Ailey/Fordham

Wednesday, Oct. 23rd, 2024
6:00-8:00pm
KELBY BROWN
Ballet

Friday, Oct. 25th, 2024
6:00-8:00pm
LAKEY EVANS-PEÑA
Horton

Ailey/Fordham
New York, New YorkThe Best of Both Worlds
The Ailey School and Fordham University are partners in an innovative Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Program in Dance Performance. The BFA program offers the artistic preeminence of the official school of the world-famous Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, coupled with an exceptional liberal arts education rooted in the Jesuit tradition of academic excellence. Both institutions are located in New York City’s Lincoln Center area, the epicenter of the dance world.

About the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program
The Ailey/Fordham BFA Program is a highly selective, intensive four-year program, designed to prepare students for a global dance world. Its diverse curriculum, based upon rigorous academic and professional standards, develops accomplished dance technicians, performance artists, and critical thinkers. Students have the unique opportunity to experience an artistic education within the context of the humanist traditions and commitment to social justice shared by both organizations. Ailey/Fordham BFA candidates are full-time students at both institutions.

At The Ailey School, BFA students are part of the Professional Division and undertake a broad curriculum of dance techniques. They become equally proficient in modern dance and ballet, as well as strongly grounded in West African, jazz, and other techniques. In addition to developing their choreographic skills, students take several yearlong, dance-related academic courses, including anatomy and kinesiology, music for dancers, and dance history. Throughout their four years, BFA students have many opportunities to learn from and perform varied repertory with renowned faculty and guest artists from The Ailey School. They perform at The Ailey Citigroup Theater, Fordham University’s Pope Auditorium and, in their senior year, other venues in the greater New York City area. At the completion of the bachelor’s degree program, The Ailey School and Fordham University present their students in a fully produced performance.

At Fordham College at Lincoln Center, students receive a strong liberal arts foundation, creating the breadth of knowledge that marks the educated person. Taught by Fordham’s distinguished arts and sciences faculty, the curriculum includes courses in the arts, social sciences, literature, philosophy, theology, history, and modern and classical languages. There are also opportunities to take academic electives and to have an academic minor.

KELBY BROWN

Kelby Brown, is an American born dancer, choreographer, teacher and adjudicator from St. Louis, Missouri. He received his early training at the Pelagie Green Wren Academy of Dance, as well as Alexandra School of Ballet. He went on to study at Walnut Hill School of the Arts. Kelby received a full scholarship to continue his professional training at the School of American Ballet, the official School of the New York City Ballet, known as SAB.

While attending SAB he got to perform with NYCB in its productions of George Balanchine’s, “Coppélia”, “Davidbündlertänze” and Peter Martins, “Sleeping Beauty”. As a classically trained dancer, he performed with State Ballet of Missouri, Ballet Chicago, Pennsylvania Ballet, Pacific NW Ballet and Los Angeles Ballet. He danced featured roles on some of the most notable stages including, The Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center, the Los Angeles Opera and Cirque du Soleil’s, “Mystère”. Some of his favorite roles and ballets consists of Balanchine’s, Allegro Brilliante, Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto, Kammermusik, Western Symphony and Graciela Daniele’s, Armida for The Metropolitan Opera. After Cirque he was invited to join Celine Dion’s, “A New Day” Las Vegas Show, Directed by Franco Dragone and Choreographed by Mia Michaels.

He has worked with other musical artists such as Madonna, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Melody Gardot, Elton John and Usher. He has appeared on So You Think You Can Dance, dancing alongside Lady Gaga and he has assisted Emmy Nominee Choreographer, Stacey Tookey and Emmy Award Winning, Choreographer, Mia Michaels on So You Think You Can Dance. Kelby graced the big screen dancing in, “The Dance Flick”, “Transformers 2”, Showtime’s Television Series, “Weeds” as well as the hit TV show, “Gossip Girl”, dancing with Blake Lively. Kelby, the Choreographer, joined forces with Director, Ryan Shiraki, on the big screen for the movie Spring Breakdown. His moves were showcased by the star studded cast, including Amy Poehler, Parker Posey and Rachel Dratch. He reunited with Ryan Shiraki, to choreograph for the hit MTV show “Awkward”.

