As part of Edges of Ailey—the first large-scale exhibition to explore Alvin Ailey’s life, work, and legacy at the Whitney Museum of America Art—Interim Artistic Director Matthew Rushing is presenting Sacred Songs, his newest work that will also have its world premiere with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at New York City Center this December. Sacred Songs is set to some of the original spirituals from Revelations (songs that were cut when Alvin Ailey shortened the work). Mr. Rushing collaborated with music director Du’Bois A’Keen to reimagine the traditional songs through different genres, from rock ‘n’ roll and gospel to R&B and hip hop—all musical genres with roots in Black culture. 

For the Whitney, Mr. Rushing is working with a group of dancers who regularly take public classes at Ailey Extension. “It’s not your typical theater setting, so I thought ‘How can we pay tribute to that?” Mr. Rushing said. “That was when I first had the idea of involving the Ailey Extension dancers.” He had planned to choose 15 dancers from the 31 who auditioned, but he felt that everyone deserved the opportunity and decided to split the group into two casts. These dancers, whose different backgrounds and experiences have influenced the development of Sacred Songs, will have the once-in-a-lifetime experience of performing the work three times at the Whitney in November.  

Sherra Pierre-March, one of the dancers in Sacred Songs, began regularly taking classes with Ailey Extension 10 years ago. Before that, while completing a joint degree in dance and computer science at City College, she participated in an audition run by Judith Jamison, who invited Sherra to take classes with her. “One day, I'm hoping I can reconnect with her and say, ‘Do you remember me?’” Sherra said. 

AILEY was top of Sherra’s list when she decided to come back to dancing. “I understood the importance of what the organization represented and the mantra of bringing dance to people.” It was like a homecoming. As a Black woman, she also feels a strong bond to the Ailey Studios. "I think it brings to bear a celebration of who we are and what we bring to the art form of dance. To be part of it and to be in a building that celebrates that is an honor, it's a privilege, and it's just joyful.” 

Since she began taking classes, Sherra has been drawn to Horton technique, the foundation of much of Alvin Ailey’s choreography. “Horton, for me, is a technique that immediately gets you back to a place of strength,” Sherra said. “It's a technique that allows me to be everything that I am and to revel in the strength that it provides.” 

For Sherra and the rest of the Extension dancers, the opportunity to work with Mr. Rushing on a new piece (and one with a direct lineage to Mr. Ailey’s masterpiece Revelations) is something they never expected to come from their dedication to classes. They couldn’t be more excited to be a part of Ailey history. “It's an honor for us,” Sherra said. “We're doing rehearsals on our own and we’re supporting each other in whatever needs to be learned or reviewed. The camaraderie that we're building in this experience is so precious.” 

Mr. Rushing has taken a personal approach to working with this group of dancers, inviting them to share stories and letting their personal experiences guide the process. “I had everybody introduce themselves and tell me where they came from,” he said. “I asked them what does dance do for them, and that in itself opened up so many different conversations and ways of finding out who was in the room.”  

“We spent a lot of time talking about our individual journeys, about how these genres of music and dance tell our stories as African folks, as people of African descent that come from the diaspora,” Sherra said. “Matthew opened up the door for us to talk. There were points when he was in tears—we were all in tears—and he was like, ‘Oh my God, I wasn't expecting this.’ As we got into the room and we started to move and share ideas around the movement, he was so welcoming and open. He received it all with such grace and humility that it blew us away even more.” 

Alvin Ailey believed that dance had a unique power among art forms to speak to everyone, not only to an elite minority. That philosophy is at the heart of Mr. Rushing choosing to develop Sacred Songs with Extension dancers. “There’s a lot of firsts in this process,” he said. “Even with me choreographing a major ballet on Ailey Extension, that’s a first. But to have a work that, within one year, will be performed by Ailey Extension as well as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at City Center—I don’t think it’s ever been done before. And it’s a beautiful picture of what the organization stands for—this idea of unity that we’re trying to create.” 

For the Extension dancers performing at the Whitney, November 1–3, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime, and their performances will be something truly unique. “The fact that we're in the room with Matthew, we are all in awe,” Sherra said. “For us to be part of his creative process is an unbelievable gift.”