Night Creature, Pas de Duke, The River, Revelations - Alvin Ailey Chicago Program C

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater visits the Auditorium Theatre for 10 performances, February 28 -March 9, 2014. The company will bring three programs, each featuring different pieces from their repertoire. Learn about the pieces in Program C below!

For tickets and information, click HERE.

Night Creature/ Pas de Duke / The River / Revelations
Running time: approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes
Wednesday, Mar 5 at 7:30PM
Saturday, Mar 8 at 2PM

Night Creature - Choreography by Alvin Ailey

Alvin Ailey’s Night Creature is a bubbly champagne cocktail of a dance, a perfect fusion of Ailey’s buoyant choreography and Duke Ellington’s sparkling music.  At once wistful and sassy, it beckons viewers into a nocturnal world populated by jazz babies and night owls.

Photo by Gert Krautbauer

Ellington said that “night creatures, unlike stars, do not come OUT at night­– they come ON, each thinking that, before the night is out, he or she will be the star.” This large ensemble work is full of such stars — strutting, leaping and slinking through a variety of dance idioms as they flaunt and flirt with each other and the audience. They hold their hands like paws, as if they’re cats on the prowl, then slide seamlessly into balletic allegro jumps, Martha Graham-like contractions and Lester Horton layouts. It’s the definitive dance homage to the exuberance of The Duke’s sophisticated symphonic work.

Pas De Duke - Choreography by Alvin Ailey


Alvin Ailey's PAS DE DUKE from Alvin Ailey on Vimeo.

Pas de Duke is Alvin Ailey’s spirited modern dance translation of a classical pas de deux, originally created in 1976 as a showcase for Judith Jamison and Mikhail Baryshnikov. She was a reigning star of modern dance; he was one of the world’s most famous ballet dancers, having defected from the Soviet Union two years earlier. Ailey made brilliant use of the dancers’ physical and stylistic differences, crafting an elegant, flirtatious work that showed off their exuberance and virtuosity as they engaged in a playful game of one-upmanship.  

The work is comprised of five solos and duets that require extraordinary technical facility, flawless timing, and strong acting skills. Since its premiere nearly 40 years ago, it has been performed by generations of dancers who have each put their own unique twist on the choreography, and it has stood the test of time in part for how perfectly it captures the timeless sophistication of Duke Ellington's jazz music.  The New York Times has praised it as “one of those special dances that lives in new ways with each new set of performers.”

The River - Choreography by Alvin Ailey


Alvin Ailey's THE RIVER from Alvin Ailey on Vimeo.

By turns muscular and lyrical, The River is a sweeping full-company work that suggests tumbling rapids and meandering streams on a journey to the sea. Ailey’s allegory of birth, life and rebirth abounds with water references, from the spinning “Vortex” solo to the romantic “Lake” duet, and from the powerful “Falls” quartet to the joyful “Giggling Rapids.” The choreography demonstrates Ailey’s admiration for classical ballet, but retains the modern and jazz influences found in all his work. “The River shows Mr. Ailey at his inventive best,” declared The New York Times.

The grandeur of the dancing is matched by the music, which was Duke Ellington’s first symphonic score written for dance. Ailey and Ellington collaborated closely on the piece.

This new production has been restaged by Associate Artistic Director Masazumi Chaya, the foremost living expert on Ailey’s repertory. He believes that the ballet feels fresh each time around because “each audience member can make a story of their own from The River. Alvin was very clever; he created something that can be applied to one’s entire life — birth, a relationship with a child, or even one’s impression of a flower. It is what the audience makes of it. It is what it means to the individual.”

Revelations – Choreography by Alvin Ailey

Alvin Ailey's REVELATIONS from Alvin Ailey on Vimeo.

Using African-American spirituals, song-sermons, gospel songs and holy blues, Alvin Ailey’s Revelations fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul. More than just a popular dance work, it has become a cultural treasure, beloved by generations of fans.Seeing Revelations for the first time or the hundredth can be a transcendent experience, with audiences cheering, singing along and dancing in their seats from the opening notes of the plaintive “I Been ’Buked” to the rousing “Wade in the Water” and the triumphant finale, “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham.”

