Tag: horton technique

The Ailey School’s Ana Marie Forsythe Is on a Mission to Share Horton Technique With the Next Generation

International master teacher Ana Marie Forsythe has devoted nearly 50 years of her life documenting the Lester Horton technique in an effort to preserve it. “Dance has given me gifts that I never realized were possible when I took my first plié,” she says. “I enjoy sharing my breadth of knowledge of the Lester Horton […]

Kitty Lunn Transposes Techniques to Work for Dancers With Disabilities

As a young dancer training with The Washington Ballet, Kitty Lunn fantasized about having a bone transplant. “I was a small person and I wanted to be a tall person,” she says. One day in class, her teacher, dance legend Agnes de Mille, took Lunn’s face in her hands and said, “Kitty, dear, you have […]

A Dancer Discovers the Satisfactions of Learning the Famously Demanding Horton Technique

Ana Marie Forsythe’s eyes twinkle, and a smile plays at the corners of her mouth as she welcomes the 40-plus teachers who are enrolled for her two-week-long Horton teacher-training workshop at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater studios in New York City—plus me, a dancer and writer, taking part for the day. As we watch […]

The Ailey School's Karen Arceneaux Teaches Horton's Lateral Ts

The lateral T is a hallmark of Horton technique. When executed correctly, the body resembles the letter T: The torso tilts to 90 degrees, and the opposite leg extends for counterbalance. For a more advanced version of this staple movement, Karen Arceneaux has students continue tilting past 90 degrees to create a low lateral T […]