Join us for an inspiring conversation with Francesca Harper, the artistic director of Ailey II, at the 2022 Dance Teacher Awards! In this intimate hour-long conversation, Harper talks about the legacy that shaped her as a young artist while her mother and mentor, Denise Jefferson, was director at The Ailey School—and shares how she has […]
Taught by Francesca Harper and demonstrated by Naya Lovell, this step borrows from William Forsythe’s quest to take classical movement vocabulary and deconstruct the shapes created. “Let the momentum at the top of the développé carry you,” says Harper, “and see how your body intuitively has its own response.” Francesca Harper founded her own company, […]
Before Francesca Harper became a teacher or the artistic director of her company, The Francesca Harper Project, she was gleaning all she could from her own instructors. With Gabriela Darvash, for instance, Harper discovered that a scientific approach to ballet resonated well with her. “She was really into breaking down and analyzing technique. She talked […]