AILEY DANCERS TO PERFORM AT SIU

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble will perform at 8 p.m. Wednesday at SIU's Shryock Auditorium.

The professional dance company perform works by African-American choreographers Donald Byrd, Ulysses Dove and Tally Beatty in addition to the highly acclaimed Ailey.

Ailey, who died in 1989, choreographed many of his dances to black folk music and jazz. He formed his own dance company in 1958. He also composed dances for opera, ballet and TV.

The ensemble is the second company of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. It bridges the gap between the American Dance Center school and a dance career.

These are "some of the best young dancers of the next generation," according to one critic.

The dancers stay with the company from one to three years and then audition for the parent company.