Entitled Legacy, the 7 PM concert will showcase the talents of over 80 campers through writings, specially choreographed dances, and theatrical improvisation in an inspiring performance. The participants, between 11 and 14 years of age, come from Washington Heights, Central Harlem, East Harlem, the Bronx and other communities in New York City. This hour-long performance is free and open to the public.
Columbia University's Miller Theater is located at 2960 Broadway at 116th St.
The Thursday evening concert is part of a series of free performances and classes that Ailey is currently hosting throughout the five boroughs of NY from August 5-12. Other highlights will include centerpiece performances at New York City Center and an all-day street party on West 55th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues), on Saturday, August 9.
AileyCamp provides underserved middle school students with the unique opportunity to learn and use dance as a vehicle for developing self-esteem, creative expression and critical thinking skills.
"I want the children to understand their uniqueness," said Artistic Director Judith Jamison. "The camp is about that kind of discovery and about the kind of commitment that says, 'I am capable of doing anything positive in this life.'" The full scholarship day camp impacts young lives in 9 sites around the country every summer including Atlanta, GA; Berkley, CA; Boston, MA; Bridgeport, CT; Chicago, IL; Staten Island, NY; Kansas City, MO and Kansas City, KS.
For further information on the free performances in New York City, visit Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
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Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT), America's Cultural Ambassador to the World, was founded in 1958 and has performed for more than 21 million people in 71 countries and on 6 continents. Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc. is the umbrella organization which includes AAADT; Ailey II, founded in 1974 as a junior performing company of emerging young dancers and innovative choreographers; The Ailey School, founded in 1969 and currently offering some of the most extensive dance training programs in the world; Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs which is committed to bringing dance into the classrooms, communities and lives of people throughout the world; and The Ailey Extension, a program that offers dance and fitness classes to the general public.
The Children's Aid Society was founded in 1853. It is one of the nation's largest and most innovative non-sectarian agencies, serving 150,000 of New York's neediest children and their families with a network of services that includes community schools, neighborhood centers, camps, adoption and foster care services, teen pregnancy prevention, education, health and recreation. For more information, visit www.childrensaidsociety.org.
