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Tracy Inman

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Tracy Inman (born January 5, 1961, in Washington, D.C.) is an American dancer, choreographer, and educator who performed with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He is currently the co-director of The Ailey School and a choreographer & consultant for the television series Pose.[1][2][3]

Education

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Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Inman, who is African-American, attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts with a concentration in orchestral music. While at school he played violin with the D.C. Youth Orchestra, where he also served as a concert master and teacher.[4] In 1981 he auditioned for The Ailey School, which accepted him and awarded him a fellowship scholarship to fund his studies. Having no prior experience with concert dance, Inman struggled throughout his first year of study,[5] though by end of his second year his progress was such that he was invited by artistic director Sylvia Waters to join Ailey 2.[6] In addition to dancing with the company, he also spent time working with the Dance Place.[7]

Career

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In 1984 Inman left Ailey 2 to join the international production of the musical Cats in Vienna, Austria, where he played the character 'Tumble-Brutus'. In 1989 he danced for The Judith Jamison Project and was then invited to join the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater—over which Jamison had just been appointed artistic director—the following year.[8] During his time performing around the world with the AAADT, Inman danced in a wide repertoire of ballets created by choreographic masters including Alvin Ailey,[9][10] Donald McKayle,[11] Jerome Robbins,[12] Pearl Primus,[13] Louis Johnson, Donald Byrd,[14] Ulysses Dove,[15] and Jamison herself.[16] In 1994 he joined Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden, performing as an original member of their company Complexions Contemporary Ballet.[17] Inman returned to the musical Cats in 1996, this time in Antwerp, Belgium as the character "Alonzo".[18]

He came back to The Ailey School in 1999 to teach the Horton dance technique and was then appointed co-director of the school's junior division alongside Melanie Person. He became associate director of the school in 2009.[19] Following the death of Denise Jefferson in 2010 he was designated co-director of The Ailey School, again alongside Melanie Person.[20] During his time as co-director, Inman has emphasized the importance training in classical modern,[21] knowing dance history,[22][23] and utilizing musicality and breathing while dancing.[24] He has also served as the Ailey company's ambassador for visiting guests, including training Conan O'Brien in dance on national television during O'Brien's visit to New York City.[25][26] Since 2018 Inman has served as a choreographer and consultant on modern dance for the TV series Pose.[27] In an article with the New York Times he revealed that after hiring him, the show changed its initial focus from Martha Graham's technique to Lester Horton's, which served as an inspiration for Alvin Ailey's choreography. This is because Inman, who teaches Horton, felt that the technique was more suitable for illustrating dynamic male dancing.[28]

References

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  1. ^ "Tracy Inman". Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. 2010-04-09. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  2. ^ "What It's Like to Be a Dance Double on FX's "Pose"". Dance Spirit. 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  3. ^ Kourlas, Gia (2014-06-12). "An Extended Family Puts on a Big Recital". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  4. ^ "Alumni List". DC Youth Orchestra Program. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  5. ^ Sondhe, Nisha; Bagri, Neha Thirani (2013-03-19). "The Mumbai/New York Photo Project: Music and Dance". India Ink. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  6. ^ "The Alvin Ailey School strikes a 'Pose'". amsterdamnews.com. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  7. ^ Levy, Suzanne (September 12, 1982). "The Dance Place". The Washington Post.
  8. ^ Kisselgoff, Anna (1990-12-20). "Reviews/Dance; 1951 Work Foreshadows Urban Violence". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  9. ^ Dunning, Jennifer (1993-12-13). "Dance in Review". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  10. ^ Dunning, Jennifer (1993-12-18). "Review/Dance; Cotton Fields, Hazy Bars In an Early Ailey Classic". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  11. ^ Anderson, Jack (1991-12-30). "Review/Dance; Cast Changes in 'Storyville'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  12. ^ Kisselgoff, Anna (1993-12-20). "Review/Dance; Ailey Troupe Takes Up A Robbins Challenge". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  13. ^ Kisselgoff, Anna (1990-12-15). "Review/Dance; African Echoes Unite Two New Ailey Works". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  14. ^ Dunning, Jennifer (1994-12-20). "DANCE REVIEW; A Return To Quiet Rage". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  15. ^ Cox, Dan (1995-02-24). "Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre". Variety. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  16. ^ Dunning, Jennifer (1992-12-26). "Review/Dance; Don Bellamy in Lead Of 'The River,' by Ailey". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  17. ^ Dunning, Jennifer (1994-06-13). "Review/Dance; A Fluid New Company In Its First Get-Together". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  18. ^ "[Antwerp] May 1996 – September 1996 Original Cast – CATS Castlist Database". Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  19. ^ "Comings & Goings". Dance Magazine. 2009-01-26. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  20. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (2010-08-26). "Footnote". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  21. ^ Milzoff, Rebecca (2011-07-22). "Ballet and Modern Summer Classes; One Long Audition". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  22. ^ "Why The Classic Modern Techniques Are More Relevant Than Ever". Dance Magazine. 2017-07-12. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  23. ^ "'Dance: Legends and legacies' Robert Battle's inaugural season as Ailey's artistic director". amsterdamnews.com. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  24. ^ "Use These 3 Musical Tricks to Combat Tension". Dance Teacher. 2018-02-18. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  25. ^ Kreps, Daniel (2016-11-02). "Watch Conan O'Brien Master Modern Dance at Alvin Ailey Theatre". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  26. ^ "Watch Conan O'Brien Hilariously Fail Dance Class at The Ailey School". EW.com. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  27. ^ "Tracy Inman". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  28. ^ Kourlas, Gia (2019-08-23). "When It Comes to Dance, 'Pose' Never Stands Still". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-08-24.
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