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Not To Be Missed

Alvin Ailey Extension: Intro Horton

Alvin Ailey dancers are stunning. I've never left an Ailey performance without feeling a sense of awe for the human body. (If you haven't seen an Ailey performance, buy tickets now.) Note that I said awe for "the body," and not for "my body." My body isn't a fluid cascade of muscles. My dance experience is limited to bopping around while cleaning. Which is why I pretty much freaked out in the hallway before the start of my first class at the Ailey Extension.  

Alvin Ailey Extension offers "real classes for real people" with the goal of "making dance accessible to everyone." Reassuring in theory, but the first time I went, the other people in the hallway did not seem quite as "real" as me. They looked like Broadway dancers on their day off. I considered pretending to get an urgent phone call. I considering hiding out in the bathroom till class started, then sneaking out of the building. But I stayed. And my first Ailey class, Intro Horton, was beyond worth it. It's one of the best classes I've ever taken.

New York