Ailey said that one of America’s richest treasures was the African-American cultural heritage —“sometimes sorrowful, sometimes jubilant, but always hopeful.” This enduring classic is a tribute to that tradition, born out of the choreographer’s “blood memories” of his childhood in rural Texas and the Baptist Church. But since its premiere in 1960, the ballet has been performed continuously around the globe, transcending barriers of faith and nationality, and appealing to universal emotions, making it the most widely-seen modern dance work in the world.

LIFT, D-Man in the Waters, Revelations - Alvin Ailey Chicago Program B

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater visits the Auditorium Theatre for 10 performances, February 28 -March 9, 2014. The company will bring three programs, each featuring different pieces from their repertoire. Learn about the pieces in Program B below!

For tickets and information, click HERE.

Win tickets to see Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater by entering our Facebook Contest or our Pinterest Contest.

LIFT* / D-Man in the Waters** / Revelations
Running time: approximately 1 hour and 55 minutes
Saturday, Mar 1 at 2PM
Saturday, Mar 1 at 8PM
Friday, Mar 7 at 7:30PM
Sunday, Mar 9 at 3PM 
* Chicago Premiere
** Company Premiere

Lift - Choreography by Aszure Barton


The Making of Aszure Barton's LIFT from Alvin Ailey on Vimeo.

This propulsive world premiere by in-demand choreographer Aszure Barton accentuates the vitality and physical prowess of the Ailey company. Driven by the dancers’ passion, skill and collective power, the work was created over a 5-week developmental process with the entire Company. The percussive score, composed by Curtis Macdonald, is infused with the infectious energy and heart that she observed in her initial encounters with the Ailey dancers.

Barton’s exhilarating new work, her first commission for Ailey, celebrates and challenges the dancers with its markedly intricate rhythmic patterns and mercurial structure. A much sought-after dance maker whose choreography ranges from Baryshnikov to Broadway, Barton has a style that is “vulnerable and feisty, brightly adept yet peculiar, witty and impetuously wild” (Dancemagazine).

“LIFT embodies an atmosphere and energy created by our time spent together in collaboration. I feel very welcomed by the Ailey family and am honored to be working with such a wonderful group of artists. "
- Aszure Barton

D-Man in the Waters - Choreography by Bill T. Jones


Bill T. Jones' D-MAN IN THE WATERS (PART I) from Alvin Ailey on Vimeo.

In this exhilarating work by Kennedy Center Honoree, MacArthur Grant awardee and Tony Award-winner Bill T. Jones (Fela!, Spring Awakening), rigorous formalism and musicality embody resilience and triumph over loss. The piece captures the infectious energy, innocence and will to survive of a beleaguered generation, and though it deals with sorrow, it maintains a defiantly celebratory tone.

Felix Mendelssohn’s soaring Octet for Strings propels the non-stop momentum, sending the dancers hurling across the stage in a whirlwind of leaps, rolls, and slides. Jones has said that the fact that Mendelssohn was just 16 years old when he composed the work resonated strongly with him. “This piece was created when we were dealing with a lot of death,” he said. “So creating this work was for us a way of dealing with grief, by finding the joy in the music this 16-year-old boy created.”

Jones’ tour-de-force was awarded a New York Dance and Performance (“Bessie”) Award and is praised for being one of the finest examples of the post-modern dance aesthetic. The New York Times called it “a stylish, impassioned outpouring of movement.”

“In a dream you saw a way to survive and you were full of joy.”
– conceptual artist Jenny Holzer

Revelations – Choreography by Alvin Ailey


Alvin Ailey's REVELATIONS from Alvin Ailey on Vimeo.

Using African-American spirituals, song-sermons, gospel songs and holy blues, Alvin Ailey’s Revelations fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul. More than just a popular dance work, it has become a cultural treasure, beloved by generations of fans.Seeing Revelations for the first time or the hundredth can be a transcendent experience, with audiences cheering, singing along and dancing in their seats from the opening notes of the plaintive “I Been ’Buked” to the rousing “Wade in the Water” and the triumphant finale, “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham.”

Ailey said that one of America’s richest treasures was the African-American cultural heritage —“sometimes sorrowful, sometimes jubilant, but always hopeful.” This enduring classic is a tribute to that tradition, born out of the choreographer’s “blood memories” of his childhood in rural Texas and the Baptist Church. But since its premiere in 1960, the ballet has been performed continuously around the globe, transcending barriers of faith and nationality, and appealing to universal emotions, making it the most widely-seen modern dance work in the world.

