Ailey Extension Brings Dance To The People With Free Classes This Summer

As the Ailey organization heads into its 60th year, Ailey Extension will offer a variety of indoor and outdoor dance classes free to the public this summer. In collaboration with the NYC Parks, Ailey Extension brings dance to public parks in Brooklyn and the Bronx from June 5-July 14, offering eight technique and choreography workshops, including events dedicated to Alvin Ailey's acclaimed masterpiece Revelations. To celebrate NYC Dance Week, a citywide festival from June 14-23, Ailey Extension welcomes new students* to try over 30 free classes at The Ailey Studios in Manhattan, New York City's largest building dedicated to dance.

"Our partnerships with NYC Parks and NYC Dance Week continue to keep alive Alvin Ailey's legacy of delivering dance back to the people," said Ailey Extension Director Lisa Johnson-Willingham. "Whether you have never danced a step in your life or you're a trained professional, we welcome you to join in the dance."

NYC Parks Stepping out of the studio and into the park, Ailey Extension's renowned instructors will teach dance classes in Brooklyn and the Bronx as part of NYC Parks' Arts, Culture & Fun series. A signature NYC Parks program, Arts, Culture & Fun brings cultural programming to teens, adults, and seniors that captures the city's diversity, sophistication, and innovation. Lisa Johnson-Willingham, who is also a former Ailey dancer, will teach two special Revelations workshops, beginning with a Horton modern dance warm-up followed by an in-depth choreographic study of founder Alvin Ailey's signature masterpiece (Tuesday, June 5 at 7pm & Tuesday, June 19 at 4pm). Other high-energy world dance and street style classes include NY Style Mambo (Friday, June 8 at 6pm), House Dance (Saturday, June 9 at 6:30pm & Sunday, July 8 at 1pm), Samba/Afro-Brazilian (Thursday, June 21 at 7pm & Saturday, July 14 at 11am), and West African Dance (Saturday, June 23 at 11am). To view the various park locations and to RSVP, visit alvinailey.org/summer-events. NYC Dance Week To kick off NYC Dance Week and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's performances at Lincoln Center (June 13-17), join Ailey at Lincoln Center's Josie Robertson Plaza on Wednesday, June 13 at 6pm for a free Revelations workshop taught by AileyCamp National Director Nasha Thomas and Renee Robinson, both former Company dancers. The NYC Dance Week festival continues at The Ailey Studios from Thursday, June 14 through Saturday, June 23 with three free classes offered each day for first-time students, including Horton (the modern dance technique seen in Revelations), West African, Hip-Hop, Ballet, Tap, Zumba, Afro-Cuban Folkloric, and Yoga, among others.

As an added bonus, new and returning students have the chance to take two classes for free: Katherine Jimenez's New York Style Mambo class on Saturday, June 16 at 4-5:30pm and Karen Arceneaux's DanceFit class on Friday, June 22 at 6-7pm. Katherine will teach basic steps to NY Style Mambo, a flirtatious dance that features points, kicks, exaggerated hip movements, and sharp quick steps. After the free class, students are invited to stay for a festive Latin dance party with a live DJ from 6-9pm - tickets are $10. Karen's one-hour DanceFit class is a non-stop, high intensity workout that mixes cardio and strength training exercises to sculpt the entire body.

To view Ailey Extension's complete NYC Dance Week schedule, visit aileyextension.com/nycdanceweek. New students must present a downloadable NYC Dance Week voucher for all classes at The Ailey Studios, available here.

For more information on Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Lincoln Center season, visit alvinailey.org.

*New students may only take one free class; all subsequent classes require payment (2 classes for $38 - Ailey Intro Offer). Returning students will receive a bonus class with purchase of a 10-class card during this period.

NYC Parks is the steward of more than 30,000 acres of land - 14 percent of New York City - including more than 5,000 individual properties ranging from Coney Island Beach and Central Park to community gardens and Greenstreets. We operate more than 800 athletic fields and nearly 1,000 playgrounds, 1,800 basketball courts, 550 tennis courts, 65 public pools, 51 recreational facilities, 15 nature centers, 14 golf courses, and 14 miles of beaches. We care for 1,200 monuments and 23 historic house museums. We look after 600,000 street trees, and two million more in parks. We are New York City's principal providers of recreational and athletic facilities and programs. We are home to free concerts, world-class sports events, and cultural festivals.

Now in its sixth year, NYC Dance Week collaborates with noted studios in New York City to celebrate the joy and diversity of dance with an exhilarating 10-day festival of FREE dance, fitness and wellness classes. The event engages the community and families to experience dance, encouraging them to live active, healthy lifestyles. The organization moves beyond traditional dance forms to teach participants how all dance genres benefit mind, body and spirit. The event is held annual in June at a variety of venues throughout New York City and serves thousands. For more information, visit nycdanceweek.org.

Since its inception in 2005, Ailey Extension has fulfilled Mr. Ailey's life-long commitment of bringing dance to everyone by offering "real classes for real people." Ailey Extension offers over 25 different dance and fitness techniques such as Horton, Ballet, Masala Bhangra, West African, Samba, Jazz, Zumba, House and Hip-Hop. Over 150,000 people have taken classes at Ailey's home, New York's largest building dedicated to dance, where dancers of all levels and walks of life can learn and be inspired - body, mind, and spirit!