Meet FORMER ALVIN AILEY PRINCIPLE

Raquelle Chavis is from Queens Village, New York. Her studies began at The Long Island School of Music, The Eglevsky Ballet School, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Center’s Children’s Program, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Center’s Merit Scholarship Program, and The School of American Ballet. Chavis is a Graduate of New York’s Prestigious High School of The Performing Arts (La Guardia High School of music and performing Arts), where she received The B’nai Brith Award for Excellence in Dance, and the “Arts Award” from The National Foundation for the Advancement of The Arts; placing as Finalist Raquelle has performed throughout the U.S and the Caribbean with The Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble / Ailey II, under the direction of Sylvia Waters, and she has performed throughout the United States, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, the Soviet Union, The Middle East and Asia as a 7 Year Principle Dancer with The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater under the Direction of Alvin Ailey until his death in 1989, and Judith Jamison until 1994.                       

Raquelle has worked very closely with; Alvin Ailey, Mary Barnett, Talley Beatty, Fred Benjamin, Donald Byrd, Vanette Carroll, Ze’eva Cohen, Blondell Cummings, Katherine Dunham, Ulysses Dove, George Faison, Sylvia Waters, Warren Spears, Mari Kajiwara, Jerome Robbins, William Hammerstein, Pearl Primus, Keith Lee, Josephine Premice, Kelvin Rotardier, Anna Sokolow, Jimmy Truitte, Garth Fagan, Ralph Farrington, Linda Haberman, Judith Jamison, Jowole Willa Zollar, Norma Miller, Frank Manning & Donald McKayle, just to name a few..

Ms. Chavis was a featured Soloist in the “Emmy Award” winning documentary film “Two by Dove” for PBS and Great Performances. She has appeared as a featured singer in four Radio City Music Hall productions, “PIPPIN”, the Broadway Concert with B. D Wong, Lucie Arnez, Audra McDonald, Pia Zadora, Gregory Harrison, Boyd Gaines, and Dr. Ruth Westheimer. For many years, she assisted the legendary choreographer Talley Beatty on productions of “Carmen Jones” (Assistant Choreographer/Lead Dancer/Dance Captain) and the restaging of his Ballet - “Congo Tango Palace”.

Raquelle was Dance captain and Assistant Director to the Tony Award winning Director / Play-write Vanette Carroll and received outstanding reviews for her starring leading Dance role as “Mary” in Carroll’s “Your Arms Too Short to Box with God” - with Teddy Pendergrass, Stephanie Mills, BeBe Winans, and Jennifer Holiday. In 2002 she directed and choreographed the musical/play Marion Anderson the lady from Philadelphia for the National Black Theatre NYC, and Town Hall NYC, produced by Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, and Woody King Jr.