{"id":4718,"date":"2019-08-01T00:46:39","date_gmt":"2019-08-01T00:46:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/?p=4718"},"modified":"2019-08-14T02:38:33","modified_gmt":"2019-08-14T02:38:33","slug":"alvin-ailey-american-dance-theater-announces-programming-for-ny-city-center-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/alvin-ailey-american-dance-theater-announces-programming-for-ny-city-center-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Announces Programming for NY City Center Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Artistic Director Robert Battle Leads the Company in Five-Week Holiday Engagement Featuring More than Two Dozen Dynamic Works and a Series of Special Programs, December 4, 2019 \u2013 January 5, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n

World Premieres by Donald Byrd and Ailey\u2019s First Resident Choreographer Jamar Roberts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Company Premieres of Aszure Barton\u2019s BUSK and Camille A. Brown\u2019s City of Rain and New Productions of Judith Jamison\u2019s Divining and Lar Lubovitch\u2019s Fandango<\/strong><\/p>\n

Special Evenings Celebrate The Ailey School\u2019s 50th Anniversary on Tuesday, December 10th and\u00a0 Associate Artistic Director Masazumi Chaya on Sunday, December 22nd<\/strong><\/p>\n

Visit AlvinAiley.org to learn more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York City Center\u2019s Principal Dance Company, returns to the theater\u2019s stage from December 4, 2019 \u2013 January 5, 2020. Artistic Director Robert Battle leads Ailey\u2019s 32 extraordinary dancers during this annual five-week engagement, which has become a joyous holiday tradition. The repertory features more than two dozen diverse works by some of the world\u2019s preeminent choreographers, including world premieres by Donald Byrd and Ailey dancer and newly announced Resident Choreographer Jamar Roberts, company premieres by Aszure Barton and Camille A. Brown, and new productions by Judith Jamison and Lar Lubovitch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not only excited about this season\u2019s topical works and the range of choreographers, but also to announce Jamar Roberts as Ailey\u2019s first-ever Resident Choreographer\u201d stated Artistic Director Robert Battle. \u201cContinuing the Company\u2019s legacy of excellence, works will be staged by three dance masters while we also showcase the artistry of some of today\u2019s most sought-after choreographers following in their footsteps. We will also celebrate Masazumi Chaya, the untiring and unmatched keeper of the flame whose dedication to Alvin Ailey\u2019s vision spans nearly five decades, as well as The Ailey School for fifty years of world-class training that has developed countless performing artists. And we\u2019re happy to kick off the season honoring Elaine Wynn at the Opening Night Gala, as her support led to our building\u2019s expansion, allowing the organization \u2013 especially The Ailey School \u2013 to grow and thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Celebrated choreographer Donald Byrd, known for his eclecticism and creating compelling characters, will present his fifth premiere for the Company on Friday, December 6th. Greenwood is an ensemble work with music by Israeli violist and composer Emmanuel Witzthum that draws on Ailey\u2019s theatrical roots and legacy of shining a spotlight on social issues. A TONY nominee (The Color Purple<\/em>), Bessie Award-winner (The Minstrel Show<\/em>) and 2019 Doris Duke Artist Award recipient, Byrd is using the 1921 Tulsa riots as a source of inspiration.<\/p>\n

The following week, on Tuesday, December 10th, Ailey dancer Jamar Roberts will unveil Ode<\/em>, the first in a series of three works as he steps into the new role of Resident Choreographer. Like his critically-acclaimed Members Don\u2019t Get Weary<\/em> (2017), this work for six dancers will feature a jazz score \u2013 Don Pullen\u2019s \u201cSuite (Sweet) Malcolm (Part 1 Memories and Gunshots).\u201d Ode offers a meditation on the beauty and fragility of life in a time of growing gun violence and will include Roberts\u2019 own costume designs. The work will be explored during a special Works & Process preview event at the Guggenheim on Monday, November 18. A member of the Company since 2002, Roberts has become renowned for his powerful performances on world stages, including at The White House and as a guest star with London\u2019s Royal Ballet, receiving the prestigious New York Dance and Performance \u201cBessie\u201d award for Outstanding Performer.<\/p>\n

