Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre is coming to the Orange County Performing Arts Center March 2-7 to perform a program celebrating Artistic Director Judith Jamison’s 20th Anniversary. We spoke with company member Constance Stamatiou about her background and the company.
Napoleon Gladney: When did you start dancing and how did you get into it?
Constance Stamatiou: I started dancing when I was 4. I had too much energy and my mom felt it would be best if she put me in dance. I went to a local studio, Dance Unlimited, which was really convenient because it was around the corner from my mom’s job. After a few years I started to train with the North Carolina Dance Theatre. I was also a gymnast.
NG: You were a gymnast. When did you decide to take your dancing to the next level?
CS: Well I started gymnastics when I was 9. I did floor, balance beam, bars, vault, all of that stuff. I didn’t start competing in all of the apparatuses until I was 11. It was really demanding. Especially physically, when I started competing I was at the gym full time with practices.
NG: You were a busy kid. How did you make it all work?
CS: I went to a magnet school, the Northwest School of the Arts, from 6th through 12th grade so I got most of my dance training there. After school I would go to the gym for gymnastics. I was a really busy kid. I also played the viola.
NG: Do you still go to the gym and tumble?
CS: I have not tumbled in a long time. I’m actually going to go to a gym at Chelsea Piers when I’m off tour. I’m going to enroll in a few classes. It has been a long time though.
NG: How has being a gymnast affected your dance training?
CS: It really helped with my flexibility because of the stretching and my jumps.
NG: What was your journey to get into AAADT?
CS: I actually started dancing because of Ailey. When I was a little girl I saw a documentary about Revelations and I told my mom I had to do that. When I was a senior in high school my dance teacher was asking me if I was going to go to college for dance or gymnastics and I couldn’t decide. She suggested I go for dance because I would have a longer career and I had a natural talent. She helped me choreograph a solo for auditions and I went to SUNY Purchase. I was at SUNY for my freshman year and one of my dance teachers, who also taught at Ailey, suggested I go with her and audition for the summer program. I went to the summer program as a fellowship student and I fell in love with everything. I knew I had to be there. I told my parents this is where I wanted to be. I was a fellowship student for two years and then I joined Ailey II for two years. I auditioned for the company and Ms. Jamison told me I’m in.
NG: What is it like being apart of such an iconic company?
CS: It is amazing. When I first joined the company Judith Jamison had to come to me and say calm down. I was a dear in the head lights. This is such an amazing company. There are so many amazing people. We tour all over the country and internationally and we do so much. All of the extra things make it even more amazing. We have photo shoots, TV, magazines, we got to perform on So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars. We work with the public and non-dancers with our extension programs and arts education programming. Being able to see the kids eyes shine bright is amazing. Last year we did a book. Being apart of that is amazing. We even have a barbie doll, which came out last year. This company is just full of surprises. Also, working with amazing people like Judith Jamison, Masazumi Chaya, and Ronni Favors is so inspiring and also very educational. They give so much information and insight. They offer so much history and first hand information from Alvin Ailey himself. They also give us so much so that we can really know how to express ourselves.
NG: What is your favorite memory?
CS: Wow I have so many. I would have to say just being on tour. Touring around Europe, been able to go to the Eiffel Tower, the Acropolis, climb the Great wall. We get to do so many amazing things. I think my favorite thing was going to Greece. I have a lot of family there that I have not seen since I was a child. Being able to be there with them and perform for them was amazing. It’s really a second home for me.
NG: Do you get to be apart of the company’s outreach?
CS: The company does mini performances, demonstrations, excerpts of work, and workshops when we tour. We do the full version of Revelations. Kids learn about the dances and about the other things that go into a performance too like the costumes, lighting, and everything backstage. There are master classes taught by company members, too.
NG: Do you feel connected to founder Alvin Ailey’s work?
CS: It’s an amazing feeling. I do feel connected. His work is based on the South and I’m from the South so I can relate to the hymns and spirituals. There is something about his work. You get to move and take up space. It’s really amazing to do his work.
NG: How would you describe Judith Jamison?
CS: Judith Jamison is an icon. She has definitely made history. She is someone you can look up to. Not only physically because she was and still is an amazing dancer. She doesn’t move the same way she used to but when she teaches or shows movement you can just tell she was a force, it’s still there. She is definitely an amazing person. She is definitely a loving person. She does know how to goof of and have a good time, too. But she will let you know what she wants and is specific about it. She is also very understanding.
NG: What is your favorite repertory piece?
CS: There are just so many, Hymn by Judith Jamison, Best of 20 Years, which is excerpts of 13 ballets that have been performed over Judith Jamison’s time as Artistic Director, Episodes, I can say all of them. There are just way too many to count.
NG: Describe the Best of 20 Years? How would you describe it to someone that knows nothing about dance or the company?
CS: It is excerpts of 13 ballets we have done throughout the decades. It would be perfect for anyone that has never seen the company. There is just so much versatility. There is something jazzy and something more African, there is lyrical. You really get a taste of it all. Grace, Winter in Lisbon, the list just goes on. There is partnering and great solo work. You definitely get a taste. It’s perfect for the non-dancer to watch.
NG: Why should people watch AAADT?
CS: You will get the experience of a lifetime. We are truly a spirited company. Each show is never the same. One night you will see one thing and the next you will see something entirely different. We are all different dancers and we all have something different to give. It’s all true and coming from our heart.
