Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Returns to Boston in May

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will return to Boston for its annual performances this May. The five-show run features three distinct programs including two Boston premieres (in-demand choreographer Amy Hall Garner’s first Ailey commission, CENTURY and Jamar Roberts’s 2019 work, Ode); new productions Alonzo King’s 2000 piece Follow the Subtle Current Upstream and Ronald K. Brown’s 2009 favorite Dancing Spirit; and a performance highlighting Alvin Ailey’s vibrant choreographic genius through excerpts of his best dances. Ailey’s iconic masterpiece Revelations closes every performance.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performances are May 2-5, 2024 at the Boch Center Wang Theater, located at 270 Tremont Street. 

As part of the company’s visit, Celebrity Series will host “Revelations for Everyone,” a free, public workshop, where company dancers will teach excerpts of Alvin Ailey’s signature work as well as his popular dance Night Creature. “Revelations for Everyone” takes place Wed., May 1, @ 7 pm at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center, 1350 Tremont Street in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood. Information and RSVP link are here.

PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS

Performances on Thu., May 2 @ 8 pm and Sun., May 5 @ 3 pm feature the area premieres of Jamar Roberts’s Ode and Amy Hall Garner’s CENTURY. CENTURY (r.) is a deeply personal piece inspired by Hall Garner’s grandfather on the eve of his 100th birthday. Set to music by Ray Charles, Count Basie, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and more, CENTURY celebrates life, resilience and joy. Ode is a meditation on the beauty and fragility of life in a time of gun violence, set to Don Pullen’s Suite (Sweet) Malcolm (Part 1 Memories and Gunshots) and reimagined with an all-female cast.

On Fri., May 3 and Sat., May 4 @ 8 pm, performances include new productions of Ronald K. Brown’s Dancing Spirit and Alonzo King’s Following the Subtle Current Upstream. Dancing Spirit is set to music by Duke Ellington, Wynton Marsalis and War; it evokes the elegance, dignity and generosity of legendary Ailey Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison. King’s Following the Subtle Current Upstream is an audacious, non-stop piece with movement that mirrors life’s boisterous ups and downs.

An Ailey Classics program on Sat., May 4 @ 2 pm spans the breadth of Alvin Ailey’s rich catalog, including excerpts of Memoria, Night Creature, Pas de Duke, Masekela Langage, Opus McShann, Love Songs, For 'Bird'–With Love, and Hidden Rites.

All performances culminate with Revelations (1960), which has been seen by more people around the world than any other modern dance work, and moved audiences with its powerful storytelling and soul-stirring music. Springing from Ailey’s childhood memories of growing up and attending services in Texas, Revelations pays homage to the rich cultural heritage of the African American community and explores the emotional spectrum of the human condition. [More details about the performances, and links to photos, are on the next page.]

“I can’t imagine a more exciting and comprehensive journey through what makes the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater an American treasure,” says Nicole Taney, Artistic Director for Celebrity Series of Boston. “It’s not spring in Boston without Ailey, and it’s not Ailey without the thousands of people who turn out for these shows. With Boston premieres, new productions and an extraordinary look at Alvin Ailey’s genius, these are the performances to see in Boston this spring.”

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

CENTURY (2023) – Choreography by Amy Hall Garner; Music: Various Artists. Amy Hall Garner’s first work for Ailey is a deeply personal piece inspired by her grandfather on the eve of his 100th birthday. Taking a cue from his spirited essence and set to the music of Ray Charles, Count Basie, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and more, CENTURY is a pure dance work celebrating life, resilience and joy.

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

Following the Subtle Current Upstream (2000) – Choreography by Alonzo King; Music: Zakir Hussain, Miguel Frasconi and Miriam Makeba. King’s work investigates deeply rooted affinities between Western and Eastern classical forms, elemental materials, the natural world and the human spirit. Described as “a piece about how to return to joy,” Following the Subtle Current Upstream reminds us that everything in nature seeks to return to its source. Abstract but steeped in meaning, King’s movement sets the dancers in constant flow to an eclectic score.

Ode (2019) – Choreography by Jamar Roberts; Music: Don Pullen. A former Ailey dancer, Roberts offers a meditation on the beauty and fragility of life in a time of growing gun violence. This tender, engrossing work is staged with an all-female cast dancing to Pullen’s jazz score, and in Roberts’s own costume designs.

Ailey Classics (1960-1988)– Choreography by Alvin Ailey; Music: Various Artists. This program highlights a selection of repertory spanning the breadth of Mr. Ailey’s rich catalog.

Revelations (1960) – Choreography by Alvin Ailey; Music: African American spirituals. Revelations (r.) is a cultural treasure, beloved by generations and a must‐see for all. Ailey’s signature work is a tribute to his heritage. Revelations fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy. Seeing Revelations for the first time or the hundredth can be a transcendent experience: audiences cheer, sing along and dance – from the opening notes of “I Been ’Buked” to the rousing “Wade in the Water” and the triumphant finale, “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham.”

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