Chroma, Four Corners, Revelations - Alvin Ailey Chicago Program A

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater visits the Auditorium Theatre for 10 performances, February 28 -March 9, 2014. The company will bring three programs, each featuring different pieces from their repertoire. Learn about the pieces in Program A below!

For tickets and information, click HERE.

Win tickets to see Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater by entering our Facebook Contest or our Pinterest Contest.

Chroma** / Four Corners* / Revelations
Friday, Feb 28 at 7:30PM
Sunday, Mar 2 at 3PM
Thursday, Mar 6 at 7:30PM
Saturday, Mar 8 at 8PM
* Chicago Premiere
** Company Premiere

Chroma - Choreography by Wayne McGregor


Wayne McGregor's CHROMA from Alvin Ailey on Vimeo.

The groundbreaking British choreographer's contemporary ballet is full of sensory suprises: sumptuous movement, a driving score by Joby Talbot with orchestrations of songs by The White Stripes, and a luminous set by minimalist architect John Pawson.

“Often in my own choreographies I have actively conspired to disrupt the spaces in which the body performs. Each intervention, usually some kind of addition, is an attempt to see the context of the body in a new or alien way. On reading John Pawson’s Minimum I was captivated by this notion of subtraction, the ‘essential’ space, which seems to reduce elements to make visible the invisible. Intriguingly, although Pawson’s designs do give definition to space(s), they are somehow always boundary-less. This potential ‘freedom space’ would be an extraordinary environment for a new choreography, where the grammar and articulation of the body is made crystal clear, graphic and unmediated. It could be a space where the body becomes absolutely architectural. At the same time, in creating volume(s) of tone for the choreography to inhabit the body can behave as a frequency of colour – in freedom from white: CHROMA."

“I heard Joby Talbot’s Hovercraft piece for orchestra and felt its immediate physical impact – visceral, unsettling, hungry and direct. These short five minutes became our keystone to unlocking a strangely seductive score that tensions the aggressive force of the White Stripes with the enigmatic beauty of Talbot’s own compositions.” -Wayne McGregor

Four Corners - Choreography by Ronald K. Brown


Ronald K. Brown's FOUR CORNERS from Alvin Ailey on Vimeo.

In Ronald K. Brown’s Four Corners, 11 dancers depict spiritual seekers amid four angels standing on the corners of the earth, holding the four winds. In creating his fifth commission for the Ailey company since 1999, the celebrated choreographer turned to the song “Lamentations” by his friend, recording artist Carl Hancock Rux. Drawing from West African and modern dance influences, Brown uses grounded, earthy movements to portray figures who are burdened by grief but ultimately find peace, solace, and freedom with the aid of “the angels in their corners” mentioned in Rux’s text.

While Four Corners is not a literal interpretation of Rux’s lyrics, Brown drew inspiration from the text to manifest storytelling through choreography. Brown expressed his love for poems, stating: “There’s something about the rhythm, and something about the richness of the spoken word that goes right into my heart. When I’m dreaming about movement or seeing movement, poetry comes out.” Though the friendship between Brown and Rux began decades ago, Four Corners provided the first opportunity for choreographer and composer to create a dance work together.

Halfway through the work, there is a palpable shift in energy as the music changes to an undulating, pulsing lullaby by North African vocalist Yacoub, indicating that the winds of change are blowing. Brown also makes use of music by Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Costume designer Omotayo “Wunmi” Olaiya, a long-time collaborator, created flowing garb in rich purples, grays, and blacks. The New Yorker recently hailed Brown as “the choreographer best able to give the virtuosic dancers of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater works as powerful as their technique. His compositions are hard to resist.”

The ballet is inspired by text from recording artist Carl Hancock Rux’s "Lamentations":

Away they fall
All who stand
At the four corners of the earth
With blades and sheaths
These

Yours is simply this
Command and stand up
Stand
You are beautiful
And lovely
Beautiful and lovely

Revelations – Choreography by Alvin Ailey


Alvin Ailey's REVELATIONS from Alvin Ailey on Vimeo.

