Boyd first saw the company perform when he was a young teenager, where he was enchanted by founder Ailey’s choreographic legacy, a one-of-a-kind blend of ballet, modern dance, jazz and blues, African dance, emotion and theater.
“It was a dream of mine to be in this company,” Boyd said, describing himself as a longtime Ailey “groupie.”
“It actually was the reason I began studying dance,” he said. “I had danced a little bit before that, but not seriously. The Boston Repertory Company opened when I was in high school. I auditioned to get in, and the rest was history.”
He later performed in Ailey II, the organization’s secondary company; then, a 19-year-old Boyd was part of a relatively large group of four dancers to audition successfully for the main company in 2004.
“We were very fortunate because it usually isn’t that big,” he said. “There were four spots open, which doesn’t usually happen.”
He also was one of the youngest dancers to join, following a fellowship at the Ailey School, summer sessions and other experiences.
Boyd said the current season of favorites from the past two decades as well as electrifying new ballets has been gratifying for him.
“It’s exciting to see all of these ballets come back to life in a sense,” he said. “They’re part of what drew me in, and now I’m dancing in them.”
But the season is bittersweet, as Jamison has announced she will step down from her post in 2011.
“She’s not retiring, exactly,” Boyd said. “She still will have a lot to do. But she is giving someone else the reins. She’s still going to have her hands in it.”
