Style Blogger Courtney Quinn & DJ Ms. Nix: "Why We Love Ailey"
Posted November 15, 2016
A
s Mr. Ailey declared, “I want to hold up a mirror to my audience that says ‘This is the way people can be; this is how open people can be.’” It’s why we say: you don’t just see an Ailey performance, you feel it.
We asked two Ailey fans – New York style blogger Courtney Quinn and celebrity DJ Ms. Nix – how they felt after their first Ailey performance, and why they keep coming back.
Courtney Quinn, former dancer and the voice behind the New York based style blog Color Me Courtney:
“Alvin Ailey is a winning combination of culture and creativity, always pushing the boundaries of the dance world in a revolutionary entertaining way.
Activist Alvin Ailey grew up during a harsh time of racial segregation and inequality. I find it simultaneously inspiring and remarkable that he took that pain and was able to transform it into something celebratory. Now, it serves as both a creative symbol for how far we’ve come while representing the growth that still is yet to come.
Growing up as a biracial minority dancer and often the only one of color on my team, I often felt a little alone. Not only did no one look like me at my studio, but I also lacked a lot of relatable representations of girls like myself in the media. Companies like Alvin Ailey broke the mold and did wonders for both my self-confidence and cultural understanding at an early age. They really set the bar for me as a performer, while helping me cope with some of the racially driven personal issues associated with my situation.”
Ms. Nix, actress and celebrity DJ known for her collaborations with Questlove, Q-Tip, Nas, and Santigold:
“Ailey is grace in motion. It is an artistic expression of the beauty, creativity, hope and appreciation of history that we should always aspire to have in our own lives whenever and wherever possible.”
Now more than ever, we need the power of dance to bring us all together. Regular ticket prices for Ailey Young NY Night start at just $25. Don’t forget to use your Young New York promo code (Don’t have a code? Sign up here), and you’ll pay just $50 for seats normally priced at $90 for any performance (except Nov 30, Dec 1 and Dec 31) during our City Center season, which ends Dec 31.