Using African-American spirituals, song-sermons, gospel songs and holy blues, Alvin Ailey’s Revelations fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul. More than just a popular dance work, it has become a cultural treasure, beloved by generations of fans.Seeing Revelations for the first time or the hundredth can be a transcendent experience, with audiences cheering, singing along and dancing in their seats from the opening notes of the plaintive “I Been ’Buked” to the rousing “Wade in the Water” and the triumphant finale, “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham.”

Ailey said that one of America’s richest treasures was the African-American cultural heritage —“sometimes sorrowful, sometimes jubilant, but always hopeful.” This enduring classic is a tribute to that tradition, born out of the choreographer’s “blood memories” of his childhood in rural Texas and the Baptist Church. But since its premiere in 1960, the ballet has been performed continuously around the globe, transcending barriers of faith and nationality, and appealing to universal emotions, making it the most widely-seen modern dance work in the world.

Ailey Opening Night: Honoring the Ancestors

By Sabrina L. Miller, Ailey Aficionado, friend of an Ailey Ambassador

I’m lucky—I’ve been going to see Alvin Ailey AmericanDance Theater since I was a kid.

My mother was a huge modern dance fan who was unrepentant in dragging me –willingly—all over the city to see every local and national dance company she loved—Joseph Holmes, Darlene Blackburn, Muntu, Martha Graham, Joffrey, among others, and, of course, Alvin Ailey. Sometimes my dad or my sister would join us. But the deep love for the dance—bordering obsession, probably—was something very special that my Mother and I shared. So, I’m lucky. My love for Ailey was developed early.

I’ve carried this love for Ailey and passed it on to many others everywhere I’ve lived in the country—and the world. I lived in Florida for a decade, spread between Tampa Bay and Miami, and I never, ever missed Ailey’s stops there, and always made sure I took others who had not yet experienced the beauty and the genius. Often, I’d attend every performance—or I’d attend as many performances as my budget would accommodate.

I haven’t missed “Ailey Week” at the Auditorium Theatre...well, ever. Certainly not in the last 13 years. I’ll never forget Ailey Week in 2000 because my grandmother—my mother’s mother—died the day before opening night. Mom, Dad and I already had tickets so we went. By the time “Fix Me, Jesus” was being performed in “Revelations,” my mother and I had a moment where we looked at each other, tears streaming down both of our faces, and we smiled. Without speaking a word, we both felt the spirit of my grandmother with us, and despite our sorrow we felt comfort in her transition, as she had now become one of the ancestors Alvin Ailey was thinking of when he created this great work.

It is a poignant, indelibly etched memory, because it was the last Ailey performance I would share with my mother—she died unexpectedly a month later.

When Ailey week rolled around in 2001, I was ambivalent. I didn’t know if I was emotionally ready to experience Ailey without the woman who gave me life—the very person who gave life to my lifelong love for the dance and for Ailey itself. But I soldiered through. And at the end of Revelations, with tears streaming down my face, I blew kisses to the air, thinking of my mother, my grandmother, Mr. Ailey – all ancestors now, and part of the continuum and narrative of Black life that he envisioned...

Ailey Week, for me, is never just about me. It’s about celebrating the ancestors. It’s about celebrating my mother. I take great comfort and joy in what has become a ritual for me. That the 2013 series has been expanded to two weeks is phenomenal and fitting—Chicago loves Ailey and has always supported the Auditorium Theatre. It is a perfect marriage, and the commitment and enthusiasm of Auditorium Theatre Executive Director Brett Batterson to Ailey Week is contagious. One cannot help but to heed his call to spread the word.

Opening night was spectacular, of course, featuring the relatively new (2012) “Another Night”, choreographed by Kyle Abraham. Electric in its movement and colors, and classic with the accompaniment of Dizzy Gillespie’s “A Night in Tunisia” performed by Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers. The masterful paean to the body “Petite Mort” followed, and Ailey Artistic Director Robert Battle’s intimate “Strange Humors” came next. But the star of the show, of course, is the triumphant “Revelations”—for which we saw a mix of beloved veterans (Linda Celeste Sims) as well as newcomers to the company.

I’m not a formal “Ailey Ambassador” but I feel like one because I never miss an opportunity through good, old word-of-mouth or, now, using social media, to spread the word. My only quibble with this year’s series is that I wish they were performing MORE Ailey-choreographed pieces. I’m incredibly disappointed that “Cry” is not in the lineup this year, and that the only Ailey-choreographed piece outside of “Revelations” is “Pas de Duke.” I certainly appreciate all the efforts to stay current while honoring the classics, but veteran Ailey fans and new ones alike would benefit from seeing that Alvin Ailey’s choreographic genius extends well beyond “Revelations.”

