The iconic Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to the Series for an annual showcase of the company’s extraordinary technique and emotive power, reaffirming their enduring importance in the American cultural landscape.
Mr. Ailey’s choreography, rich in its dynamism and fluidity, showcases a breathtaking range of emotions and narratives, and new works created on the company by exciting contemporary choreographers explore the many facets of today’s Black American experience.
More than a show, an Alvin Ailey performance is a beautiful journey that captivates and uplifts, leaving audiences profoundly moved.
Connect with grace, beauty, faith, pride, strength, and joy when Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to Boston.
Photo: Members of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Photo by Dario Calmese.
“There’s something generous about Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. It’s there in the dancing – full of skill, passion and a charismatic warmth not always seen in contemporary dance companies. ”
The Guardian
Two intermissions, running time TBD.
Choreography: Ronald K. Brown
Assistant to the Choreographer: Arcell Cabuag
Music: Various Artists
Costumes: Omotayo Wunmi Olaiya
Lighting Design: Tsubasa Kamei
Created for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1999, new production 2024
Marking its 25th anniversary, Ronald K. Brown’s spellbinding Grace is a fervent tour-de-force depicting individuals on a journey to the promised land. This spiritually charged work was created for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1999, set to Duke Ellington's classic "Come Sunday," Roy Davis' hit "Gabriel," and the powerful rhythms of Fela Kuti's Afropop beats. Infused with Brown’s signature blend of modern dance and West African idioms, the piece follows 12 dancers on a moving journey illustrating Brown's idea of individuals going through everyday life without acknowledging the 'grace' surrounding us all. Through Grace, Brown seeks to continue "lifting one’s spirit and stirring one’s soul."
"In Grace Mr. Brown hints at a journey to a promised land, a path filled with broken trajectories as the dancers advance or retreat in stunningly packed sequences. The dancing is sensational, full of nonstop arm-flinging leaps." – The New York Times
" ... amazingly explosive image of a spiritual journey." – The New York Times
"... his work is a masterful, intensely original mix of hip-hop, African and modern dance styles."
– Chicago Sun Times
Choreography: Hope Boykin
Assistant to the Choreographer: Terri Ayanna Wright
Music: Matthew Whitaker
Costumes: Hope Boykin and Jon Taylor
Lighting: Al Crawford
World Premiere, 2024
Finding Free is not the absence of trials but the ability to carry weight, gaining the strength to endure.
Hope Boykin's collaboration with composer and pianist Matthew Whitaker examines the challenges and restrictions throughout life’s peaks and valleys that propel the journey forward.
This insightful work uses Ms. Boykin’s movement-language and Mr. Whitaker’s jazz and gospel influenced score to explore notions of personal freedoms.
Choreography: Alvin Ailey
Music: Traditional
Décor and Costumes: Ves Harper
Costumes for “Rocka My Soul” redesigned by: Barbara Forbes
Lighting Design: Nicola Cernovitch
Since its creation in 1960, Revelations has consistently enraptured audiences all over the world with its perfect blend of reverent grace and spiritual elation. Alvin Ailey’s signature masterpiece pays homage to and reflects the cultural heritage of the African-American, which Ailey considered one of America’s richest treasures – “sometimes sorrowful, sometimes jubilant, but always hopeful.”
Choreographed when Ailey was only 29 years old, Revelations is an intimate reflection inspired by childhood memories of attending services at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Texas, and by the work of writers James Baldwin and Langston Hughes.
Set to a suite of traditional spirituals, Revelations explores the emotional spectrum of the human condition, from the deepest of grief to the holiest joy. A classic tribute to the resolve and determination of a people, the ballet has been seen by more people around the world than any other modern work.
Of its creation, Ailey once recalled: “I did it chronologically, leading off with the opening part of Revelations, which was…about trying to get up out of the ground. The costumes and the set would be colored brown, an earth color, for coming out of the earth, for going into the earth. The second part was something that was very close to me – the baptismal, the purification rite. Its colors would be white and pale blue. Then there would be the section surrounding the gospel church, the holy rollers and all the church happiness. Its colors would be earth tones, yellow and black.”
The ballet premiered at the 92nd Street YM-YWHA on January 31, 1960, and has since been performed a countless number of times all over the world.
It was part of Opening Ceremonies of the 1968 Olympics, and has been presented at the White House on numerous occasions, including at the inaugurations of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. The piece has had many film and television broadcasts, its first, the 1962 CBS special Lamp Under my Feet. It is also the framework for Revelations: An Interdisciplinary Approach, a residency program that has been implemented in public schools around the country, and uses Ailey’s signature work as an organizing theme for a comprehensive, in-depth study of language arts, social studies and dance.
