阿爾文?艾利舞蹈團長盛不衰的秘密
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????1958年，正值美國民權運動時期，來自德克薩斯州的一個黑人小伙在紐約組建了一個多種族的現代舞演出團，堪稱石破天驚。舞蹈團的首場演出就在紐約第92街年輕希伯來人協會（92nd Street Young Men's Hebrew Association），也就是今天的第92街男女青年希伯來協會（92nd Street Y）。 ????自此以后，這家名為阿爾文?艾利美國舞劇院（Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater）的公司已成為美國藝術界的一支生力軍。2008年，美國國會（Congress）稱其為“走向世界的文化大使”。 ????因此，2011年7月接掌阿爾文?艾利美國舞劇院藝術總監一職的羅伯特?巴托無疑倍感壓力。近日在接受《財富》雜志（Fortune）采訪時，巴托講述了他讓一家現代舞公司持續保持先鋒地位的種種挑戰和收獲。 《財富》: 你最初是怎么進入舞蹈這一行的？ ????羅伯特?巴托：我生下來時完完全全就是羅圈腿。我一直說，我能取得這樣的舞蹈成就真是個巨大的反諷。5歲左右時，我安裝了矯正支架才把腿矯直了。 ????大概就是在那個時候，我隨全家搬到了邁阿密，與我的表姐們生活在一起。我舅公和舅姥撫養了我，而我的舅姥后來中風了。我的一位表姐，如今我依然管她叫媽媽，極其熱愛藝術。我開始模仿她坐在鋼琴前演奏，他們意識到我有音樂細胞。 ????你知道，有些小孩在14歲前一直能唱很高的音。我小時候就這樣。直到邁克爾?杰克遜的時代來臨，我才開始變聲。上世紀80年代，所有人都在模仿邁克爾?杰克遜，這也讓我對跳舞產生了更加濃厚的興趣。 ????我在中學時參加了舞蹈選拔，最后成功入選。我熱愛舞蹈。舞蹈讓我如魚得水。 你第一次接觸阿爾文?艾利美國舞劇院的經歷是怎樣的？ ????阿爾文?艾利的舞劇《啟示錄》（Revelations）到邁阿密演出時，我去看了。我太喜歡這個作品了。它就像是小孩子想往的圣誕節，你明白我的意思嗎？一切都是那么令人目瞪口呆，難以置信。它讓我更加熱愛舞蹈，也開始更認真地對待舞蹈。 你認為阿爾文?艾利美國舞蹈團無以倫比的地方是什么？ ????艾利先生1958年創立公司時正值美國民權運動時期。這個年輕的黑人小伙雖明知成功機會渺茫，但依然挺身而出，因為他覺得必須為自己的同胞和自己種族的文化發出聲音。當時，在這個國家，黑人和黑人的文化并不總是能得到尊重。那時，環境有時候很惡劣。我們（黑人）不能參加某些芭蕾課程的學習，有時又不能入住某些酒店。有時舞蹈團巡演時，在首次入住的酒店還需要與人交涉，才能獲得平等入住權。就是在這樣的環境里，艾利先生卻發出了這么積極的信號。 ????想想當年艾利先生的破釜沉舟，再看看今天的舞蹈團：我們現在有了這么好的舞蹈中心，我們舞蹈團被美國國會授予了“走向世界的文化大使”的榮譽，而這一切都源于這位黑人小伙的夢想。一切令人難以置信。 |
????In 1958, in the midst of the civil rights movement, a young African American man originally from Texas formed a multi-racial modern dance troupe, a daring move. The group first performed in New York City at what was then called the 92nd Street Young Men's Hebrew Association (now the 92nd Street Y). ????That company, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, has since become a major force in American arts. In 2008, Congress named it a "cultural ambassador to the world." ????So the pressure is on Robert Battle, who took the helm as artistic director of the company in July 2011. He speaks with Fortune about the challenges and the payoff of keeping a modern dance company modern. Fortune: How did you first get into dance? ????Robert Battle: I was born, completely bow-legged. I always say that because of the irony of being in dance in such a big way. When I was about five years old, I got braces and straightened my legs out. ????About that time, I moved with my family to Miami to live with my cousins because my great aunt and uncle raised me and my great aunt had a stroke. My cousin, who's still the one I call mother, was into the arts. I started imitating her on the piano, and they realized I had an ear for music. ????You know those kids with a high voice until they are 14? I was that child. My voice changed around Michael Jackson time -- everybody was imitating Michael Jackson in the 80s, and that got me more interested in dance. ????I auditioned for dance in my high school and I got in. I loved it. Dance was the one discipline where I felt comfortable. What was you first experience with the Alvin Ailey dance company? ????I saw Alvin Ailey's Revelations when it came to Miami. I just fell in love with that work. It was like, Christmas for a young person, do you know what I mean? When your eyes are wide open and everything was unbelievable. That got me more into dance, more serious about it. What would you say makes the Alvin Ailey company unique? ????When Mr. Ailey started the company in 1958, during the time of the civil rights movement, he was this young African American stepping out on a wing and a prayer because he felt he had something to say about his people and about his culture in a country that didn't always value either of those things. He created such a positive message out of a sometimes very negative environment where we weren't allowed to take certain ballet classes over here, or be in the same hotel over there. Sometimes when the company traveled, they were integrating the hotels where they stayed for the first time. ????You think about Mr. Ailey stepping out on that precipice and you look at the company now: we're sitting in this wonderful center for dance and we've been named by Congress as cultural ambassadors to the world, all because of the vision of this young black man. It's incredible. |
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