Friday, January 17, 2025
During the day, Alexandra Francois is a junior at Baldwin High School. But five nights a week, she takes the train to the Harlem School of the Arts, where she dons her dancing shoes.
Alexandra, or Allie, as she prefers to be called, is 15 and in her third year at the School of the Arts. On Dec. 16, she and other members of the Harlem School’s Dance Program performed as the one-night-only opening act for the Rockettes in the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan. Their performance included a rendition of Mariah Carey’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”
Allie has been dancing since she was 5, but in 2022, when she was a freshman at the high school and her mother, Martine Perrin-Francois, first asked her, “What do you want to do after high school?” she thought long and hard. That year she made the decision, with her mother’s support, to further explore her passion for dance at the Harlem School, and to try to make it into something more.
“I was becoming more serious in dance than before,” Allie said. “Before the school, I used to do competition around Long Island and Atlantic City, so during that time I was asking myself, ‘OK, do I really want to do dance or stay on the competition side?’ I realized by staying in competition, I wouldn’t be getting as much technical in ballet training.”
Three months into joining the school in Harlem, she and other members representing the school graced the stage at Radio City. This year was the third year in which she was part of the troupe opening for the Rockettes.
The school has taken part in the Rockettes’ Community Partner Performances program for the past two years. Through the initiative, the Rockettes expand access to people from all backgrounds see themselves represented on the Great Stage. The program also makes it possible for Harlem School students as well as those from other schools in New York City to perform on the Radio City stage. More than 100 student dancers from across the city participate in the program.
“We had been invited two years ago to open for them for the first time,” Allie recalled. “It was a crazy experience, and ever since, we’ve been brought back, doing a different routine.”
Her school’s first performance was a mix of emotions for her, because she had left behind the world of competitive dancing.
“At first, I didn’t think I was ready!” she chuckled. “I just got here! But because our training is so precise and intense, our teachers had us ready and what type of training needed to happen to touch foot on that stage.”
Members of the Rockettes have visited the school in both the fall and summer, hosting Q&A sessions with students and practicing with them for the Christmas show.
“When I hear that we’re going to be invited again, it’s an exciting thing,” Allie said. “You’re counting down the days for Radio City to show these people your routines, and the audience is so amazed. They compliment us, and are something we look for each December.”
In 2022 she also served as an “ambassador” for Brown Girls Do Ballet, a nonprofit based in Fort Worth, Texas, which aims to increase the participation of underrepresented populations in ballet programs. During her ambassadorship, she spearheaded several projects on Long Island, including the creation of a Black History Month display board at the Capezio Dance Theatre Shop in Rockville Centre. She also performed an African dance on “Saturday Night Live.”
As Allie looks back on her performances at Radio City, she recognizes their significance for her and for people of color.
“You’re not just representing yourself — you’re representing all people of color and dancers of color,” she said. “You’re inspiring those who aspire to do what you’ve done, showing them they’re part of that journey and process. It’s not just about you. It’s about all the people who come after you.”
