Ailey Encore Season at BAM Welcomes Families with ING Family Matinee Series 6/10-20

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) invites audiences of all ages to engage in our ING Family Matinees on Saturday, June 12th and 19th at The Brooklyn Academy Of Music (BAM). Thanks to the sponsorship of ING, discounted tickets are available (15% discount is available online, via phone or at box office with code 12231) and the audience can enjoy a free post-performance "Meet the Dancers" discussion. Whether watching as a child for the first time, as a parent remembering his or her childhood experience, or as a family that has made seeing Ailey a yearly tradition, all can relate to the moving programs.

"ING is pleased to support the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and be a part of celebrating Judith Jamison's exceptional leadership over the past 20 years," said Rhonda Mims, president of the ING Foundation and senior vice president, ING's Office of Corporate Responsibility and Multicultural Affairs. "We are especially delighted to offer families the opportunity to experience an afternoon with Ailey to meet performers and hear firsthand how dance is enriching the lives of audiences around the world."

Both ING Family Matinee performances will feature the By Popular Demand special program which includes Best of 20 Years highlights from works commissioned by Jamison over the past two decades, representing choreography by Talley Beatty, Ronald K. Brown, Robert Battle, Lar Lubovitch and Ulysses Dove. The program will also feature Uptown, company member Matthew Rushing's swinging tour of the Harlem Renaissance era and its legends, and Revelations, a stirring "must see" for all people.

"ING's important sponsorship will bring Ailey's inspiring performances to an even broader audience, as part of their commitment to making art and culture accessible," stated Sharon Gersten Luckman, Ailey's Executive Director. "I'm thrilled with ING's effort to help families enjoy an unforgettable visit with Ailey's extraordinary dancers at BAM."

Tickets are $20-85 for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at BAM from June 10th - 20th in the Howard Gilman Opera House (30 Lafayette Avenue) online at alvinailey.org or BAM.org and by calling (718) 636-4100 (15% discount for family matinee performances is available online, via phone or at box office with code 12231).

ING FAMILY MATINEE PERFORMANCE DATES: Saturday, June 12th & June 19th @ 2pm
"By Popular Demand" Program:
ACT ONE: "Best of 20 Year" highlights program
Over the last two decades, Judith Jamison has commissioned or revived nearly 100 works, providing unparalleled opportunities for choreographers both renowned and newly discovered. This season, a "Best of 20 Years" program features highlights from popular ballets she has brought to or revived in the Ailey repertory, representing the wide range of styles and voices that have contributed to the Ailey canon. Among the dances represented in this program are:
- The Stack-Up (excerpt) - Talley Beatty (restaged by Masazumi Chaya)
- Grace (excerpt) - Ronald K. Brown (restaged by Masazumi Chaya)
- North Star (excerpt) - Lar Lubovitch (restaged by Ronni Favors)
- In/Side - Robert Battle
- Bad Blood (excerpt) - Ulysses Dove (restaged by Masazumi Chaya)

AAADT in Alvin Ailey's Revelations. Photo by Paul Kolnik
ACT TWO: Uptown by Matthew Rushing
Take a vibrant tour through the Harlem Renaissance era in all its boisterous, swinging glory. In this new ballet by the beloved, 18-year Company veteran Matthew Rushing, legends like Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Josephine Baker and their contemporaries come alive to the music of Fats Waller, Eubie Blake, Nat "King" Cole and more.
ACT THREE: Revelations by Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey's signature masterpiece, this enduring classic is a tribute to that heritage and to Ailey's genius. Using African-American religious music--spirituals--this suite fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul.

AILEY MERCHANDISE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

To purchase these items, please visit www.aileyboutique.com

Ailey Barbie® Doll.
The Alvin Ailey Barbie Doll, a part of the Barbie® Collector Pink LabelTM series, was designed by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Artistic Director, Judith Jamison. The doll reflects the famed beauty and grace of the Company and its world-class dancers. Featuring the fully posable Pivotal^TM body, with twelve points of articulation, rooted eyelashes and a foot sculpt unique to the Alvin Ailey Barbie, the doll is ready to take to the stage in her dress from the "Wade in the Water" section of the dance masterpiece Revelations.

A Young Dancer - The Life of an Ailey Student
A new children's book written by celebrated arts writer Valerie Gladstone with photographs by noted professional photographer José Ivey, celebrates Ailey's role in inspiring the next generation of dancers, and tells the story of Iman Bright, a thirteen-year-old student at The Ailey School in New York City. The book follows Iman as she warms up at the barre, practices violin, is coached by the legendary Judith Jamison, Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and prepares for a performance with her fellow students.

General Information
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, and BAMcafé are located in the Peter Jay Sharp building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (between St Felix Street and Ashland Place) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. BAM Harvey Theater is located two blocks from the main building at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell Places). Both locations house Shakespeare & Co. at BAM kiosks. BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn's only movie house dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertory programming. BAMcafé, operated by Great Performances, is open for dining prior to BAM Howard Gilman Opera House evening performances. BAMcafé also features an eclectic mix of spoken word and live music for BAMcafé Live on Friday nights with a special BAMcafé Live menu available starting at 8pm.
Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, Q, B to Atlantic Avenue;
D, M, N, R to Pacific Street; G to Fulton Street; C to Lafayette Avenue
Train: Long Island Railroad to Flatbush Avenue
Bus: B25, B26, B41, B45, B52, B63, B67 all stop within three blocks of BAM
Car: Commercial parking lots are located adjacent to BAM

For ticket and BAMbus information, call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100, or visit BAM.org.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT), recognized by U.S. Congressional resolution as a vital American "Cultural Ambassador to the World," grew from a now fabled March 1958 performance in New York that changed forever the perception of American dance. Today, led by Judith Jamison, now celebrating her 20th Anniversary as artistic director, AAADT has performed for an estimated 23 million people in 48 states and in 71 countries on 6 continents, including two historic residencies in South Africa, promoting the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance tradition. Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc. is the umbrella organization which includes Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Ailey II (1974) a second performing company of emerging young dancers and innovative choreographers; The Ailey School (1969), one of the most extensive and respected dance training programs in the world; Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs which brings dance into the classrooms, communities and lives of people of all ages; and The Ailey Extension (2005), a program offering dance and fitness classes to the general public that began with the opening of Ailey's permanent home - the nation's largest building dedicated to dance - named The Joan Weill Center for Dance, located at 55th Street at 9th Avenue in New York City. For more information, visit www.alvinailey.org .