Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Announces Programming For Season At BAM

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater announces programming for an encore New York season at BAM's Howard Gilman Opera House from June 10th - 20th, the culmination of a 20-city U.S. Tour celebrating Judith Jamison's 20th year as artistic director. Ailey's acclaimed artists will share the unparalleled artistry and passionate spirit that have inspired audiences worldwide in an extended run of twelve performances and two special programs - "Ailey Spirit" and "By Popular Demand."

"Ailey Spirit" features the premiere of a new production of Mary Lou's Mass, a major Alvin Ailey work from 1971 performed for the first time in over 35 years. Restaged by associate artistic director Masazumi Chaya, the revival coincides with the centennial of jazz pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams' birth. Mr. Ailey and Ms. Williams' collaboration celebrates life, jazz and gospel with a landmark score entitled "Music for Peace" that covers the spectrum of African-American musical styles from spirituals and gospel to bebop, blues, and ragtime. This program also includes Dancing Spirit, Ronald K. Brown's choreographic tribute to Judith Jamison's profound influence that echoes the title of her autobiography, and Mr. Ailey's quintessential masterpiece, Revelations.

In its first act, "By Popular Demand" highlights works from the past two decades commissioned by Jamison, with excerpts representing choreography by Talley Beatty, Ronald K. Brown, Robert Battle, Lar Lubovitch and Ulysses Dove. Uptown, company member Matthew Rushing's swinging tour of the Harlem Renaissance era and its legends, and Revelations, will complete the program.

Families are invited to spend an afternoon with Ailey at the ING Family Matinees on Saturday, June 12th and 19th at 2pm. Thanks to the sponsorship of ING, discounted tickets are available and the audience can enjoy a free post-performance "Meet the Dancers" discussion (15% discount is available online, via phone or at box office with code 12231).

AAADT is also sharing its mission of bringing dance to the people through the Revelations: An Interdisciplinary Approach curriculum program for students in two Brooklyn public schools. This innovative residency utilizes Alvin Ailey's signature work, Revelations, as the inspirational framework for a comprehensive study of language arts, social studies, and dance. In addition to Brooklyn, it will also be implemented in Orange County and Chicago this year, thanks to the J.P. Morgan Art of Learning Sponsorship.

AAADT has performed in over 70 countries on 6 continents, becoming the most-traveled dance company and recognized by US Congressional resolution as a vital "American Cultural Ambassador to the World." Founded by Alvin Ailey in 1958, AAADT's inspiring performances honor and enrich the African American cultural experience and the American modern dance tradition, uniting people of all backgrounds in a celebration of the human spirit through the universal language of dance.

Get tickets from $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. Tickets: June 10, 15, 16 & 17: $20, 40, 60, 70; Jun 11-13, 18-20: $25, 55, 75, 85. For ING Family Matinees on June 12 & 19 at 2pm, 15% discount is available online, via phone or at box office with code 12231). For more info, visit alvinailey.org. For Group Sales rates, email groupsales@alvinailey.org, call (212) 405-9012 or go to alvinailey.org and click on Ailey at BAM Group Sales link.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at BAM Schedule
(as of 3/22/10 - Subject to Change)
Program A
"Ailey Spirit" - Jun 10, 15, 18 & 19 at 7:30pm; Jun 13 & 20 at 3pm
ACT ONE: Mary Lou's Mass - Alvin Ailey (restaged by Masazumi Chaya)
ACT TWO: Dancing Spirit - Ronald K. Brown
ACT THREE: Revelations - Alvin Ailey

Program B
"By Popular Demand" - Jun 11, 12, 16 & 17 at 7:30pm;
Jun 12 & 19 at 2pm - ING Family Matinees (discounted tickets & post-performance talk with dancers)
ACT ONE: "Best of 20 Years"
· 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)

ACT TWO: Uptown - Matthew Rushing
ACT THREE: Revelations - Alvin Ailey

Thursday, June 10 - 7:30pm Ailey Spirit
Friday, June 11 - 7:30pm By Popular Demand
Saturday, June 12 - 2pm By Popular Demand
Saturday, June 12 - 7:30pm By Popular Demand
Sunday, June 13 - 3pm Ailey Spirit
Tuesday, June 15 - 7:30pm Ailey Spirit
Wednesday, June 16 - 7:30pm By Popular Demand
Thursday, June 17 - 7:30pm By Popular Demand
Friday, June 18 - 7:30pm Ailey Spirit
Saturday, June 19 - 2pm By Popular Demand
Saturday, June 19 - 7:30pm Ailey Spirit
Sunday, June 20 - 3pm Ailey Spirit

