Robert Battle, Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, announced today that the Company’s beloved mainstay for nearly five decades, Associate Artistic Director Masazumi Chaya, intends to retire on January 5, 2020, following the conclusion of the Company’s New York City Center season. Having joined the Company in 1972 as a dancer, Mr. Chaya performed under Mr. Ailey’s direction for 15 years, subsequently assumed responsibility for rehearsing the Company—a role for which Mr. Ailey had cultivated him—and for more than 28 years, as Associate Artistic Director, has maintained the repertoire, handled innumerable creative decisions, and guided generations of the Company’s dancers.

A special tribute performance celebrating nearly five decades with Ailey is scheduled on Sunday, December 22nd during teh Company's holiday engagement.

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FROM THE FOLKS AT UBW: Chanon Judson-Johnson and Samantha Speis, longtime Co-Associate Artistic Directors and Company Members, are promoted to Co-Artistic Directors of the UBW Company. UBW Founder Jawole Willa Jo Zollar remains on board as Chief Visioning Partner and Artistic Director of the Organization.
 
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BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, June 30, 2019 — Urban Bush Women (UBW), the world-renowned dance company, announced that Chanon Judson-Johnson and Samantha Speis are the new Co-Artistic Directors of the UBW Company. In this capacity, they will lead the company’s touring arm while maintaining their roles as Performers and Directors of the UBW BOLD (Builders, Organizers and Leaders through Dance) program. UBW Founder, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, will continue in her role as Chief Visioning Partner, providing overall direction for the organization and its programs including the Summer Leadership Institute and the Choreographic Center Initiative.
The announcement was made at UBW Homecoming 2019, a two-day, event-filled celebration for UBW’s 35th Anniversary. Zollar, who founded the company on June 30, 1984, stated “The 35th anniversary season is looking at past, present and future with the theme Legacy, Lineage and Liberation. Moving toward intentional leadership development, it is my pleasure to announce—as we move to the future—that Chanon Judson-Johnson and Samantha Speis will assume the roles of Co-Artistic Directors of the UBW Company and I will continue as Chief Visioning Officer and Artistic Director of the organization.”

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The NY Dance and Performance Awards, The Bessies, New York City’s premier dance awards honoring outstanding creative work in the field, celebrates a landmark 35th anniversary this year, announced the  nominees for the 2019 Bessie Awards, along with the recipients of the 2019 Juried Bessie Award and 2019 Outstanding Breakout Choreographer Award.

The 2019 Bessie Awards Nominations
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This 87-year-old ballerina has dedicated her entire career to raising the bar for Philadelphia’s young black dancers.
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For more than 60 years, Joan Myers Brown has been teaching aspiring dancers the art of ballet in her native Philadelphia. Everyday, the 87-year-old ballerina oversees hours of choreography lessons, but that's not all. Mrs. Brown is a dance legend, having founded the internationally-acclaimed Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco!) in 1970 to ensure that all black dancers have the same opportunities. She's even been awarded the National Medal of Arts by former President Barack Obama. Learn more on Mrs. Brown's story on this episode of Lifers!

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