In conversation… Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater | Ailey II
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is a renowned modern dance company based in New York City. Founded by choreographer and dancer Alvin Ailey in 1958, the company is known for its pioneering contributions to the world of dance. In African-American and African-diaspora cultural expression.
Dance writer Tamar - unique tay, interviews Maggy van den Heuvel, dancer of Ailey 2. Read on, to learn more about Maggy's experiences and artistry, as a member of Ailey 2.
Ailey 2 The Next Generation of Dance (Francesca Harper, Artistic Director). Ailey 2, was established in 1974 as a junior company to provide emerging young dancers with an opportunity to hone their skills, gain professional experience, and prepare for potential future careers with the main Alvin Ailey company.
Ailey 2, photo by Nir Arieli
Meet ‘Maggy van den Heuvel’
MAGGY VAN DEN HEUVEL (Houten, Utrecht, Netherlands) graduated in 2018 from Lucia Marthas Institute for Performing Arts in Amsterdam. She trained as a scholarship student at The Ailey School where she received the Joan Weill Spirit Award. Ms. van den Heuvel has performed works by Anthony Burrell, Yusha-Marie Sorzano, Ray Mercer, Norbert De La Cruz, and Kirven J. Boyd. She has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Extra TV, and was a lead dancer in Teyana Taylor’s music video Lose Each Other featuring Elton John. She is also a recipient of a Young Talent Award by Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds. Ms. van den Heuvel’s second season with Ailey II.
Ailey II's Maggy van den Heuvel in William Forsythe's Enemy in the F
Can you tell us about your journey to becoming a dancer with Alvin Ailey 2? What inspired you to pursue dance professionally?
As a young child, I was inspired to take dance classes by my sisters. At the age of eight, I was privileged enough to perform as Little Nala in Disney’s “The Lion King” and when I turned 18, I decided to go to college at Lucia Marthas Institute for Performing Arts. This is where I was introduced to Ailey. From the moment I learned about the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater I knew that I wanted to move to New York and study at The Ailey School which I ended up doing. After finishing the Scholarship program, I was lucky enough to get invited to join Ailey 2 by former rehearsal director, Fana Fraser. After Ailey 2 returned from a hiatus following the pandemic, I was able to join the company under Francesca Harper’s direction. The artists of Ailey allowed me to feel something that I’ve never felt before.
2. Alvin Ailey's work often explores themes of cultural identity and social issues. How do you connect with and convey these themes through your dance?
It requires a lot of research to connect to the stories of Mr. Ailey’s ballet. I read his autobiography which gave me so much insight into his ballet Revelations which was created in 1960. As company members of Ailey 2, we are often privileged to listen to stories from artists who have worked with Mr. Ailey himself. This gives us more depth and understanding of the work. Dance is a universal language, and I can connect with these themes because of the way Mr. Ailey choreographed his ballets. It is the movement, music, costumes, personal research and diving into my own experiences of life that allow me to connect and convey these themes through my dancing. Even though I never went through the same struggles, I can understand the pain, sorrow, faith and joy that was felt through dancing his ballets.
3. Dance demands a high level of physical and mental discipline. Can you describe your daily routine and how you maintain your physical and emotional well-being?
It is very important to maintain mental and physical health throughout the entire rehearsal period and tour season, especially once we’ve been a couple of weeks in and the body starts to get tired. I always try to eat healthy and drink lots of water. Massaging and rolling the body out are a must and a long soak in Epsom salt is necessary after performing night after night. In terms of mental discipline, I always like to write in my journal, practice yoga and meditate. Meditation has helped me to calm down before the show starts. Being aware of my breath and focusing on the way I breathe half an hour before the stage call brings me more focus and allows me to feel at ease before the curtain goes up.
Ailey II's Maggy van den Heuvel. Photo by Nir Arieli
4. You can travel and perform internationally as a dancer with Alvin Ailey 2. Can you share some of your favourite performance experiences and the cultural exchanges that have enriched your artistry? Or what you’re most looking forward to on tour?
Each moment is my favorite one. I truly love to travel and go to different places I have never been before. The interaction with people that come to watch us has enriched my artistry. Knowing how many people want to come and see us and how we make them feel inspires me to continue to dive deep into my artistry. I am looking forward to travelling to so many different places in the UK and getting to learn more about the culture within these upcoming weeks.
5. Ailey's choreography often combines various dance styles, from Contemporary to African and Ballet. How do you prepare yourself to switch between these different styles seamlessly? What dance styles do you learn?
It is important to speak every language fluently whether that is Contemporary, African or Ballet. Being sensitive to the style is a very important skill that we as dancers of Ailey 2 have to excel in. The best way to prepare for these various dance styles is to remember each story or theme of that ballet. Before dancing a ballet, I usually go over my choreography so that I get the right feel of each piece or remember what story I want to tell throughout each ballet. Being a member of a company with so much variety is truly a blessing as we learn dance styles from Contemporary to Ballet, African, Jazz, Modern, Forsythe technologies and improvisation.
Bonus Question
What advice do you have for aspiring dancers who hope to join a renowned company, like Alvin Ailey 2?
Always follow your heart and trust your intuition. Work hard and stay focused to get where you want to be and everything else will fall in place.
** Ailey 2 UK Tour 2023 ** The next stop is Birmingham Hippodrome on 3 and 4 October 2023. Go to Dance Consortium - Ailey 2 Tour. Learn about Ailey 2, here.
Tamar | unique tay. Image by Ana Jobson
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