rink, Thaddeus Davis, Nilas Martins, Dwight Rhoden, and Francesca Harper. He was named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” in 2011, and, in 2013, France-Amérique magazine highlighted him as one of the 50 most talented and influential people of French descent in the United States. In November 2016, Mr. Lebrun was a guest performer with The Royal Ballet in Wayne McGregor’s Chroma. In 2019, Mr Lebrun choreographed his first work for Ailey II, entitled Saa Magni. Mr. Lebrun was a member of Ailey II and joined the Company in 2008. RENALDO MAURICE (Gary, IN) began his dance training with Tony Simpson and graduated from Talent Unlimited High School. He attended Emerson School for Visual and Performing Arts, studying with Larry Brewer and Michael Davis. Mr. Maurice was a scholarship student at The Ailey School, Ballet Chicago, and Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, and interned at Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. He received second place in modern dance from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts and received the Dizzy Feet Foundation Scholarship. In 2012, he was honored with the key to the city of his hometown Gary, IN, and named a state representative. Mr. Maurice incorporated his passion for dance with social responsibility as the co-artistic director of the South Shore Dance Alliance in Indiana. He was a member of Ailey II for three years, joined the Company in 2011, and rejoined in 2019. Find Mr. Maurice on Facebook at Maurice Gardner. Instagram: @r_maurice25 CORRIN RACHELLE MITCHELL (Baltimore, MD) began her dance training in her hometown at LeRe’s Performing Arts Center, owned by her mother and father. She attended Baltimore School for the Arts, where she trained with Norma Pera and Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell. Ms. Mitchell graduated from Point Park University in 2017 with a BFA in dance where she worked with choreographers Troy Powell, Garfield Lemonius, and Debbie Allen. After completing one year of apprenticeship, Ms. Mitchell joined Ailey II in 2017 where she performed works choreographed by Uri Sands, Bradley Shelver, Troy Powell, Robert Battle, Darrell Grand Moultrie, and Amy Hall. Ms. Mitchell joined the Company in 2019. Instagram: @corrinrachellemitchell CHALVAR MONTEIRO (Montclair, NJ) began training at Sharron Miller’s Academy for the Performing Arts and went on to study at The Ailey School. He received his BFA in dance from SUNY Purchase, where he performed works by Merce Cunningham, Helen Pickett, Doug Varone, Dianne McIntyre, Kevin Wynn, and Paul Taylor. Since graduating, Mr. Monteiro has worked with Sidra Bell Dance New York, Elisa Monte Dance, Keigwin + Company, BODYTRAFFIC, and most extensively with Abraham. In.Motion. He assisted Kyle Abraham in setting and creating work for Barnard College, Princeton University, Emory University, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Wendy Whelan’s Restless Creature . In April 2019, Mr. Monteiro was selected to participate in Merce Cunningham Trust’s Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event . He was in Ailey II and joined the Company in 2015. Instagram: @chlvrmntro AKUA NONI PARKER (Kinston, NC) began professional dance training at the Academy of the Dance in Wilmington, Delaware. After graduating high school, she joined Dance Theatre of Harlem, where she performed principal roles in George Balanchine’s Agon, Serenade , and The Four Temperaments , as well as the title role in Michael Smuin’s St. Louis Woman . Ms. Parker was also a company member with the Cincinnati Ballet and Ballet San Jose, and had the honor of being the first African American ballerina to dance the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in Ballet San Jose’s The Nutcracker . Since joining the Company in 2008, Ms. Parker has performed featured roles in Mr. Ailey’s Blues Suite, Night Creature, Masekela Langage, The River , and Cry . She has also performed featured roles in Ji ř í Kylián’s Petite Mort , Wayne McGregor’s Chroma , and the title role in Geoffrey Holder’s Prodigal Prince . Instagram: @onlyupward DANICA PAULOS (Huntington Beach, CA) began dance training at Orange County Dance Center and continued studying at world renowned institutions such as The Juilliard School, San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Kirov Academy of Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Yuri Grigoriev School of Ballet, and The School at Jacob’s Pillow. Ms. Paulos graduated from the Professional Performing Arts School in New York, where she trained at The Ailey School as a scholarship student. Ms. Paulos is a National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts Level 1 YoungArts finalist award winner. In addition to originating several roles and being featured in the Company’s repertory, Ms. Paulos is also very passionate about her role as photographer for the Company’s Instagram account, sharing a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lives of Ailey dancers. She has modeled and been featured in Elle Magazine, Double Magazine, and Refinery29, and graced the cover of Dance Magazine, where she was named one of “25 to Watch” in 2015. She was a member of Ailey II prior to joining the Company in 2014. BELÉN INDHIRA PEREYRA (Lawrence, MA) began training at Boston Arts Academy, where she graduated as valedictorian, and was a member of NIA Dance Troupe at Origination Cultural Arts Center. Upon moving to New York City, Ms. Pereyra was closely mentored by Earl Mosley and danced with Camille A. Brown & Dancers for three years, during which time she performed at The Joyce Theater, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and Dancers Responding to AIDS’ annual events Dance from the Heart and The Fire Island Dance Festival. Ms. Pereyra was an apprentice for Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, A Dance Company, and has performed with Lula Washington Dance Theater, Nathan Trice, and Roger C. Jeffrey. She has been featured in