The Juilliard dance department, under her leadership, seems like a happy place.
Raised in Columbia, Md., she joined Dance Theater of Harlem at 17 and was an immediate standout: a tall, long-limbed, exceptionally graceful ballerina.
Told she was too tall by American Ballet Theater and New York City Ballet, Mack reinvented herself again, becoming a star of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and greatly expanding her stylistic range into modern, contemporary and hip-hop.
Asked back by the Ailey company, she squeezed out a few more years, then moved into teaching dance at Washington University and Webster University in St. Louis.
A child of professors, she found her “happy place” at universities, she said, and realized that helping serious students on the cusp of their careers was what she wanted to do.
Persons:
Mack, ”, “, Alvin Ailey, St . Louis
Organizations:
Juilliard, Dance Theater of Harlem, Columbia University, American Ballet Theater, New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey, Washington University, Webster University
Locations:
Columbia, Md, St .