"AILEY SPIRIT"
JUN 10, 15, 18 & 19 AT 7:30PM / JUNE 13 & 20 AT 3PM

Mary Lou's Mass (1971)
Choreographer: Alvin Ailey
(restaged by Masazumi Chaya)
Music: Mary Lou Williams
Alvin Ailey's collaboration with jazz pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams, two artists who shared roots and memories in the southern church, is a deeply spirited work showcasing Mr. Ailey's dynamic Horton-inspired choreography and Ms. Williams' soulful and uplifting mass - "Music for Peace". This celebration of jazz and gospel is a full company work and will be performed in its entirety for the first time in over 35 years on the centennial of Ms. Williams' birth.

Dancing Spirit (2009)
Choreographer: Ronald K. Brown
Music: Duke Ellington, Wynton Marsalis, Radiohead, War
Ronald K. Brown pays tribute to Judith Jamison's profound influence with a new work that echoes the title of Jamison's autobiography. Set to music by Duke Ellington, Wynton Marsalis and War, Brown's evocative choreography uses movement from Cuba, Brazil and the United States to conjure dancing spirits who embody Jamison's elegance, vision, dignity and generosity.

Revelations (1960)
Choreography: Alvin Ailey
Music: Traditional
Alvin Ailey said that one of America's richest treasures was the cultural heritage of the African-American-"sometimes sorrowful, sometimes jubilant, but always hopeful". This enduring classic is a tribute to that heritage and to Ailey's genius. Using African-American religious music--spirituals, song-sermons, and holy blues--this suite fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul.

"BY POPULAR DEMAND"
JUN 11, 12, 16 & 17 AT 7:30PM; JUNE 12 & 19 AT 2PM (ING Family Matinees / Artist Q&A, post-show)

Highlights from Best of 20 Years, excerpts of -
The Stack-Up (1982) (1997 - New Production)
Choreographer: Talley Beatty
Music: Phillip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Maurice White, & Verdine White (Earth, Wind, & Fire - "Faces")
Talley Beatty's fast and furious jazz choreography sends dancers whizzing across the stage while throbbing to the pulsating beats of Earth, Wind, and Fire. The Stack-Up is a tough, brutal, yet lyrical examination of what happens when life causes a coming together of disparate social and cultural elements, offering a glimpse of urban L.A. life.

Grace (1999)
Choreographer: Ronald K. Brown
Music: Duke Ellington sung by Jimmy McPhail ("Come Sunday")
Ron Brown's signature fusion of African and modern dance styles illuminates the soloist in this excerpt of his spiritual piece about acknowledging the ‘grace' within individuals' everyday lives.

North Star (1978) (1990 - Company Premiere)
Choreographer: Lar Lubovitch
Music: Philip Glass ("Ange des Orages")
Lar Lubovitch's rippling, fluid choreography uniquely complements Philip Glass' avant-garde repetitive score in this quartet from North Star.

In/Side (2008)
Choreographer: Robert Battle
Music: Nina Simone
The vivid emotions of Nina Simone's "Wild is the Wind" play out in Robert Battle's gripping solo using his bold, unrestrained signature style. A visceral cry of pure physicality.

Bad Blood (1984) (1986 - Company Premiere)
Choreographer: Ulysses Dove
Music: Laurie Anderson ("Gravity's Angel")
Dancing at an extremely athletic and emotionally visceral level, the dancers in this excerpted duet of Bad Blood reveal the power and magnetic pull of courtship rites with a ruthless and sharp movement vocabulary.

Uptown (2009)
Choreographer: Matthew Rushing
Music: Various Artists
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.

Revelations (1960)
Choreography: Alvin Ailey
Music: Traditional

General Information

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, BAMcafé, and Brownstone Books at BAM 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). 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 Howard Gilman Opera House performances. BAMcafé also features an eclectic mix of spoken word and live music for BAMcafé Live nights on Friday and Saturday 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 transportation information, call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100, or visit BAM.org.

Judith Jamison, Artistic Director
Masazumi Chaya, Associate Artistic Director

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 .