Kelby’s Choreographic stage credits include, Zombie Strippers the Musical, where his choreography was quoted as being, “The Star of the Night”, according to Broadway World review. He was also invited to create a special work to pay homage to the legendary founder of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Mr. Arthur Mitchell for, “Opera Noire”. Kelby choreographed the 20th Anniversary of The Kids Choice Awards, where he got to work exclusively with multi-platinum recording artist Justin Timberlake.

LAKEY EVANS-PEÑA

Lakey Evans-Peña is an educator, director, and creative leader. She was named associate director of the Ailey Horton Teacher Certification program in June 2023. In this role, she integrates her professional performance, educational and scholarly knowledge, and experience in the creation of the new Ailey Teacher Certification Program: Ailey Horton Technique.

Evans-Peña received her BFA from the University of the Arts, her MFA from Montclair State University, and was a scholarship recipient at The Ailey School. As an embodied practitioner, Evans-Peña has performed the works of Alvin Ailey, Ronald K. Brown, Eleo Pomare, Hope Clarke, Milton Myers, Jacqulyn Buglisi, Kevin Iega Jeff, and Kathryn Posin. She has toured with Donald Byrd’s The Harlem Nutcracker and with Ailey II under the direction of Sylvia Waters, as well as with the New York City Opera and at New York’s SummerStage. Most recently, Evans-Peña restaged and performed Lester Horton’s The Beloved in Roots & Routes, her self-produced evening length work.

As an artistic coach and creative leader, she served as assistant to Ronni Favors for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s New York City Center production of Memoria, as well as for the American Dance Festival. In her role as Ailey II’s rehearsal director, she has overseen works by Alvin Ailey, William Forsythe, Francesca Harper, Andrea Miller, Robert Battle, Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish, and Yannick LeBrun. Evans-Peña teaches and lectures nationally and internationally. She has been the contemporary teacher at the Prix de Lausanne in 2023 and 2024, as well as at the 2023 Summer Intensive as both contemporary teacher and pre-selection judge. She continues to adjudicate for the Ailey/Fordham BFA program, the Certificate Program, and the Summer Intensive, conducting national auditions with Melanie Person as well as serving as a BFA advisor.

As a pedagogue and movement maker, Evans-Peña centers empowerment through her teaching and creative practices. Her thesis work, Lineage and Legacy of Horton Through The Ailey Lens, Then and Now, examines the ideologies of cultural relevance, equity, and inclusion through the Horton/Ailey lineage, as well as exploring the historical and contextual framework of the Horton technique at The Ailey School.

Believing strongly in creating equitable spaces to share the power of dance and the performing arts, Evans-Peña founded and served as the executive and artistic director of the Williamsburg Movement & Arts Center in Brooklyn from 2009-21. Identifying a need for quality arts programming in the Brooklyn school sector, and with a robust after school enrollment at the WMAAC home studios, she developed public school, private school, and community partnerships which enabled 3,000 students a year to explore dance through daytime workshops and creative on-site residencies. In 2015, she co-curated, co-produced, and presented a performance series providing rehearsal and performance space for choreographers at different stages of their careers to present their work. Expanding additional opportunities for equitable arts education, Evans-Peña additionally founded WMAAC Residencies (now renamed WRArts), a 501(c)3 organization which continues to offer a rich array of creative arts community programming. She served as president until 2017.

Evans-Peña has served as an adjunct and visiting professor at NYU Tisch School, Marymount Manhattan College, Montclair State University, and as artist-in-residence at Hollins University, teaching courses in technique and performance, Dance as an Art Form, and Dance Appreciation. Evans-Peña has engaged her pedagogical approaches as a guest at the Canada National Ballet Assemblée Internationale, Rockette Conservatory, STEPS, Peridance, Ballet Hispánico, and as a teaching artist for Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs.