Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Comes to The Music Center Next Month

 The Music Center continues its 21st season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center with a seven-performance engagement by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Performances run March 20–24, 2024, at The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The New York-based company will begin its exclusive four-year Southern California residency at The Music Center by showcasing an exhilarating repertory in two programs, blending audience favorites and Ailey classics with three works making their Los Angeles premieres; the two programs will alternate among the seven performance dates.

The first program (Program A) includes the L.A. premieres of both Ode (choreography by Jamar Roberts, 2019) and Are You in Your Feelings? (choreography by Kyle Abraham, 2022) as well as the signature masterpiece Revelations (choreography by Alvin Ailey, 1960); program A will be performed on March 20, 22, 23 (matinee) and 24 (evening), 2024. The second program (Program B) includes the L.A. premiere of new work CENTURY (choreography by Amy Hall Garner, 2023), a restaging of Dancing Spirit (choreography by Ronald K. Brown, 2009) with Revelations as the capstone; program B will be performed on March 21, 23 (evening) and 24 (matinee), 2024.

“The diverse pieces that Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will perform, including three works never before seen in L.A., convey the company’s passionate spirit and the dancers’ extraordinary technique. Once again, the Ailey company will showcase its incredible artistry that has made it a cultural phenomenon,” said Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. “I also want to congratulate Ailey on its 65th anniversary, which coincides with The Music Center’s 60th year, and its continued success in inspiring audiences. We will proudly present this company for many years to come, as it shines a light on the power and beauty of the performing arts.”

In May 2023, The Music Center and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater jointly announced the company’s commitment to perform for four consecutive years at The Music Center’s iconic Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, beginning with the current 2023–2024 season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center. The multi-year residency is the first of its kind in The Music Center’s 60-year history.

The Los Angeles premiere of CENTURY, the first work by choreographer Amy Hall Garner for the Ailey company, is a deeply personal piece inspired by her grandfather’s 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.

Ronald K. Brown’s Dancing Spirit (2009) pays tribute to the profound influence of Judith Jamison, a former Ailey dancer and artistic director, with a moving 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, dignity and generosity.

Kyle Abraham’s Are You in Your Feelings? (2022) is a celebration of Black culture, Black music and the youthful spirit that perseveres in everyone. Scored to a “mixtape” of soul, hip-hop and R&B and featuring beloved musical artists like Jhené Aiko, Drake, Lauryn Hill, Kendrick Lamar, Jazmine Sullivan and Summer Walker, the critically acclaimed work resonates with the themes of love and relationships. “A lot of these songs are the songs that I play when I’m at my lowest and at my highest,” said Abraham. “I wanted to find a way to thank those artists for their music and thank our culture for their contributions to this world in which we live.”

Ode (2019), choreographed by former Ailey dancer Jamar Roberts, offers a meditation on the beauty and fragility of life in a time of growing gun violence. This tender, engrossing work will be staged with an all-female cast donning Roberts’ own costume designs and will feature a jazz score, including Don Pullen’s Suite (Sweet) Malcolm (Part 1: Memories and Gunshots).

In true Ailey style, each engagement in this new Music Center residency culminates with the American masterpiece Revelations, which has become a must-see since its debut in 1960. Beloved by generations of audiences, Alvin Ailey’s signature work is a tribute to his heritage and childhood memories of growing up in the South. His masterpiece moves audiences with its powerful storytelling and soul-stirring music, and evokes timeless themes of determination, hope and transcendence.

“I know firsthand the profound and positive impact of an Ailey performance, having been inspired by Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece Revelationsas a student growing up in the Los Angeles area,” said Associate Artistic Director Matthew Rushing. “After my three decades with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, it is an honor during the company’s milestone season to lead the extraordinary dancers back to The Music Center stage with a repertory full of dynamic choreographic voices in the city where our legendary founder Alvin Ailey took his first steps into the world of dance.”

To engage and inspire students and educators with dance and movement, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s residency will include a special matinee performance for approximately 2,500 middle school and high school students on Friday, March 22, 2024. During the week of March 4, 2024, the company’s Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs will also visit two middle schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District for a weeklong arts-learning experience entitled Revelations: An Interdisciplinary Approach. The program will entail classroom workshops for students to examine the work and historical impact of Alvin Ailey, a writing project on students’ self-reflection and a discussion on the choreography of Ailey’s masterpiece Revelations. These students will then attend Ailey’s student matinee performance at The Music Center. Additionally, The Music Center has arranged for Ailey to provide an AileyDance for Active Aging workshop for older adults in partnership with non-profit organization EngAGE, Inc., at The Piedmont Senior Apartments in North Hollywood.

Tickets to performances are available for purchase now by visiting musiccenter.org/ailey or calling (213) 972-0711.

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