A Sunday Dance Party: Inside A.I.M By Kyle Abraham’s Homecoming Gala
“I’m not sure if this is a brunch that’s gone on too long,” joked A.I.M by Kyle Abraham board member Mark Leavitt, referring to the 4 p.m. start time of the dance company’s annual gala on Sunday. But then again, for boundary-breaking, genre-defying choreographer Abraham and his troupe of dancers, challenging the status quo and presenting a new way of doing things is always on the agenda. (Plus, who doesn’t like an early wrap time on a Sunday?)
Hosted at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, the early evening fundraising event incorporated a cocktail hour where guests from the worlds of dance, art, and entertainment could drink in the views of the sun-dappled Hudson River. During the seated dinner that followed, dancers gave a sizzle reel of works they’ve been touring the world with lately, too.
For almost 20 years, the inclusive modern dance company has brought thought-provoking movement rooted in Black and queer history and culture to the forefront under the stewardship of Abraham. A.I.M tours nationally and internationally for 25 weeks a year, making the company one of the most active in the contemporary category, as full-time members Donovan Reed, Catherine Kirk, Olivia Wang, Mykiah Gore, Keturah Stephen, Faith Joy Mondesire, Gianna Theodore, William Okajima, Amari Frazier, and Jamaal Bowman simultaneously become fully-fledged stars in their own right.
Speaking of the earlier days of the company and Abraham’s unwavering vision for A.I.M as he encouraged the room to bid on live auction items, Leavitt recalled: “Kyle was known as an exceptional ballet dancer from Pittsburgh, who, all of a sudden, was the ‘it kid’ in choreography. And while people were watching his incredible talent develop, Kyle was trying to build this amazing dance company with food stamps. The tragedy and the opportunity around dance is that there’s not a lot of money in it—that’s the sad part—but a little bit of money goes a long way.” In a rarity for the industry, A.I.M provides its dancers with comprehensive salaries, healthcare, retirement plans, and royalties. As well as nurturing and supporting talent, funds raised from the gala will go towards commissioning choreographers, artists, musicians, and designers for new works, and into organizing two week-long educational intensives per year that are free for participants hoping to get their own start in dance.
Sunday’s golden-hour program also served to honor Adam Pendleton, an artist who explores Blackness, abstraction, and identity through his work, including the seminal Who Is Queen? which memorably transformed MoMA’s Marron Family Atrium in 2021 and early 2022. In an emotive speech, Pendleton said watching the work of his friend and collaborator Abraham has helped him expand his understanding of his own multifaceted identity. Indeed, flipping the spotlight from the stage back to Abraham was a recurring theme throughout the evening. While accepting their own honors, the evening’s two other recipients of recognition—dancer, actress, and singer Bebe Neuwirth and her entrepreneur husband Chris Calkins, both also founding board members—graciously delivered remarks that referred more to Abraham and their love of working with him and helping further his mission, than their own long list of achievements.
In between courses and acceptance speeches, the stage at The Lighthouse was electrified by excerpts from Someday Soon, Cassette Vol. 1, Grey, and Show Pony, some of which will be on the road for the foreseeable as the company heads to the likes of California, Canada, and England in the coming months.
A mere stone’s throw away from the venue, at The Whitney, the first-ever large-scale museum exhibit dedicated to celebrating the life and legacy of Alvin Ailey is currently thrilling visitors with a retrospective on the influence of the seminal Black choreographer and dancer. The dynamic curation, which documents Ailey’s ascent and prevalence from the late 1950s alongside visual art, music, and video, is a reminder of how pivotal dance is to shaping culture and asking important questions without using any words at all. Thankfully, modern-day dance lovers will continue to have the supremely talented dancers of A.I.M. to keep them on their toes with the kind of stories and physical poetry that matters today.
Bre Johnson/BFA.com1/19
Bre Johnson/BFA.com2/19Kyle Abraham, Bebe Neuwirth