Ailey couple dance duet in Valentine’s Day show at Fox Theatre

On Wednesday, the duo will help kick off the Atlanta engagement of Alvin Ailey which runs through Sunday, Feb. 18 at the Fox Theatre. The special Valentine’s Day performance “A Night to Love”  features the return of “Stack-Up,” the 1982 tribute to life and love in Los Angeles choreographed by Talley Beatty. In the second act, company members dance a series of duets, including an excerpt from David Parson’s "Shining Star” set to the music of Earth, Wind and Fire and performed by the Sims.

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After so many years as partners on and off the stage, the Sims say it is still a thrill to dance together. “For us it is something that is very special and a blessing that we are both able to share our lives on stage,” Linda said.

When they met decades ago, they discovered they had lots of friends in common having grown up in the New York area -- she is from the Bronx, he is from New Jersey -- and being in the dance community. They had been moving in the same circles for years, but Ailey joined them together through their love of dance, their love for each other and their passion for the company, they said.

About six months after meeting they began dating, but kept their relationship quiet. At the time, under the tutelage of Judith Jamison, they had heard stories about relationships between company members that ended with drama. Glenn and Linda were determined to set and keep firm boundaries.

“I spoke to Glenn about it and we definitely said we weren’t going to change who we are. We said whenever we are at work, we are at work and will respect our work. The fact that we have never blended those two together has helped us keep our relationship long-lasting,” Linda said.

When they finally shared their relationship with Jamison after more than a year of dating and when they married on Jan. 5, 2001 -- what would have been company founder Alvin Ailey’s 70th birthday -- Jamison wished them well and encouraged their union, Glenn said.

As they have grown from smitten twenty-somethings to passionate forty-somethings they have had to make some adjustments. They can’t afford to let tension and resentment creep into their union, so they work on communication every day, Linda said.

Glenn said he also likes to bring spontaneity to the relationship such as when he scored tickets to see Mary J. Blige perform at the Fox Theatre the night before they were set to take the stage.

“We are always in the theater and always giving to audiences and if we fail to give the love back in our relationship then it becomes stagnant,” Glenn said.

On stage, while they continue to keep the divide between personal and professional, they both acknowledge how special it is to dance with someone to whom you are joined in life.

“The difference between dancing with Linda and other partners is that it is something that is honest. We sleep together, we work together, I hear her heartbeat, I hear the pace of her breathe. It is something that comes natural to want to dance with her onstage,” Glenn said.

When they dance together, they feel as if their energy is joined. They are able to anticipate each other’s moves and there is a chemistry that is hard to put into words, Linda said.  It gives them a level of freedom that is harder to achieve with other partners.

“There were a lot of choices I was able to do with Glenn that I was not able to do with other partners,” Linda said. “As the years went by it just got better and better.”

With her husband as her partner she feels she can more deeply explore the characters she embodies while dancing and each time bring something new to the dance.

Among her favorite duets to dance with Glenn is “The Winter in Lisbon” set to the music of Dizzy Gillespie. Glenn enjoys performing “Shining Star” with his wife, the dance they will highlight on Wednesday.

“We danced it in 2006 when it was first choreographed and by that point we had been married for five or so years. (Choreographer David Parsons) was one of the first choreographers to come in and put us together,” he said. The moment landed them a cover of Dance Magazine and he said it holds a special place in his heart.

On occasion, dancing together has also helped them gain awareness of their limits. In “Festa Barocca” a dance by Italian choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti, the couple danced a powerful duet filled with difficult lifts, Linda said.

They performed it last year in February and in rehearsals they realized a decade had passed since they had danced the piece. Together, they were able to make adjustments for the ways in which their bodies have changed with age.

As long-term partners who live and work together, they’ve learned enough about love and romance to offer advice to others. Expecting imperfection, learning and growing together and always being young, are among their secrets for a successful pairing.

“Sometimes we get wrapped up in everyday life and forget the reason why we were drawn to that person. Never forget that moment of when you first met your spouse and that feeling that you have,” Linda said.

Glenn suggests taking a page from a high school play book. “Think about when you were in high school. If you really were into that girl you would leave a note on her desk,” he said. “It is the everyday little things that add up to making the love last.”

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Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at the Fox Theatre

For information visit FoxTheatre.org.