The December 10th performance also celebrates The Ailey School\u2019s 50th Anniversary. Founded in 1969, The program has served as a springboard for many notable artists, including season choreographers Camille A. Brown and Roberts, along with more than 70% of the dancers in the Company. In addition to Ode<\/em>, the evening will also feature students from The Ailey School alongside the Ailey dancers in Alvin Ailey\u2019s Memoria<\/em> and Revelations<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Opening on Friday, December 13th, Award-winning choreographer Aszure Barton\u2019s dazzling BUSK<\/em> is an episodic look at the nature of performance and the vulnerabilities that artists face in revealing themselves onstage. A group work spotlighting the Ailey dancers, Barton adapts the choreography for each new production, drawing on the individual strengths and personalities of each performer. The founder and director of Aszure Barton & Artists, an inter-disciplinary international dance project, she has collaborated with celebrated dance artists and companies including Mikhail Baryshnikov, American Ballet Theatre, Teatro alla Scala, Nederlands Dans Theater, Martha Graham Dance Company, National Ballet of Canada and Sydney Dance Company, among many others, and choreographed the Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Premiering on Tuesday, December 17th, Camille A. Brown\u2019s quietly lyrical City of Rain<\/em> honors the struggles and grace of a lost friend, showing a different facet of the choreographer than Ailey audiences have seen in her previous works for the Company (The Groove To Nobody\u2019s Business <\/em>and The Evolution of a Secured Feminine<\/em>). Dedicated to Greg \u2018Blyes\u2019 Boomer, the work for 10 dancers is set to an original composition by Jonathan Melville Pratt entitled Two Way Dream<\/em>. A recipient of numerous honors, including a 2014 Bessie Award for Outstanding Production for the work Mr. TOL E. RAncE<\/em> (Camille A. Brown & Dancers), Ms. Brown choreographed Broadway\u2019s Choir Boy<\/em> (TONY nominee for Best Choreography), the TONY Award-winning revival of Once On This Island<\/em>, and the Emmy Award-Winning television special, “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert.\u201d<\/p>\n

New productions taking the stage this season include Judith Jamison\u2019s Divining<\/em> (1984) \u2013 her first major choreographic effort which incorporates North African, Central African, and Latin rhythms and complex movement \u2013 and Lar Lubovitch\u2019s Fandango<\/em> (1995) \u2013 a sensually athletic duet set to Maurice Ravel\u2019s \u201cBolero\u201d that explores the infinite possibilities of partnering.<\/p>\n

The New York City Center engagement also marks the final season as Associate Artistic Director for Masazumi Chaya, who will be celebrated with a special program on Sunday, December 22nd. The tribute performance will feature over a dozen excerpts that highlight his extensive career of nearly five decades, a special piece d\u2019occasion created by Matthew Rushing, and appearances and performances by former company members.<\/p>\n

In addition, the engagement showcases a variety of 2018-19 season premieres: Darrell Grand Moultrie\u2019s uplifting Ounce of Faith<\/em>; hip-hop innovator Rennie Harris\u2019 acclaimed Lazarus<\/em>; Ronald K. Brown\u2019s \u201clove letter to Mr. Ailey,\u201d The Call<\/em>; and Jessica Lang\u2019s luminous EN<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Special season programs include All Ailey performances comprised of four of Mr. Ailey\u2019s most celebrated ballets, Night Creature, Cry, Memoria, <\/em>and Revelations<\/em> (December 12, 14 mat); Three Visionaries<\/em> featuring ballets by each the Company\u2019s artistic directors \u2013 Alvin Ailey, Judith Jamison, and Robert Battle (December 21 mat, 24, Jan 4 mat); Ailey Classics<\/em> featuring excerpts of eight works by Mr. Ailey, from rarely-seen gems \u2013 including Hidden Rites, Mary Lou\u2019s Mass, <\/em>and Phases<\/em> \u2013 to timeless favorites \u2013 like Night Creature <\/em>and Cry<\/em> (December 19, 22 mat, 28 mat, Jan 3); and All New programs of season premieres (December 14 eve, 20, 28 eve, Jan 1, Jan 4 eve).<\/p>\n

The engagement also includes Family Matinee performances each Saturday at 2pm, followed by a Q&A session with Ailey\u2019s revered dancers after the finale of Revelations<\/em>, a must-see for all ages. Revelations<\/em> will also bring an inspiring close to the performances on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year\u2019s Eve, and a special Season Finale on January 5, what would have been Mr. Ailey\u2019s 89th birthday. Live music performances of Revelations<\/em> will take place on December 4, 6, and 7 (matinee and evening). New dancers performing in their City Center debut with Ailey are Patrick Coker, James Gilmer, and Corrin Rachelle Mitchell. A detailed performance schedule is attached (subject to change).<\/p>\n

Following the New York City Center engagement, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will dance from coast-to-coast on a 21-city National Tour from February \u2013 May 2020.<\/p>\n

In 1958, Alvin Ailey and a small group of dancers took the stage in New York and forever changed American dance and culture. One of the country\u2019s groundbreaking greats, his Company inspires all in a universal celebration of the human spirit using the African-American cultural experience and the modern dance tradition. More than 60 years after its founding, Ailey continues to move forward under the leadership of Robert Battle, revealing time and again why Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is one of the world\u2019s most beloved dance companies<\/p>\n

Read the full press release.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Artistic Director Robert Battle Leads the Company in Five-Week Holiday Engagement Featuring More than Two Dozen Dynamic Works and a Series of Special Programs, December 4, 2019 \u2013 January 5, 2020 World Premieres by Donald Byrd and Ailey\u2019s First Resident Choreographer Jamar Roberts Company Premieres of Aszure Barton\u2019s BUSK and Camille A. Brown\u2019s City of … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4722,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4718"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4718"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4718\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4719,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4718\/revisions\/4719"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/4722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}