Nonetheless, I look forward to going back several more times before Ailey leaves next Sunday. Mom wouldn’t want it any other way.

Click HERE for tickets and information on Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 2013 run at the Auditorium Theatre.

Returning to the Auditorium, by Ailey Dancer Sarah Daley

By Sarah Daley, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater 

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's
Sarah Daley. Photo be Eduardo Patino.

I've been dancing since I was about 5 years old. I was a an active kid, always underfoot, so my mom thought dance class would be a good place to put me. I've stuck with it ever since.

This is my second season with Ailey. Previously, I was in Ailey II for two years and am a graduate of the Ailey/Fordham BFA program. 

Being with Ailey has given me the opportunity to tour to and perform in some really amazing places I might not have been able to see on my own. My favorites so far have to be Copenhagen, Denmark;  Paris, France; and Tel Aviv, Israel. All three cities are beautiful in such different ways. What they all have that appeal to me are the rich histories they carry that you can see simply by walking around and looking at the architecture. Being able to visit places I've only read about and then stumbling on a hidden gem only the locals know of can happen all in the span of a day. The people I would meet on a daily basis were friendly, warm and eager to share knowledge of their culture to anyone who took the time to listen.  

The Auditorium Theatre holds a very special place in my heart. Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago and passionate about dance, I would always have to make the trip to the city to get my fix of professional performances. In the “nosebleeds” of this theater is where I first experienced performances by the Joffery Ballet, The Bolshoi, The Eifman Ballet, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.  From the first time I sat in the audience I was hooked. Anytime one of these companies came to Chicago it was an event for my dance friends and me. My mother and teacher would coordinate a trip for our studio, we all dressed in our best clothes (usually adorned with sparkles), chipped in a few dollars weeks before and rented a limo to take us to see the ballet! I remember my friends and I saving money leading up to the trip so at intermission we could buy some soda and candy at concessions and stand around discussing what we had just witnessed. It was all very sophisticated.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Sarah Daley,
Megan Jakel and Rachael McLaren in Ohad Naharin's Minus 16.
Photo by Paul Kolnik

After the performances we would make a mad dash to the alley behind the theater to catch the dancers on their way out and beg with our best puppy dog eyes for their signatures. I still have a program from an Ailey performance in 2002 signed by some of the people I now call coworkers and friends. That still amazes me.

Having the chance to return to this theater, as a company member now, is surreal to me. I happened to be off on our opening night this year and was able to watch the performance from the house, something I haven't done since high school. The weight of what that meant didn't escape me. Coming back to the theater that helped keep my love of concert dance alive, and beginning  a new relationship with it is very special. Chicago has such love for Ailey and I'm lucky that I get to be a part this annual reunion. 

Click HERE for tickets and information on Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 2013 run at the Auditorium Theatre.

Sharing My Love of Ailey with Chicago

By Roderick K. Hawkins

I’ve had a longtime love affair with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. A little more than 20 years ago, this dynamic ensemble made its way to Baton Rouge, Louisiana—my home town—and performed on the campus of Southern University. I was a junior in high school at the time. Even though I was very much a typical teenager who devoted his attention to pursuing popularity, school activities, and socializing, witnessing the beauty of Alvin Ailey literally changed my life.

From the moment they took the stage, these striking, talented and spirited dancers held my attention. I never really fully appreciated the power for dance until I saw the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. I still can’t put into words how I felt when the company performed “Revelations.” What I did know was that, once the performance ended, I would have to see this ensemble again.

Fast forward to 2013 and, as I look around my house, there are elements of Ailey all around. Among my Ailey treasures are: program books from the last several years of Chicago engagements; a framed poster of Judith Jamison performing “Cry”; Alvin Ailey’s autobiography on my bookshelf; the music of “Revelations” on my iPod; and my annual Ailey tour refrigerator magnets in the kitchen. I think it’s safe to say that my house and my heart are truly Aileyfied.    

