The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts Will Celebrate AILEY II in February

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County will present an evening of celebration of life and legacy through dancing with Ailey II on February 28, 2025 at 8 p.m. in Knight Concert Hall. Ailey II is widely celebrated for blending the vibrant energy and talent of the nation’s top early-career dancers with the innovative vision and passion of today’s leading emerging choreographers. The critically acclaimed ensemble will inspire with performances including Alvin Ailey’s Streams, Houston Thomas’ Down the Rabbit Hole and Francesca Harper’s Luminous, a work that pays homage to the 50th anniversary of Ailey II and the artists who paved the way for future generations..

Founded in 1974 as the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble and led by Sylvia Waters for 38 seasons, Ailey II has advanced Alvin Ailey’s vision for more than five decades by giving early-career dancers a bridge from world-class training at The Ailey School to the professional stage. Led by Artistic Director Francesca Harper, Ailey II’s dancers bring their technical mastery and emotional depth to works by the most daring established and emerging choreographers. Just as Mr. Ailey envisioned, the company continues to develop the next generation of performers and dancemakers while expanding audiences through global touring and community-based performances.

“This season Ailey II will thrill audiences across the country with mesmerizing premieres alongside returning favorites and iconic dances by Alvin Ailey,” Francesca Harper said. “The 12 rising stars of the company will ignite, unite, and inspire people of all ages and backgrounds while honoring the legacy and creative spirit of Mr. Ailey.”

Houston Thomas’ world premiere Down the Rabbit Hole is a continuation of the choreographer’s Follow the White Rabbit (2022) and expands on its themes, examining the relationship between humans and technology. Inspired by The Matrix film series, Down the Rabbit Hole explores how technology weaves into the fabric of daily life, transforming how we as humans interact and function. Set to music by Johannes Goldbach and Pomassl, this high-powered piece begs the question: Technological change - are we powering it or is it powering us?

In addition to the exciting premiere, the performance will also feature Alvin Ailey’s Streams, an abstract exploration of bodies in space, danced to a percussion score by Miloslav Kabelac; and Francesca Harper’s Luminous, a work that pays homage to the 50th anniversary of Ailey II and the artists who paved the way for future generations.

This season, eight new dancers—Carley Brooks, Meredith Brown, Jennifer M. Gerken, Xavier Logan, Xhosa Scott, Darion Tuner, Eric J. Vidaña, and South Florida native Jordyn White—join the four returning members Alfred L. Jordan II, Kiri Moore, Corinth Moulterie, and Kayla Mei-Wan Thomas.

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