It's a simple concept: American express wanted to find a way to help its cardmembers give back to the organizations doing good in the world. In 2007, UNICEF received $2 million to help provide clean water in four African countries.
We arrived in Glasgow, Scotland on Saturday and had a couple days to enjoy the city. It's beautiful out here, and I can't explain how fortunate I am to experience all of the sites, shopping, diversity and different accents.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater tours more than any other dance company in the world. Why? Because its intoxicating blend of technically stong dancers and intelligent yet accessible choreography is hard to resist. So it stands to reason that the junior wing, Ailey II, comes equipped with the same bag of tricks.
So we have just completed our second and final performance here in Glasgow, Scotland and the experience has been just incredible. Sarah, Renaldo, Jackie, Yusaku, Major, Kelly, Lizzy and I decided to treat ourselves to the nightlife in Glasgow upon our arrival.
There are occasions as a dance lover when one's greatest pleasure comes not from the brilliance of the choreography or the splendour of the music, but from the sheer delight of watching highly trained dancers doing something that you could only dream of doing.
Once upon a time only the wealthiest elite could afford purple clothing. The dye was extremely rare - it came from a sea snail! You don't have to be an aristocrat to wear the royal shade now. We found rehearsal pieces in periwinkle, puce, plum, lavender, lilac, violet, and orchid.
They're young, talented, athletic and - for the first time in almost 40 years - they're over here. About to make its UK debut at Glasgow's King's Theatre, Ailey II is the youth wing of the hugely popular Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Seeming effortless, the stand-out newcomer of New York's Alvin Ailey Dance troupe transitions from one flow of motion to the next, as if transforming suddenly into an insect, a machine, a bird taking lfight, a shaman leading an ancient tribal mating dance, or a spaceman attempting communication in some ritualistic nonverbal language of the future.
"What does age have to do with it?" DT asked dance educators at all stages of their careers. "How long did it take to hit your stride? What do you wish you knew when just starting out?" And perhaps most important of all, "What do all dancers need to know beforer they teach?"
Ever since Judith Jamison announced that she would end her 21-year tenure as artistic director of the world-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, anybody who is remotely moved by dance has looked forward to her final appearance in Philadelphia.