For the past few years I’ve had the pleasure of supporting the Auditorium Theatre ofRoosevelt University as an Ailey Ambassador—a member of a group of Chicagoans who are committed to building more audiences for Ailey’s Chicago run. This year is no exception. I’m always thrilled to help drive tickets sales and introduce new audiences to the group that is called the “cultural ambassador to the world.” I feel connected to the Ailey legacy when I reach out to my friends and colleagues and encourage them to support the performances.

From March 8-17 Chicago will be lifted by the dancing spirits that are the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. I am proud to be among that number and happy that so many people from in and around Chicago will join in welcoming the ensemble to our city. All of us who will attend have a connection to Ailey. For some it’s pure entertainment. For others it’s a celebration of beauty and technique. For me, it’s like welcoming a close member of the family for an extended stay. Alvin Ailey has always been an essential part of my quality of life and I am excited that they are, once again, back in Chicago.

Roderick K. Hawkins is the Vice President of External Affairs for the Chicago Urban League and is an Ailey Ambassador for the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University.

Grace, Minus 16, and Revelations - Alvin Ailey Program C [videos]

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater visits the Auditorium Theatre for 10 performances, March 8-17, 2013. The company will bring several programs, each featuring different pieces from their repertoire.  Learn a bit about the pieces in Program C below!

For tickets and information, click HERE.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Chicago Program C

Grace***/Minus 16/Revelations
Wednesday, March 13 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 16 at 8:00 pm

***New Production

Grace (new production): Choreographed by Ronald K. Brown
One of the most popular works in the Ailey repertory, Ronald K. Brown’s spellbinding Grace is a fervent tour-de-force depicting individuals on a journey to the promised land.  Described by The New York Times as “astounding, something to be sensed as well as seen,” this spiritually-charged work is a rapturous blend of modern dance and West African idioms.  As in many of Brown’s works, the movement alternates fluidly between extremes, with eruptions of power coupled with lightness.  A serene solo for an angel-like figure in white gives way to fireball intensity as 12 dancers resembling urban warriors execute Brown’s whirling, pounding choreography, arms and legs slicing the air and fingers pointing to the sky.

Brown’s varied music choices closely reflect the heart of the work, with the spiritual grounding of Duke Ellington’s Come Sunday, the contemporary yet timeless house music vibe of Roy Davis’ “Gabriel,” and the West African and African-American traditions of Fela Kuti’s Afro-Pop beats.

Minus 16: Choreographed by Ohad Naharin
Featuring an eclectic score ranging from Dean Martin to mambo, techno to traditional Israeli music, Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16 uses improvisation and Naharin’s acclaimed “Gaga” method, a unique movement language that breaks down old habits, pushing the dancers to challenge themselves in new ways.  

The work is unique in the Ailey repertory for removing the barrier between performers and spectators, and inviting members of the audience onstage to become part of the dance. "Minus 16 not only delights in its own wackiness, but also celebrates the joy of dancing,” said the San Francisco Chronicle.

Having spectators join in brings an element of unpredictability and fun that makes each performance of Minus 16 delightfully different. Artistic Director Robert Battle recalled one performance when a woman lost her wig onstage. “When the dancer who was her partner whispered ‘I’m so sorry’ she said, ‘I’m 70 years old and having the time of my life.’”

Revelations: Choreographed by Alvin Ailey
Using African-American spirituals, song-sermons, gospel songs and holy blues, Alvin Ailey’s Revelations fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul.  More than just a popular dance work, it has become a cultural treasure, beloved by generations of fans.

Seeing Revelations for the first time or the hundredth can be a transcendent experience, with audiences cheering, singing along and dancing in their seats from the opening notes of the plaintive “I Been ’Buked” to the rousing “Wade in the Water” and the triumphant finale, “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham.”

From Before, Pas De Duke, Home, Revelations - Alvin Ailey Program B [video]

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater visits the Auditorium Theatre for 10 performances, March 8-17, 2013. The company will bring several programs, each featuring different pieces from their repertoire.  Learn a bit about the pieces in Program B below!

For tickets and information, click HERE.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Chicago Program B

From Before**, Pas de Duke/Home/Revelations
Saturday, March 9 at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm
Friday, March 15 at 7:30 pm
** Company Premiere

From Before (Company Premiere): Choreographed byGarth Fagan
Mr. Fagan said of his work: “From Before was looking back at my origins in the West Indies and seeing how I could take away all the trimmings and the costumes of African or Caribbean dance and strip it right down to the bare bones.”  He attributed its popularity with audiences all across the world to “the fluidity of Caribbean dance, the polyrhythms of African, the precision of ballet and the strength and weight of modern dance.”

