This performance and residency program featured Ailey II, one of the world's foremost contemporary dance companies, dedicated to continuing the legacy of dance pioneer Alvin Ailey and fostering the next generation of dance in America. During the company's visit to Appalachian, the dancers offered master classes and workshops for university and community dance students, a lecture by the company's Artistic Director, an audience Q&A session, and two performances at the Schaefer Center, including a school show for students in grades K-12, as well as a public performance. Residencies such as this one offer unique opportunities to bring artists and audience members of all ages together for meaningful interactions that offer a deeper and more long-lasting impact than is possible by simply attending a performance. For this residency project, master classes offered in partnership with the Department of Theatre and Dance enabled students to work with the internationally renowned artists of Ailey II in a dance studio setting, offering a supportive and inspiring learning environment that at times life-changing for them, and which can have a profound impact on their future careers. Through school performances at the Schaefer Center featuring companies such as Ailey II, children in grades K-12 who have never before attended a performance in a concert hall often gain their first exposure to art forms such as dance, theatre, opera, or symphony. Approximately 1200 members of the university and surrounding community participated in this three-day residency. Generous funding sources such as the North Carolina Arts Council, which supported this endeavor, believe that projects such as the Ailey II Residency serve to broaden and deepen audiences' experiences in the arts, while helping to build the arts audiences of tomorrow.
