Celebrate Pride And Juneteenth With Special Workshops At Ailey Extension

Ailey Extension is jumping into June with plenty of opportunities for people around the world to join in the Pride festivities. All are welcome to learn moves from NYC Ballroom Vogue Icon and Pioneer Cesar Valentino during an Online Vogue Workshop & Mini Ball on Wednesday, June 23 and weekly All Styles Vogue classes.

In addition to celebrating Pride, Ailey is hosting a FREE Online Juneteenth Celebration: West African Class on Saturday, June 19 inviting dancers everywhere to commemorate the anniversary of the liberation of African Americans from slavery in the US. Two new weekly Intermediate Ballet and Afro'Dance classes let dancers expand their skills. Young dancers are also welcome to usher in summer with the Kids & Teens Online Summer Session from June 5 - June 27. All classes and workshops at Ailey Extension are virtual and designed for students of all experience levels.

Put on your brightest clothes and join ballroom vogue icon and pioneer Cesar Valentino for an Online Voguing with Pride Workshop & Mini Ball on Wednesday, June 23 at 7pm EDT. This 90-minute class will focus on vogue basics as well as classic and current trends in runway modeling. Participants will get a taste of ballroom culture at the end of the workshop when they have the chance to put their new skills to the test and compete for prizes during a miniball. Students are encouraged to dress in bright colors and wear heels (not required). Vogue lovers can also pop, dip, and spin into Cesar's weekly All Styles Vogue class on Saturdays at 4:30pm EDT where they'll learn the fundamentals of vogue dancing and classic runway as well as current trends with special attention paid to voguing's rich history. Students will also practice incorporating graceful hand and body movements.

All are welcome to join Ailey for a FREE Online Juneteenth Celebration with Maguette Camara on Saturday, June 19 at 12pm EDT. Featuring live drumming, this 75-minute class will dive into West African culture while teaching the fundamentals of traditional West African dance and rhythms. This special class celebrates Juneteenth, recognized each June 19th to commemorate the day in 1865 when slavery ended in America. Dancers can also practice West African dance with Maguette during regularly scheduled 60-minute classes each Thursday at 6pm EDT and Saturday at 12pm EDT.

Ailey Extension adds two new classes to its diverse weekly schedule that will help dancers of various levels expand their skills - Intermediate Ballet with Noriko Hara on Wednesdays at 11am EDT and Afro'Dance with Angel Kaba on Mondays at 7pm EDT. Noriko will help dancers build on their existing skills and terminology during Intermediate Ballet while Angel will introduce dancers to a fun and free-spirited urban street style while teaching students how to move to the latest music trends coming from West Africa.

In addition to these exciting new workshops and classes, dancers can keep moving during La Mora's monthly Afro-Cuban Live workshop on Saturday, June 26 at 2pm EDT. Filmed with live music accompaniment in the beautiful Ailey Studios, this workshop embraces an accessible path to understanding dance through the quality of movement and cultural context.  As a special bonus, an Afro-Cuban On-Demand class will be made available from June 27 - July 3.  

Young dancers ages 5-17 can also join in the dance during the Kids & Teens Online Summer Session from Saturday, June 5 - Sunday, June 27. This four-week series allows children to learn basic dance skills during age-appropriate Intro to Hip-Hop and Intro to Ballet classes for ages 5-6; or Hip-Hop 4 Kids and Ballet for Kids classes for ages 8-9. Older children (ages 10-12) can explore different styles during Junior Ballet, Junior Broadway Jazz, Junior Hip-Hop, or Junior Horton classes. Teens (ages 13-17) can work on their skills during Teen Contemporary or Teen Hip-Hop in a judgment-free zone surrounded by their peers. Students are welcome to enroll in the full session or drop-in to one of the weekly classes.

Share the joy of dance with your loved ones by purchasing a gift card as a present for Father's Day, graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, or any other special occasion. Gift certificates can be purchased online, personalized with a message, and sent directly to the recipient at a date of your choosing. Options are available for a single class, 5 classes, 10 classes, or can be customized for a specific amount.

With more than 30 weekly classes and special workshops each month Ailey Extension's online offerings allow students all over the world to explore different dance styles seven days a week. For more details about Ailey Extension's variety of class options - which include hip-hop, ballet, Horton, West African, Zumba, samba, contemporary, Pilates, Broadway Jazz and more - students can visit alvinailey.org/extension.

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