Pas de Duke: Choreographed by Alvin Ailey
Originally created as a showcase for Judith Jamison and Mikhail Baryshnikov, Pas de Duke is Alvin Ailey’s modern-dance translation of a classical pas de deux, celebrating the musical genius of Duke Ellington. Ailey’s choreography brilliantly captures the exuberance of the dancers’ star qualities and techniques as the duo mirror each other toe-to-toe and line-for-line in this playful, jazzy dance. The New York Times praised the work as “one of those special dances that lives in new ways with each new set of performers.”

Home: Choreographed by Rennie Harris
Home, returning to Auditorium Theatre again for the second year, is choreographed by bold hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris and is inspired by the stories of people living with or affected by HIV. Drawing upon poems and images submitted in 2011 to the Fight HIV Your Way contest, an initiative of Bristol-Myers Squibb, Harris created a compelling work that conveys both the chilling isolation and uplifting sense of community many experience.

Revelations: Choreographed by Alvin Ailey
Using African-American spirituals, song-sermons, gospel songs and holy blues, Alvin Ailey’s Revelations fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul.  More than just a popular dance work, it has become a cultural treasure, beloved by generations of fans. Seeing Revelations for the first time or the hundredth can be a transcendent experience, with audiences cheering, singing along and dancing in their seats from the opening notes of the plaintive “I Been ’Buked” to the rousing “Wade in the Water” and the triumphant finale, “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham.”

Another Night, Strange Humors, Petite Mort, Revelations - Alvin Ailey Program A

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater visits the Auditorium Theatre for 10 performances, March 8-17, 2013. The company will bring 3 programs, each featuring different pieces from their repertoire.  Learn a bit about the pieces in Program A below! 

For tickets and information, click HERE.

Another Night*, Strange Humors**/Petite Mort**/Revelations 

Friday,March 8 at 7:30 pm

Sunday, March 10 at 3:00 pm
Thursday, March 14 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 16 at 2:00 pm

* Chicago Premiere
** Company Premiere


Another Night – Choreography by Kyle Abraham

Kyle Abraham, one of the most in-demand young choreographers today, presents a richly inventive contemporary jazz piece that showcases the artistry and versatility of the Ailey dancers.  Another Night was inspired by the legendary drummer Art Blakey’s interpretation of the jazz classic “A Night In Tunisia” by Dizzy Gillespie.

The New York Times exclaims, “Hurray to Robert Battle, now in his second year at the helm of this tradition-steeped institution, for seeking out new work from the young contemporary choreographer Kyle Abraham.”  Mr. Battle stated that “Kyle Abraham is someone I’ve known and watched for quite some time.  His work is provocative, with a diverse dance vocabulary that embodies a variety of traditions and styles.  It is the right time for him to create a new work on the dancers of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and I’m proud to be able to provide this platform for him.”

Although Another Night marks his first work for the main Company, Abraham first lent his creative voice to the Ailey organization in 2010 with The Corner, an acclaimed work commissioned by Ailey II that depicts urban social interactions through the use of contemporary and post-modern movement.


Strange Humors – Choreography by Robert Battle

Equal parts comedic and combative, Artistic Director Robert Battle’s Strange Humors is an eccentric, jocular display for two dancers.  Composer John Mackey, with whom Battle is a frequent collaborator, provides a fiery score propelled by elements of African hand drumming and Middle Eastern folk music.

Stationed far apart along a narrow shaft of light, the duo mirrors the building tension between Mackey’s string quartet and djembe with quirky spasms. They ultimately meet for an explosive confrontation of wits and prowess, as though “possessed by the force of feelings beyond their control” (The New York Times).


Petite Mort – Choreography by Jiří Kylián

Visual surprises abound in this tantalizing contemporary ballet, which blends a classical sensibility with a bold, modern wit.  The choreography includes six men, six women, and six fencing foils. The foils are, in many ways, the men's real dancing partners and sometimes turn out to be more stubborn and willful than a human partner.  Kylián also makes playful use of black baroque dresses, which seem to exist both separately from the dancers and molded to their bodies.

