A.I.M Dancer and Home Trainer Gianna Theodore is Letting Pleasure Lead the Means

In 2018, after Gianna Theodore noticed A.I.M by Kyle Abraham carry out at The Joyce Theater, all the things snapped into perspective. “I known as my mother and mentioned, ‘I’ve to bop for this firm,’ ” she remembers. A.I.M held an open audition that 12 months, and Theodore, who was a junior­ within the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program on the time, made it by way of many rounds of cuts, however after a dialog with firm founder Kyle Abraham, they each determined that the timing wasn’t fairly proper. The 2 stored in contact, and through Theodore’s senior 12 months of school, she requested Abraham if he wanted any understudies. As destiny would have it, the timing was good—Abraham invited Theodore to be taught a component in his work An Untitled Love and, lower than every week later, prolonged an invite to affix the corporate part-time.

Theodore has been dancing with A.I.M ever since, bringing groundedness, fluidity, spontaneity, and precision. She’s additionally a presence elsewhere within the New York Metropolis dance world, instructing newbie home at Ailey Extension and deeply immersed in the home scene. Such a full plate would possibly sound overwhelming, however it’s by design. “Dance brings me pleasure, a lot in order that it may be exhausting to determine which path I need to go down,” Theodore says. “However the one factor I do know is that I need to proceed to seek out newness in as many features of this artwork kind as doable.”

New York or Nowhere

“There isn’t any place like NYC. I really like the road model scene—it’s so uncooked and exquisite. I attend many dance battles, together with Battle 101, which is run by my buddy Huu Rock. It’s a newbie battle, so that you’re in a position to watch dancers develop over time as they proceed to take part, which is absolutely inspiring. Battle occasions are a complete get together. Everybody’s dancing between every spherical, and the love of dance is palpable.”

A Eureka Second

“In 2020, Kyle [Abraham] set the solo ‘Little Lady Blue’ on me, a part of the full-length work If We Have been a Love Music. It was one in every of my favourite moments. I cherished performing one thing so true to Kyle’s artwork kind, but additionally so true to me. I used to be capable of finding my voice and painting very actual emotion. The method allowed me to analyze the function and determine what I needed folks to really feel whereas I used to be dancing.”

Pupil and Trainer

“After I’m instructing, I usually say that I don’t really feel prepared to show simply but—I really feel like I’m nonetheless originally of my dance profession! I started instructing as a result of I’m actually enthusiastic about home dance and instructing helps broaden on that. I usually train for A.I.M, too. I be taught a lot in regards to the dancers by way of instructing. I simply love dance a lot, so to transmit my love on this academic means is each difficult and fulfilling.”