Des Moines Performing Arts kicked off their 2026/27 Dance Series, welcoming the second company of the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, to the Civic Center stage on Oct. 27. The dance company features the next generation of dancers, but don’t let their age deceive you. The young, talented performers of Ailey II are forging their own path forward while paying homage to the legacy that came before them, and I suspect they inspired many fledgling dancers in the audience to follow in their footsteps.
Ailey II
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Four lessons learned from Ailey II
I decided to see Ailey II on Nov. 4 at the Englert Theatre more to fulfill my drive to explore the unknown in the arts than from a desire to see it. The opportunity to interview Ailey II Artistic Director Troy Powell for Englert’s Stages magazine was the tipping point — he’d been insistent on the point that dance is an art that anyone can appreciate and understand. And so I went.