Czech native Jiří Kylián – “one of the most influential choreographers of the last thirty years” (New York Times) – originally created this piece for the 1991 Salzburg Festival, to mark the second centenary of the death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.   Kylián set his work to two of Mozart’s most popular Piano Concertos (Nos. 21 and 23), and the gorgeous slow movements of these Concertos serve as counterpoint to the onstage jousting and coupling.


Revelations – Choreography by Alvin Ailey

Using African-American spirituals, song-sermons, gospel songs and holy blues, Alvin Ailey’s Revelations fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul.  More than just a popular dance work, it has become a cultural treasure, beloved by generations of fans.SeeingRevelations for the first time or the hundredth can be a transcendent experience, with audiences cheering, singing along and dancing in their seats from the opening notes of the plaintive “I Been ’Buked” to the rousing “Wade in the Water” and the triumphant finale, “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham.”

Ailey said that one of America’s richest treasures was the African-American cultural heritage —“sometimes sorrowful, sometimes jubilant, but always hopeful.” This enduring classic is a tribute to that tradition, born out of the choreographer’s “blood memories” of his childhood in rural Texas and the Baptist Church. But since its premiere in 1960, the ballet has been performed continuously around the globe, transcending barriers of faith and nationality, and appealing to universal emotions, making it the most widely-seen modern dance work in the world.

"Takademe" - Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater [Video]

One of Mr. Robert Battle’s first creations, this bravura work mixes humor and high-flying movement in a savvy deconstruction of Indian Kathak dance rhythms. Clear shapes and propulsive jumps mimic the vocalized rhythmic syllables of Sheila Chandra's syncopated score.

Artistic Director Robert Battle talks about the origins of Takademe, a dance he created in 1999 that’s having its Company premiere during Ailey’s New York City Center season. Originally posted on Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s blog.

“Takademe is very special to me. I created it in a living room in Queens on another dancer when I was with the Parsons Dance Company many years ago. That’s significant to me: One, because of the innocence of making a dance in a living room in Queens; the other, because most dances, like most works of art, have a lot to do with whatever restrictions and problem-solving there happens to be at that time.

And one of the problems, as you can imagine, was we didn’t have a lot of space. And so the dance in some ways stays very stationary because of that. But then when we finally got studio space… you notice that the dance then travels on a long diagonal. Freedom. I’m always reminded of that as a metaphor for where I am now with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, where there is a remarkable amount of space.

Part of the inspiration for Takademe was Indian dance, or Kathak. When I was a student at Juilliard, I didn’t study Indian dance but sometimes would peek in at those classes when they were being taught. I was interested in the fact that you utilize all of your gestural language in Indian dance—the way the heel is placed on the floor, the way you walk and place your foot, the way the eyes move. The language is really sophisticated in that way.

Also, when I started dancing, a lot of that was imitating Michael Jackson. And so in Takademe I actually see a lot of the way that the leg will snap, the snap of the head and that kind of thing that Michael Jackson made famous.

And then there is one moment where the dancer walks downstage and starts to mouth the words. I always wanted to be a singer when I started out and so I find that I utilize that mouthing thing in a couple of my dances. But I think it started in Takademe. The work contains a lot of my beginnings.

It was created on a female dancer but now both men and women perform the dance. Sometimes it takes on different meanings. Sometimes the very nature of how a male dancer interprets or uses his muscularity against the lightness of Sheila Chandra’s voice—it is very interesting to have that juxtaposition, to mix it up that way.

The dance sometimes takes on a serious, intense meaning while at other times people get into the humor of the timing and the gestural language. I’m happy to have Takademe in my first season at City Center. It’s going to be wonderful to see the tradition of that dance continued for even more people to see.”

Alicia Graf Mack in Takademe, choreographed by Robert Battle

“I love performing Takademe. It’s extremely quick and quirky, which is a very different way of moving for me. There’s always a reaction from the audience, because the relationship of dancer to music is almost one and the same. The piece isn’t meant to be funny, but because the music is so quick with all of these nuances, and the dancer can capture the nuances, it almost makes the audience want to laugh. It’s very smart. I always feel like a superhero when the lights come on the top of the piece because you start with your head down, and then you raise your head, and as the lights come up, you raise your torso and look out into the audience.”