He’s only the third artistic director that Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has ever had, and not everyone has been happy to see him add works like Hofesh Schechter’s bleak and aggressive Uprising to the repertoire of a company whose brand is so tied up with inspiration and uplift. Says Battle, “I can’t imagine living anywhere other than on the edge – that place where you’re understood and misunderstood with the same amount of passion.”