Ailey Dance Class: Horton Technique 

Floor 3, Theater

This class teaches students the basics of Horton technique, the foundation of choreography performed by by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater The codified modern dance technique was created by Alvin Ailey’s mentor Lester Horton. The class includes detailed studies of locomotion, rhythm, prelude, and fortification exercises. Students are led through introductory movements such as roll downs, flat backs, and lateral Ts. Excerpts of Ailey’s choreography using simple combinations are taught to introduce musicality and dynamics to the beginning dancer’s vocabulary. 

Horton technique is the foundation for many of Ailey’s works, including Revelations, and is a fundamental training technique for The Ailey School, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Ailey II. 

Instructor 

Lisa Johnson-Willingham is a native of Washington, DC. She became Director of Ailey Extension in 2011, continuing Alvin Ailey’s vision that dance is for everybody through innovative and accessible dance programs for students of all ages, levels, and backgrounds. As Director of Ailey Extension, Johnson-Willingham has created programs such as the Ailey Experience Tour, Kids and Teens classes, Legacy Panels, and the Horton Teacher Conference, along with Voices and Visions and World Dance Celebration performance workshops. She has broadened Ailey Extension’s audience beyond New York City by adding online classes that reach students from around the world.   

Throughout her history with AILEY, she has been passionate about mentoring aspiring dancers by continuing to teach the rich history of Alvin Ailey’s signature style—the Horton technique—at masterclasses and dance workshops.