Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to BAM for first time in more than a decade
Company:
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) for first time in more than a decade
Programs for the spring engagement revealed: Brooklyn Bonds and All Ailey
Bloomberg Philanthropies is the Season Sponsor
June 6-11
Program A:
Brooklyn Bonds
Jun 6, 8, & 10 at 7:30pm
Program B
All Ailey
Jun 7 & 9 at 7:30pm
Jun 10 at 2pm
Jun 11 at 3pm
Tickets start at $35
“Nothing prepares you for the totality of Alvin Ailey: the aural, visual, physical, spiritual beauty”—The New York Times
April 11, 2023/Brooklyn, NY—The iconic Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater brings its passionate energy and dazzling technique back to BAM for the first time since 2010 with two exuberant programs of recent works, and classic audience favorites: Brooklyn Bonds—featuring rarely performed pieces by renowned choreographers Kyle Abraham, Ronald K. Brown, and Twyla Tharp; and All Ailey—which includes Ailey’s must-see masterpiece Revelations.
The trailblazing choreographer made his debut on the BAM stage as a dancer in 1956 and established close ties to the community when in 1969 the company began a residency at BAM and he established The Ailey School in Brooklyn. Today, under the leadership of artistic director Robert Battle, the company that changed American dance forever remains a vital force in New York City—and around the globe.
Program A: Brooklyn Bonds
Dancing Spirit (2009) by Ronald K. Brown
Roy’s Joys (1997) by Twyla Tharp
Are You in Your Feelings? (2022) by Kyle Abraham
In this showcase of modern masters with Brooklyn connections, the Ailey company puts its soulful spin on recent and rarely performed pieces by acclaimed choreographers Kyle Abraham, Ronald K. Brown, and Twyla Tharp.
Brown’s Dancing Spirit embodies the elegance and influence of the great Judith Jamison. In Roy’s Joys, the company showcases Tharp at her rollicking best in a sultry work set to the silky jazz of Roy Eldridge. Completing the program is Are You in Your Feelings?, a triumphant new work by Abraham that celebrates both Black culture and the youthful spirit that perseveres in us all.
Program B: All Ailey
Night Creature (1975) by Alvin Ailey
Cry (1971) by Alvin Ailey
Survivors (1986) by Alvin Ailey and Mary Barnett
Revelations (1960) by Alvin Ailey
As part of its eagerly anticipated return to the BAM stage, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater stages four revered classics by the visionary himself: from a buoyant Duke Ellington collaboration to an impassioned tribute to the profound courage of Nelson and Winnie Mandela, set to the visionary jazz of Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln. Also included in the program are the 16-minute solo Cry, a birthday present from Ailey to his mother that is dedicated to “all Black women everywhere,” and the landmark Revelations, which has enraptured audiences since its creation in 1960.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater grew from a now-fabled performance in March 1958 at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. Led by Alvin Ailey and a group of young African-American modern dancers, that performance changed forever the perception of American dance.
The Ailey company has gone on to perform for an estimated 25 million people at theaters in 48 states and 71 countries on six continents – as well as millions more through television broadcasts, film screenings, and online platforms.
In 2008, a U.S. Congressional resolution designated the Company as “a vital American cultural ambassador to the world” that celebrates the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance heritage. When Mr. Ailey began creating dances, he drew upon his "blood memories" of Texas, the blues, spirituals, and gospel as inspiration, which resulted in the creation of his most popular and critically acclaimed work, Revelations. Although he created 79 ballets over his lifetime, Mr. Ailey maintained that his company was not exclusively a repository for his own work.
Today, the Company continues Mr. Ailey's mission by presenting important works of the past and commissioning new ones. In all, more than 235 works by over 90 choreographers have been part of the Ailey company’s repertory. Before his untimely death in 1989, Alvin Ailey named Judith Jamison as his successor, and over the next 21 years, she brought the Company to unprecedented success. Ms. Jamison, in turn, personally selected Robert Battle to succeed her in 2011, and The New York Times declared he “has injected the company with new life.”
Members of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. PHOTO CREDIT: Dario Calmese
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