Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at Cal Performances' Zellerbach Hall

Strength, precision, and passion remain the hallmarks of the august Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater more than 65 years after its inception. The company’s legendary dancers return to Berkeley with vibrant programs of new and classic works that showcase and synthesize a dazzling range of cultural influences, from spirituals and church hymns, jazz, R&B, and hip-hop, to African dance and classical ballet. Many of the earliest Ailey works and the newest company creations share a common focus: illuminating the rich panorama of Black American experience. Ailey’s monumental Revelations serves as a beacon through it all, and as former company dancer and keeper of the Ailey flame Sylvia Waters observes, “It’s a testament to Alvin’s understanding of humanity and the human spirit. That, yes, people experience despair, struggle, repression, oppression, but they have the resilience and strength to go forward.”