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Swerving With Verve: Alvin Ailey's Matthew Rushing
By Steven G. Fullwood
Matthew Rushing is what you would call a dancer's dancer. So determined, so
utterly dedicated to his craft, that when he's not performing with the world-renowned
Alvin Ailey Dance Company, he is, well, off somewhere dancing.
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Matthew Rushing in
Ulysses Dove's Bad Blood
Photo by Barbara Bordnick
Courtesy of Alvin Ailey |
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"People often criticize me for not taking a break," mused
Rushing, in a recent phone conversation from Texas, before heading off to rehearsal.
"I enjoy dancing with other dancers and other choreographers because I feel I learn
something and I bring that back to the Company. I have things I want to accomplish in my
career and so I work hard."
Apparently hard work pays off. A 1991 graduate of the Los Angeles County High School for
the Arts, Rushing received the prestigious Music Center's Spotlight Award in Dance. The
Los Angeles native was also named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts and has performed at
the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Rushing previously danced with the Alvin Ailey
Repertory Ensemble before joining the Company in 1992.
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The dance world has taken notice, too. He was profiled in the November
1999 issue of Dance Magazine, where he described his passion for dance and the legendary
Alvin Ailey. Although he and the venerable Ailey never met, the confluence of Ailey's work
on the young Rushing was transformative.
"I was overwhelmed by [Ailey's] talent, his vision, by his company that I memorized
all the dancers' bios in the program and memorized a hundred names of dancers, past and
present with the Ailey company," is what Rushing told Dance Magazine.
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Guillermo Asca, Matthew Rushing &
Richard Witter in Alvin Ailey's Revelations
Photo by Roy Volkmann
Courtesy of Alvin Ailey |
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Last December, Rushing received rave reviews for his
performance in "Pas de Duke," the first of three "Ailey Celebrates
Ellington" programs to be presented by the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater at City Center.
New York Times Dance Critic Jennifer Dunning lauded Rushing "as one of the great
dancers of the time."
Noted for his technical prowess, the young dancer is beginning to amass a following, which
includes a very excited friend of mine.
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"Oh, God!" she gushed, "I absolutely love him! I go to
Ailey just to see him perform 'Revelations,'" a piece created by none other than
Ailey himself. Rushing reacted warmly.
"That's very nice," he said, appreciative of the compliment.
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In past interviews, Rushing humbly credits his success to past teachers, colleagues, his
mother and choreographers. He has worked with some of the most celebrated names in dance
-- current Artistic Director of the Alvin Ailey Company Judith Jamison and dance legend
Geoffrey Holder, to name two.
When asked about being a choreographer himself, Rushing shirks off the label.
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"I wouldn't say that," said the dancer. "In the summer, I teach at the
Alvin Ailey School of Dance, and I may choreograph a few pieces, but no, I'm not a
choreographer."
The Company is currently embarking on the first leg of its American tour, and will
performing in Newark, New Jersey in May. For more information on The Alvin Ailey American
Dance Theater, visit its website at www.alvinaily.org.M
February 2000
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