Canadian Hannah Richardson excited to be dancing with Alvin Ailey in Toronto
January 22, 2023
Eleven years after watching the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre (AADT) perform for the first time at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts rebranded as Meridian Hall in 2019, Hannah Richardson will grace the same stage with the renowned company early next month.
The 2023 tour kicks off in Toronto on February 3. There are two shows the following day.
“This is so surreal and it feels like a full circle moment that the first stop is in my hometown,” said Richardson. “I feel so blessed to be coming back to perform in front of family and friends and show them what I have been doing in New York City the last six years.”
Hannah Richardson is thrilled to be performing in her hometown (Photo by Nir Arieli)
She first learnt of the schedule last summer after successfully auditioning for the celebrated main company.
“There were three other dancers that made the cut and we were at a newbie meeting when company manager Gregory Stuart came up to me and said, ‘Hannah, you know we are going to Toronto in the New Year’,” Richardson, who took extra ballet classes at the Academy of Ballet & Jazz, recalled. “My jaw dropped and I was speechless. I asked him where we would be performing and he said, ‘Meridian Hall’. I was so overwhelmed and very happy.”
As expected, there will be a large cheering section rooting for the ensemble’s only Canadian member.
“My parents have already bought 50 tickets and that is just mom’s side of the family,” she pointed out. “They are so excited and telling everyone who would listen to them that their daughter is performing with Alvin Ailey company in Toronto.”
Lisa Richardson knew very early that her daughter was destined to be an outstanding dancer.
“Hannah loved to entertain and was constantly dancing,” she said. “Her energy level was so high and she never got tired of moving.”
At age three, Richardson joined the Maple Academy of Dance (MAD) in Vaughan.
The academy, which closed last June after 24 years, was pivotal to her development.
“I was with them for 15 years and I took my last dance class there before going to the Ailey School,” she said. “The teachers and everyone in that space were quite welcoming and supportive. They gave me tough love when that was needed and pushed me to go the extra mile.”
Hannah Richardson has been dancing since age three (Photo by Nir Arieli)
Academy founder Ginette Guimond, noted Richardson, provided her with many opportunities to showcase her talent.
“Our dance mama found small dance projects on the side for me and we just had this great relationship,” she added. “She always pushed me to take the next steps beyond dancing within a competitive dance school. I owe all of my success to Maple and Ms. Ginette along with family and friends who assisted me along the journey.”
From the first class she took, Guimond knew Richardson, who won the 2011 MAD Robert Guimond scholarship awarded to a dancer who loves performing on stage, would be a star.
“Hannah was always 100 per cent focused in class and it was evident she loved to dance,” she pointed out. “Her parents, who were new to the dance world, didn’t believe me at first when I told them she had a unique quality and would thrive in dance if she chose to pursue it. She was just a teacher’s dream and I am blessed to have worked with her. She is extremely talented and shines on stage. But what stands out the most is how kind, humble, caring, generous and beautiful she is inside and out.”
Guimond will attend the AADT February 4 evening show.
“I watched several virtual Alvin Ailey performances during the pandemic and cried every time I saw Hannah perform,” she added. “My heart was full watching her perform and doing what she loves. That girl belongs on stage.”
Just after her 13th birthday, Richardson’s parents looked her in the eye and asked if she wanted to pursue a dance career.
“I said ‘yes’ and they did some research and found the Ailey School in New York City that focusses on modern dance and ballet and has a large number of African-American students,” recalled the former Holy Trinity School basketball, soccer and volleyball teams captain. “After I saw them for the first time in Toronto the next year, we did more research and realized they offer a four-week summer intensive program.”
Hannah Richardson made her debut with Alvin Ailey’s main group late last year (Photo by Nir Arieli)
She auditioned in March 2012 at the National Ballet of Canada Four Seasons Centre, doing a combination of ballet and a modern dance technique developed by Lester Horton who studied with Ailey and was among the first American choreographers to insist upon racial integration in his company.
The modern technique is based on Native American dances, anatomical studies and other movement influences.
“That was my first time doing that dance and I was hooked by the movement, body language and teachers,” Richardson, who has two younger brothers, said. “After seeing the Ailey company on a stage a month earlier, I knew this is where I want to be. It was incredible to see dancers that look like me on stage.”
Straight out of high school in 2016, she enrolled in the Ailey School three-year certificate program that takes a conservatory approach to dance training, combing technique dance academics, creative studies and repertory and performance.
Hannah Richardson joined the Alvin Ailey School in 2016 (Photo by Nir Arieli)
Graduating with honours, Richardson was an apprentice with Ailey II in 2019 prior to joining the secondary company in October 2021. Last March, they returned to New York City after an 18-month COVID break.
“I was so happy to dance with my friends again after waiting for such a long time,” she said. “I got to travel throughout the U.S and perform for lots of people. I also did new works featuring artistic director Robert Battle ‘Alleluia’ and William Forsythe’s ‘Enemy in the Figure’. It was incredible.”
In most instances, dancers in Ailey II, founded in 1974, graduate to the main company after two years.
Richardson made the leap after a year.
“I knew if I didn’t make it this time around, I still had another year,” she said. “Without any stress, I went into that audition showing my best self and it worked.”
Richardson debuted with the main company on November 30 at New York City Centre.
After a long season in the Big Apple that ended on Christmas Eve night, she made it home on time to be with her family for Christmas dinner despite airline cancellations in New York that forced her to take an early morning train to Philadelphia on December 25 to catch a flight to Toronto.
“We are a close knit group and my parents did everything they could to ensure I was with them and my brothers,” said Richardson who performed in the world premiere of ‘Grace & Mercy’ at the Bard SummerScape festival. “They have supported me all the way and this was another instance of them stepping up to the plate to make sure that I was with them on a traditional holiday that brings families together. They are my rock, biggest supporters and number one cheerleaders.”
Elston Richardson, who migrated from Trinidad & Tobago at age nine, is proud of his daughter’s success.
“I am so happy that she is coming home to perform,” said the accountant. “Those who have not seen her perform south of the border will get to see her live and in person.”
Hannah Richardson will have lots of support when she steps on the stage in Toronto (Photo by Nir Arieli)
On January 15, Richardson returned to New York to prepare for a hectic season.
The rehearsal studio is a 15-minute walk from her residence.
“I get up around 8 a.m. and have breakfast to ensure my body has enough fuel for the day,” Richardson said. “There is a 90-minute company class every morning, starting at 10.30 where we do ballet or modern dance. That is supposed to get our body warm for the rest of the day. We then have a small break until 12.30 p.m. when we start rehearsals on different pieces. There is a one-hour lunch break and the day ends around 7 p.m.”
Started by the late Alvin Ailey who organized the first Black repertory dance company in 1958 and developed 79 ballets for the public, the AADT is a performance base for seminal Black choreographers and dancers.
Among its graduates are Rachael McLaren who is a guest choreographer in Winnipeg and George Randolph who came to Canada from the United States in 1980 and, in 1992, founded the George Randolph College for the Performing Arts.