Alvin Ailey combined Horton technique with his own astounding choreographic vision to create a series of movement that intertwines impossible strength and ethereal grace.
Now in its seventh decade, this American classic has proven to be a cultural landmark in the world of dance, maintaining its astonishing originality and powerful elegance while continuing to inspire and enthrall audiences everywhere.
Two intermissions, running time TBD
Choreography: Ronald K. Brown
Assistant to the Choreographer: Arcell Cabuag
Music: Various Artists
Costumes: Omotayo Wunmi Olaiya
Lighting Design: Tsubasa Kamei
Created for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1999, new production 2024
Marking its 25th anniversary, Ronald K. Brown’s spellbinding Grace is a fervent tour-de-force depicting individuals on a journey to the promised land. This spiritually charged work was created for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1999, set to Duke Ellington's classic "Come Sunday," Roy Davis' hit "Gabriel," and the powerful rhythms of Fela Kuti's Afropop beats. Infused with Brown’s signature blend of modern dance and West African idioms, the piece follows 12 dancers on a moving journey illustrating Brown's idea of individuals going through everyday life without acknowledging the 'grace' surrounding us all. Through Grace, Brown seeks to continue "lifting one’s spirit and stirring one’s soul."
"In Grace Mr. Brown hints at a journey to a promised land, a path filled with broken trajectories as the dancers advance or retreat in stunningly packed sequences. The dancing is sensational, full of nonstop arm-flinging leaps." – The New York Times
" ... amazingly explosive image of a spiritual journey." – The New York Times
"... his work is a masterful, intensely original mix of hip-hop, African and modern dance styles."
– Chicago Sun Times
Choreography Jamar Roberts
Assistant to Choreographer: Ghrai Devore-Stoke
Music: Roberta Flack and Miles Davis
Costumes: Jamar Roberts and Jon Taylor
Lighting: Brandon Stirling Baker
Scenic Design: Libby Stadstad
World Premiere, 2024
Journey back in time to the Golden Age of Al-Andalus on the Iberian Peninsula as Jamar Roberts evokes the northern African Moors who inhabited the land prior to the Christian Reconquista.
Music from Roberta Flack and Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain sets the tone for this abstract ensemble piece.
Choreography: Alvin Ailey
Music: Traditional
Décor and Costumes: Ves Harper
Costumes for “Rocka My Soul” redesigned by: Barbara Forbes
Lighting Design: Nicola Cernovitch
Since its creation in 1960, Revelations has consistently enraptured audiences all over the world with its perfect blend of reverent grace and spiritual elation. Alvin Ailey’s signature masterpiece pays homage to and reflects the cultural heritage of the African-American, which Ailey considered one of America’s richest treasures – “sometimes sorrowful, sometimes jubilant, but always hopeful.”
Choreographed when Ailey was only 29 years old, Revelations is an intimate reflection inspired by childhood memories of attending services at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Texas, and by the work of writers James Baldwin and Langston Hughes.
Set to a suite of traditional spirituals, Revelations explores the emotional spectrum of the human condition, from the deepest of grief to the holiest joy. A classic tribute to the resolve and determination of a people, the ballet has been seen by more people around the world than any other modern work.
Of its creation, Ailey once recalled: “I did it chronologically, leading off with the opening part of Revelations, which was…about trying to get up out of the ground. The costumes and the set would be colored brown, an earth color, for coming out of the earth, for going into the earth. The second part was something that was very close to me – the baptismal, the purification rite. Its colors would be white and pale blue. Then there would be the section surrounding the gospel church, the holy rollers and all the church happiness. Its colors would be earth tones, yellow and black.”
The ballet premiered at the 92nd Street YM-YWHA on January 31, 1960, and has since been performed a countless number of times all over the world.
It was part of Opening Ceremonies of the 1968 Olympics, and has been presented at the White House on numerous occasions, including at the inaugurations of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. The piece has had many film and television broadcasts, its first, the 1962 CBS special Lamp Under my Feet. It is also the framework for Revelations: An Interdisciplinary Approach, a residency program that has been implemented in public schools around the country, and uses Ailey’s signature work as an organizing theme for a comprehensive, in-depth study of language arts, social studies and dance.
Alvin Ailey combined Horton technique with his own astounding choreographic vision to create a series of movement that intertwines impossible strength and ethereal grace.
Now in its seventh decade, this American classic has proven to be a cultural landmark in the world of dance, maintaining its astonishing originality and powerful elegance while continuing to inspire and enthrall audiences everywhere.
