Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will bring a visionary's dance to Segerstrom Center

By Eric Althoff

April 17, 2018 12:50 PM PT

It was dance that kept Matthew Rushing off the streets.

The Inglewood native believes his path might have been far different had he not seen “Cry,” a ballet choreographed by none other than dance visionary Alvin Ailey.

“ ‘Cry’ was a revelation,” Rushing said. “Up until then, dance was a hobby, but I could honestly say at that moment, that night [at the Wiltern Theater], that’s when I made the decision to make dance a career.”

Rushing took several classes in dance, acting and Cecchetti-style ballet at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA), but gaining acceptance into the prestigious Ailey School in New York was a whole other matter.

Though still only in high school, Rushing so impressed Ailey’s representatives during a company audition in Berkeley that he was offered a full scholarship to uproot and head east for training.

A quarter-century later, Rushing, 44, now serves as the Ailey company’s rehearsal director. The company will present a five-night stint of “Discover Ailey” at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa commencing April 18.

Even with months of preparation already under the belt, Rushing leads the dance troupe through practice sessions until the moment of curtain.

In addition to his full-time duties as rehearsal director, Rushing often joins the company onstage as a guest artist.

“Normally as a rehearsal director, you don’t dance; you spend all of your time devoted to keeping the integrity of the repertory, coaching the dancers,” he said. “[Guest artist status] meant that I would dance maybe once or twice a week compared to normally dancing almost every night of the week.”

The dance captain maintains a strict regimen of cross-training and swimming to keep his body in shape.

As important is his spiritual well-being, he said.

“I believe in Mr. Ailey’s vision,” Rushing said. “Sometimes knowing that you’re in the right place doing the right things gets you through some of the roughest moments, and I also have a strong spiritual background and a Christian faith, so that helps.”

During the company’s downtime in Orange County, Rushing said members of the ensemble will take time out for community outreach and teach classes similar to the ones Rushing took as a young man in Inglewood.

“What people don’t know is the power arts can have over a young person,” he said. “Dance has taken me around the world and shown me places and things I never would have been exposed to. The arts kept me hungry [and] matured me.”

Rushing said “Discover Ailey” will appeal to all audiences, even family members who “would much rather be at a baseball game.”

“This is a dance company for all people, and the company is a reflection of the people who come see it,” Rushing said. “I think that’s one of the most special things about the company: It’s a company that speaks to the spirit.”