Dancers at A.I.M by Kyle Abraham Winter Intensive | Photo by Eileen Kim

When the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance announced that Kyle Abraham would join as the Claude and Alfred Mann Endowed Professor of Dance, succeeding William Forsythe, I was ecstatic. Abraham has been a major inspiration of mine for years, specifically because his company, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, strives to create a body of dance-based work that is charged by Black culture and history. After viewing excerpts of his work on YouTube, I observed that his choreographic process contains a strong emphasis on music, text, video and visual art: something that I want to achieve in my work.

Applying to A.I.M

In October, USC Kaufman’s website posted an article titled “A.I.M by Kyle Abraham Winter Intensive Preview.” I immediately tapped on it in hopes of finding a way to work with Abraham in the near future. Thankfully, the article confirmed that their winter intensive would be held at the Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center from Dec. 6-10, 2021. I knew that this would be an amazing opportunity to reflect on my own creative process while also getting the chance to work with Abraham and his company members. Additionally, the intensive would be free to all participants to ensure accessibility for their community; something that I’ve never seen before.

Right from the start, this intensive was different. The application process was written and required no dance videos. I later learned that Abraham acknowledges that everyone in the room has something to offer and appreciates the way in which someone can write their thoughts down. Once my application was complete, I pressed submit and hoped for the best.

Nineteen days after I submitted my application, I received my acceptance. I was grateful that I would have the opportunity to dance in the beautiful studios that I’ve become accustomed to this semester, but with a different group of dancers.

The schedule

This was the schedule for the week:

Monday, Dec. 6
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Orientation
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. A.I.M Masterclass with Kyle Abraham
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Lunch Conversation with Kyle Abraham
2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. A.I.M Repertory/Creative Process with A.I.M company members

Tuesday, Dec. 7
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Ballet Technique class with Claude “CJ” Johnson
11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. A.I.M Masterclass with Keerati Jinakunwiphat
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Lunch
2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. A.I.M Repertory/Creative Process with A.I.M company members

Wednesday, Dec. 8
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Ballet Technique Class with Donovan Reed
11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. A.I.M Masterclass with Jae Neal
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Lunch Conversation with Dancers
2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. A.I.M Repertory/Creative Process with A.I.M company members
4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Dinner Break
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Special studio theater showing by A.I.M Company
7:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Talkback with Kyle Abraham and Dancers

Thursday, Dec. 9
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Yoga Class with Catherine Kirk
11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. A.I.M Masterclass with Logan Hernandez
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Lunch
2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. A.I.M Repertory/Creative Process with A.I.M company members

Friday, Dec. 10
10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. A.I.M Masterclass with Kyle Abraham
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch Conversation with Kyle Abraham
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Prep for showing
3:00 p.m. Showing for friends and family

Hayden Rivas (BFA ’24) at A.I.M by Kyle Abraham Winter Intensive | Photo by Eileen Kim

Learning from A.I.M’s company members

Going into the intensive, my goal was to take inspiration from the people that came to Los Angeles from all over the United States. I approached it with the mindset that these moments would never happen again. These 30 people had their own individuality to bring to the material that was presented from all the teachers.

Each day we had one technique class, a masterclass with a company member, lunch and developed a piece through repertory. I adored being able to take class from all of the different company members because they each had their own unique class. Whether that was in ballet or through their own phrase work, each class was layered in information that I wanted to soak up.

As someone who wants to continue to create their own work, I was interested in the creative process that would be addressed by A.I.M’s company members. In this class, we were split into two cohorts and were led by a couple of the company members. On the first day, they taught us certain excerpts of Abraham’s work. After that, we created variations on the material and slowly pieced together a work for the showing on Friday.

An unforgettable experience

If you were to ask me what my favorite moment was of this intensive, I would not have an answer. Each aspect of the experience defied what I believed was possible. Through the studio showing by the company, I was able to watch art in an intimate setting. I still get goosebumps thinking about what I witnessed in that room. It’s something I will never forget. On top of that, every dancer in that room spurred my goal of exploring how movement can be executed in a multitude of ways. Finally, dancing a piece that was collectively made throughout the week was the perfect way to end this intensive.

I am so grateful to have been a part of this intensive. It truly has changed the way I approach my own movement and I hope to continue to build off of the skills passed onto me during this week.

By Hayden Rivas (BFA ’24)