Former resident dances her way to legendary Alvin Ailey troupe

by Charles Cassady

Kali Marie Oliver said she has been dancing since she could “walk,” shimmying and chasseing under the instruction of her mother, Hudson resident and dancer Joli Oliver, as a youngster and narrowing her focus to ballet at Nan Klinger Excellence in Dance in Cuyahoga Falls before she hit double digits. 

“I remember getting my first pair of pointe shoes in the fourth grade,” Oliver said. “I took two years of pre-pointe to ensure my feet and ankles were strong enough.”

Today at 26, Oliver’s dedication, talent and strength have taken to her New York City, and the dream of many a young dancer – a slot with the legendary Alvin Ailey troupe. 

“Seeing Ailey took the place of the annual Nutcracker in my household,” said Oliver, who was slated to dance with the company in front of hometown audiences at the Key Bank State Theatre in Playhouse Square on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. 

The daughter of NBA veteran and former Cleveland Cavalier Jimmy Oliver, Kali Marie grew up in Akron and moved to Hudson during her freshman year at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. She credits her mother Joli for not only nurturing her passion for dance but instilling a love of the Ailey company. 

“My mother made it a point to take me to see Ailey at Playhouse Square every time they came to Cleveland,” she said. “Ailey tickets were usually my big Christmas gift. I wish I could say I remember the first time I saw the company, but I was so young when I was first introduced. I was lucky enough to see them almost every year, whether they came to Cleveland or Detroit.”

Alvin Ailey, who raised the curtain on the American Dance Theater in 1958, brought the African American experience to Broadway, national and worldwide audiences, with innovative choreography that fused traditional ballet with jazz, modern dance, Latin dance and the experimental. By the time of his death in 1989, Ailey’s name was cemented among George Balanchine, Martha Graham, Twyla Tharp, Bob Fosse and other immortals, and his American Dance Theater (plus a spinoff troupe for new dancers, Ailey II) continues touring globally. 

Oliver said her first year with Ailey has not been without its challenges. The choreography is challenging, rehearsals grueling. 

“Naps, journaling, fueling, resting when you can. I am still trying to figure out how to balance everything, but I am learning the importance of listening to your body every day because every day it is different and may need something different than the day before,” she said. 

The performer admitted that early in her training she wanted to be a jazzy Fosse dancer. 

“I loved the isolations and how subtle yet powerful the movement is,” she said. “I remember learning Bye Bye Blackbird at a very young age and absolutely loving it.”

Oliver’s focus shifted to ballet while studying under the direction of Mia Klinger at The Nan Klinger studio, and her well-rounded musical orientation included piano and vocal lessons at Akron’s Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts, which she said, “really shaped my relationship to music and how I hear/interpret it.”

Meanwhile, intensive dance courses she undertook at the Chautauqua Institution, with company-in-residence the Charlotte Ballet, cemented her interest in a professional life.

“I knew that was what I wanted to do. I just didn’t know the route to take to achieve that. I spent five summers training at Chautauqua and experienced an exponential amount of growth during that time,” she said.  

Among her most memorable local gigs as a teen were performances with GroundWorks Dance Theater, accompanied by the Akron Symphony at EJ Thomas Hall. 

“One was a production of the Rite of Spring in 2013, and the other was a production of Carmina Burana in 2016,” she said. “This was my first time performing on such a large scale, with a professional company, and with live music. Barefoot, too! It was life changing for me and definitely taught me a lot about professionalism and being responsible.”

Ater high school, Oliver was accepted at The Ailey School at University of New York and graduated magna cum laude from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in Dance. 

Her advice to young people wanting to follow in the literal footsteps of an Ailey dancer: “Take as many different styles of dance as you can. The more knowledge, the better. See as many different companies as possible. The more information, the better. Keep a journal of corrections, notes, observations. Exhaust the resources available to you. Speak your dreams into existence. You must actively build your village and allow others to help you and support you on your journey.”

More broadly, she advised, “nothing is too big if you’re willing to put in the work and make necessary sacrifices to get you where you need to be.” “You have to have so much faith in yourself and your own dream that no one can sway you or talk you out of it. Don’t be scared of it, believe in it. Understand that everyone’s journey is different, everyone’s timeline is different. Just focus on building yours with clear intentions and unshakeable drive.”

photo caption: Kali Marie Oliver, photo by Nir Ariel