Two intermissions, running time TBD
Choreography: Matthew Rushing
Assistant to Choreographer: Alexandria Johnson
Creative Associate and Music Director: Du’Bois A’Keen
Costumes: Danté Baylor
Lighting: Andre A. Vasquez
Scenic Design: Matthew Rushing and Joseph Anthony Gaito
World premiere, 2024
Featuring songs used in the original 1960 version of Alvin Ailey’s seminal Revelations but later omitted, this stirring work resurrects and reimagines those spirituals as an offering to our present need for lamentation, faith, and joy.
Choreographer: Lar Lubovitch
Assistant to Choreographer: Katarzyna Skarpetowska
Music: Gustav Mahler
Costumes: Harriet Jung and Reid Bartelme
Lighting: Clifton Taylor
Scenic Design: Lar Lubovitch
The expression "How many Angels can dance on the head of a pin?” is a question with no logical answer. "Why do you make dances?” is another one.
Occasionally something may exist in the world simply for the sake of itself - for example, a dance. Many Angels is a dance to music by Gustav Mahler. It’s not really about Angels. (Well, maybe a little).
Music credit information: “Adagietto” from Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor, performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim conducting.
Choreography: Alvin Ailey
Music: Traditional
Décor and Costumes: Ves Harper
Costumes for “Rocka My Soul” redesigned by: Barbara Forbes
Lighting Design: Nicola Cernovitch
Since its creation in 1960, Revelations has consistently enraptured audiences all over the world with its perfect blend of reverent grace and spiritual elation. Alvin Ailey’s signature masterpiece pays homage to and reflects the cultural heritage of the African-American, which Ailey considered one of America’s richest treasures – “sometimes sorrowful, sometimes jubilant, but always hopeful.”
Choreographed when Ailey was only 29 years old, Revelations is an intimate reflection inspired by childhood memories of attending services at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Texas, and by the work of writers James Baldwin and Langston Hughes.
Set to a suite of traditional spirituals, Revelations explores the emotional spectrum of the human condition, from the deepest of grief to the holiest joy. A classic tribute to the resolve and determination of a people, the ballet has been seen by more people around the world than any other modern work.
Of its creation, Ailey once recalled: “I did it chronologically, leading off with the opening part of Revelations, which was…about trying to get up out of the ground. The costumes and the set would be colored brown, an earth color, for coming out of the earth, for going into the earth. The second part was something that was very close to me – the baptismal, the purification rite. Its colors would be white and pale blue. Then there would be the section surrounding the gospel church, the holy rollers and all the church happiness. Its colors would be earth tones, yellow and black.”
The ballet premiered at the 92nd Street YM-YWHA on January 31, 1960, and has since been performed a countless number of times all over the world.
It was part of Opening Ceremonies of the 1968 Olympics, and has been presented at the White House on numerous occasions, including at the inaugurations of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. The piece has had many film and television broadcasts, its first, the 1962 CBS special Lamp Under my Feet. It is also the framework for Revelations: An Interdisciplinary Approach, a residency program that has been implemented in public schools around the country, and uses Ailey’s signature work as an organizing theme for a comprehensive, in-depth study of language arts, social studies and dance.
Alvin Ailey combined Horton technique with his own astounding choreographic vision to create a series of movement that intertwines impossible strength and ethereal grace.
Now in its seventh decade, this American classic has proven to be a cultural landmark in the world of dance, maintaining its astonishing originality and powerful elegance while continuing to inspire and enthrall audiences everywhere.
Ailey Revelations Celebration: March 22 & 23
4 locations in Hyde Park, Mattapan, Roxbury, and Dorchester
Learn iconic choreography from an American masterpiece when teaching artists from the Ailey organization share the power and joy of Revelations in four free events across Boston!
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Ronald K. Brown's Grace. Photo by Danica Paulos.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Lar Lubovitch's Many Angels. Photo by Paul Kolnik.
Ailey's Solomon Dumas, Constance Stamatiou, and Yazzmeen Laidler in Alvin Ailey's Revelations. Photo by Paul Kolnik.
Ailey's Isaiah Day in Alvin Ailey's Revelations. Photo by Daniel Azoulay.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Jamar Roberts' Al-Andalus Blues. Photo by Paul Kolnik.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Hope Boykin's Finding Free. Photo by Paul Kolnik.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Ronald K. Brown's Grace. Photo by Danica Paulos.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Lar Lubovitch's Many Angels. Photo by Paul Kolnik.
Ailey's Solomon Dumas, Constance Stamatiou, and Yazzmeen Laidler in Alvin Ailey's Revelations. Photo by Paul Kolnik.
Ailey's Isaiah Day in Alvin Ailey's Revelations. Photo by Daniel Azoulay.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Jamar Roberts' Al-Andalus Blues. Photo by Paul Kolnik.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Hope Boykin's Finding Free. Photo by Paul Kolnik.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – Revelations at Lincoln Center
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – Revelations at Lincoln Center
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