Dance Alloy Theater's new artistic director thrives on passion and dance

August 9, 2009 12:00 am

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Andy Starnes/Post-Gazette

Greer Reed-Jones, Dance Alloy artistic director: Wants to encourage local artists.

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By Jane Vranish / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Dance without passion quickly reduces movement to uninspired activity. For Greer Reed-Jones, passion without dance is next to impossible. It is something that she experienced at her first dance lesson and it still drives the Penn Hills native as she begins a new journey as Dance Alloy Theater's artistic director.
Yet this position is only one aspect of a delicate balancing act that has propelled her to a powerful role, not only in the Pittsburgh arts community, but on the national dance scene as well. In an arts environment where female artistic directors generally are considered a rarity, Reed-Jones is one of the first African-American women to head a predominantly white modern dance company.
There has been a handful of female visionaries in American black dance, most notably Philadanco's Joan Myers-Brown, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company's Jeraldyne Blunden, Dallas Black Dance Theatre's Ann Williams, Denver's Cleo Robinson Dance and Los Angeles' Lula Washington Dance Theater. But they have all elected to promote dance and choreographic forms primarily within the aesthetic of their African-American heritage.
Reed-Jones will still be able to follow in that tradition with her fellowship at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture. There, she started a new company, the August Wilson Dance Ensemble, which Reed-Jones calls her "baby."
But at the 34-year-old Alloy, Reed-Jones will "continue to build its own tradition as one of the premier dance ensembles in the area" by bringing in quality works. "My background not only includes working with black artists like Talley Beatty and Eleo Pomare, but traditional modern dance figures like Danial Shapiro and Joanie Smith," she notes.
Her vision for the Alloy will involve a two-pronged attack. First she plans "to service the local dance community through collaborations." The main stage season, called "Alloy ... Unlocked," will open the doors for the first time to Pittsburgh choreographers such as The Pillow Project's Pearlann Porter and former Alloy member Gwen Ritchie. Those two artists also will appear in the first installment of "Behind the Scenes," a popular series at the Alloy studios in Friendship, where audience members get a sneak peek at new works and provide feedback.
In addition, Reed-Jones will initiate an "Alloy Open" umbrella series on the first Friday of each month. Audiences may see "Alloy on Alloy," with opportunities for company members to display their own choreography, or "Unblurred," which will offer local dance groups a venue to showcase new work.
"We have a wonderful space here, and I want the Alloy to have a leading presence in the community," she says. "This should be a place where local artists can come in and have their voice heard."
Reed-Jones also will seek to strengthen touring to give the Alloy a wider regional and national reputation. As DAT's artistic director, she will continue to oversee outreach programs and the company's school, which includes more than 600 students.
On paper, running two organizations can seem overwhelming. But Reed-Jones asserts that she is "extremely organized." When paired with that passion for the dance, she can be unstoppable, something she demonstrated as a 3-year-old at her first lesson. At the end of the lesson, the tiny dancer kicked and screamed because she didn't want to stop.
Right then, her mother and dance teacher agreed to let the determined tot stay all day, every Saturday, in a weekly ritual that would continue for seven years. By age 10, Reed-Jones knew that she needed more serious, extensive training and enrolled in Point Park College's children's school, where she received a foundation in ballet.
Next, Reed-Jones moved on to the Civic Light Opera academy, where she learned "a little bit of everything," and soon auditioned for a new company, Pittsburgh Black Theatre Dance Ensemble (which coincidentally started around the time of the Alloy). The preteen became the youngest member. "They had a passion for dance," she recalls. "They were doing this as a career."
At PBTDE, Reed-Jones came in contact with Leslie Anderson-Braswell, former principal dancer at Dance Theatre of Harlem, who became her mentor. For the first time she began to realize that this could be her career.
After graduation from Penn Hills High School, Reed-Jones attended Philadelphia's University of the Arts. Then New York City beckoned her for a summer at Dance Theatre of Harlem, where artistic director Arthur Mitchell "encouraged the dancers to see as much dance as they could." One of the companies was the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Upon watching the performance, Reed-Jones immediately thought, "That's me. That's where I fit in. That's what I want to do."
She completed the two-year certificate program and was accepted into Ailey II. But by the end of that stint, Ailey had died and the parent company was in the midst of a transition.
Reed-Jones saw Dayton Contemporary Dance Company at Lincoln Center's outdoor festival. She saw that this nationally recognized Ohio ensemble was cast in the Ailey style and decided to audition. Out of 200 women who auditioned, Reed-Jones was one of two selected.
"I looked the same as those women, dressed in a leotard and tights with a bun," she recalls. "I knew I had to set myself apart, so I drew on my passion, spirit and soul. I knew I had to do this."
That led to a 10-year career with DCDC, where Reed-Jones rose to the rank of principal dancer. Upon her retirement from the company, she decided to return to Pittsburgh, where she taught at the Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA). By 2003 she was funneling some of her students into the Pittsburgh Dance Ensemble, which had a successful three-year run.
It also whet her appetite for arts administration, something that had always interested her. But Reed-Jones was busy on a number of other projects, including choreographing for Kuntu Repertory Theater ("Sophisticated Ladies," "Sweet Thunder") and performing in its "Bubblin' Brown Sugar."
She also assisted with the Bach Choir's local debut of Leonard Bernstein's "Mass" and took the stage with Pittsburgh's premier jazz trumpet player and future husband Sean Jones in "What We Have."
Last year, Reed-Jones joined the Alloy as education director.
When the August Wilson and Dance Alloy positions fell into her lap virtually at the same time, she only viewed it as an opportunity.
"This is your chance to make a difference," she told herself.
With a great support system of friends, family and colleagues "coming from everywhere," including "250 percent" from her husband, Reed-Jones is still following her passion.

Former Post-Gazette critic Jane Vranish can be reached at jvranish1@comcast.net .
First Published August 9, 2009 12:00 am

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