Of the many things Chad Ochocinco has given us, the best is clearly his T-Rex end-zone dance. Since then, he has taken his crazy dinosaur shuffle to Dancing With the Stars, where it's working really well for him. He's one of the five z-list celebrities still in the running!
But he's been dethroned as the neighborhood's best dancer. Robert Battle has just been named the new director of the storied Alvin Ailey dance troupe.The 37-year-old choreographer grew up in Liberty City and attended New World School of the Arts. When he was 21, he won a $12,000 scholarship from the Princess Grace Foundation, which sounds really fancy.
He has been working with the company for several years, and he's also director of his own dance company, Battleworks. [Video below.]
Sure, he's a professional choreographer, but can he do the paso doble in a wrinkle-free beige suit while holding up a waifish dance partner?
The Alvin Ailey company is perhaps the pre-eminent dance troupe in the nation, save the New York City Ballet, says the New York Times. It has a $26 million budget and regularly tours internationally. Ailey's Revelations is one of the best-known pieces in the dance world.
The company will actually be at the Arsht Center May 20 through May 23. Among the performances will be Battle's own In/Side. Below is a dance from his own company:
