Literature Review - An Ailey Dancer.


An Ailey Dancer Loyal to His Miami Roots and Mentor

By JORDAN LEVIN


 Levin, J. (2017). An Ailey Dancer Loyal to His Miami Roots and Mentor. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/09/arts/jamar-roberts-ailey-dancer.html?emc=edit_th_20171010&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=58095287 [Accessed 16 Oct. 2017].

This article is an account of Alvin Ailey dancer, Jamar Roberts and his relationship with his dance teacher and mentor Angel Fraser-Logan.

In an interview with (Levin 2017) it explains how Roberts came from a deprived area of Miami, where a hurricane Andrew caused devastation for his family in 1992 and with parents struggling with drug addictions Roberts said how his family became "poorer and poorer" but dancing became an escape for him in 6th grade when he watched a dance performance at his school.

When he moved in with his grandmother, this came with a change of middle school to a school with a strong dance programme and this was the time where he met Angel Fraser Logan, who saw potential in him for a scholarship at her school.

'Mr. Roberts said he was mesmerized by the barefoot, uninhibited Ms. Fraser-Logan: “I had never seen a teacher like that, so expressive and open."'
And in turn Fraser-Logan was just as impressed with the young, untrained Roberts. She took Roberts to watch an Ailey performance and told him how if he went to train in New York that could be him.

Fraser-logan became more than just a teacher to Roberts as she helped to pay for his bus pass to get to school, paid for competitions, got his broken tooth fixed and drove him to classes.

His Grandmother was very unsupportive of his dreams to become a dancer.

Roberts and Fraser-Logans relationship grew even more; “He said ‘I don’t know what to do with my life, I don’t have a mom, I don’t have someone who’s going to be there for me,’ ” Ms. Fraser-Logan said. Though not much older than he was, she promised to play that role for him.

Roberts went on to say how Fraser-Logan “taught me how to be an artist — the importance of dance being a form of expression and not just a physical act you do when music is on.”

"Now it’s his turn to mentor the next generation." 

I chose this article, as it is current and relevant (only published earlier this month) and I feel it related directly to an area of great interest to me - how dance teacher can influence their pupils and how pupils can look up to their teachers. This could be important to my enquiry, as it is a real life account of how a life can be changed by dance and the dance teacher from an established dance teacher and dancer.

I feel the relationship between Roberts and Fraser-Logan goes beyond a dance teacher and pupil relationship, but this shows how much of an impact a dance teacher can have in completely changing their pupils life and future prospects. Fraser-Logan took Roberts from a life of poverty, with little prospects and helped him achieve a place in a prestigious dance school and company.
This now leaves Roberts to continue to leave his mark, as he now has the opportunity to enhance his pupils' lives in the way his was - through the art of dance.


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