Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Comes to the Aronoff Center Tonight

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, beloved as one of the world's most popular dance companies, will share its inspiring artistry with Tri-state audiences at the Aronoff Center's Procter & Gamble Hall for two nights only, tonight and tomorrow, March 3-4, 2015 at 7:30pm. The much-anticipated dance event is part of the Cincinnati Arts Association's 2014-15 Season.

Prior to the launch of Ailey's exciting new season, Artistic Director Robert Battle visited the White House to accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom - the nation's highest civilian honor - on behalf of Alvin Ailey. Bestowed 25 years after the passing of the Company's legendary founder, President Obama proclaimed that "through him, African-American history was told in a way that it had never been told before -- with passionate, virtuoso dance performances that transfixed audiences worldwide."

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater carries on Alvin Ailey's pioneering legacy of uplifting, uniting, and celebrating the human spirit as Ailey's extraordinary dancers bring life to a wide variety of premieres, new productions, and classic works. The Cincinnati engagement will include six unique dance works split between the two performance dates, resulting in a different program for each performance. Both performance dates will include Ailey's popular classic masterpiece, Revelations. (Program selections subject to change.)

DETAILS:

WHAT: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

WHEN: Tuesday-Wednesday, March 3-4, 2015 at 7:30 PM

WHERE: Aronoff Center for the Arts -- Procter & Gamble Hall

PRICE: $75 • $65 • $45 • $30 (ticket prices/fees subject to change)

TICKETS: Online: www.CincinnatiArts.org; Phone: (513) 621-ARTS [2787]; Aronoff Center Ticket Office; Group sales (10 or more): (513) 977-4157; Half-Price Student/Educator Tickets: Available by phone or at the Ticket Office by mentioning promo code EDUCATE. Limit (2) tickets per person with a valid student ID. Subject to availability.

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Tuesday, March 3, 7:30 PM:

Grace (1999)

Choreography by Ronald K. Brown

Music: Duke Ellington, Roy Davis Jr., Paul Johnson, and Fela Anikulapo Kuti

This landmark creation for Ailey returned to the Ailey repertory in a rapturous, spiritually-charged new production for the 2012-13 season. Infused with Brown's signature blend of modern dance and West African idioms, this moving journey acknowledging the grace that surrounds us all is set to Duke Ellington's classic "Come Sunday," Roy Davis' hit "Gabriel," and the powerful rhythms of Fela Kuti's Afro-Pop.

Episodes (1989)

Choreography: Ulysses Dove

Music: Robert Ruggieri

Ulysses Dove, former Ailey Company member, created this explosive choreographic masterpiece - a passionate interpretation of expressing feelings and power struggles involved in human relationships - set to a percussive score by Robert Ruggieri.

Revelations (1960)

Choreography by Alvin Ailey

Music: Traditional Spirituals

An American classic acclaimed as a must?see for all, Alvin Ailey's signature masterpiece is a tribute to his heritage and a testament to his genius. Using African-American religious music - spirituals - this suite fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul.

Wednesday, March 4, 7:30 PM:

Polish Pieces (1995)

Choreography by Hans van Manen

Music: Henryk Mikolaj Górecki

In Polish Pieces, Dutch choreographer van Manen displays his mastery for building dazzling creations from simple motifs and geometric patterns. Driven by the rhythms of Henryk Górecki's score, the 12 dancers in this colorful ensemble work to create a brilliant kaleidoscope through endlessly shifting formations that contrasts with two sensual pas de deux. Hans van Manen began his ballet career in 1951 as a member of Sonia Gaskell's Ballet Recital. He created his first ballet for the Nederlandse Opera Ballet in 1957 and created over 50 ballets for the Nederlands Dans Theater, where he was also the artistic director and a dancer. He has created over 120 ballets and his works have been staged by companies all over the world including the Stuttgart Ballet, Berlin Opera, the National Ballet of Canada, Pennsylvania Ballet, the Royal Ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet, and the State Opera in Vienna. In 1992, the year of his 35th anniversary as a choreographer, he was given a Knighthood in the Order of Orange Nassau by the Queen of The Netherlands. He has been honored for his work many times, including the prestigious German Dance Prize for his influence on German dance, the much-heralded Erasmus Prize for his outstanding achievements in Dutch dance, and the Benois de la Danse for Lifetime Achievement. At the occasion of his 75th birthday at the gala premiere of the Hans van Manen festival, Amsterdam's mayor honored him with the Commandeur in de Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw. Robert Battle comments: "Hans van Manen's work has a great sense of humor and mischief in it. He's a master of creating grand, kaleidoscopic works from very simple motifs. Polish Pieces has allusions to folk dance, which give it a timeless feeling that's a wonderful complement to our repertory."

Awassa Astrige/Ostrich (1932)

Choreography by Asadata Dafora

Music: Carl Riley

Sierra Leone-born choreographer Asadata Dafora blended his vision of a traditional African dance with Western staging in Awassa Astrige/Ostrich - a groundbreaking 1932 solo set to Carl Riley's score of African drumming and flute. With arms flapping like wings, torso rippling, and head held high, a warrior is transformed into the proud, powerful ostrich ­- the king of birds. Dafora is recognized as one of the first to present African dance on the concert stage, influencing many future artists like Pearl Primus and Katherine Dunham. Asadata Dafora, a native of free town Sierra Leone, West Africa, was 40 years old when he came to New York in 1929. Earlier, he had been in Europe teaching African dance while studying music, and for a time, sang at La Scala. However, his true interest was always the rich heritage of African art and culture. Not only did he study the folklore of his own country, but he traveled extensively throughout Africa seeking additional knowledge as well. His unique talents burst upon the New York entertainment scene with a short run of the Opera Kykunkor, subtitled The Witch Woman. Kykunkor not only shattered many myths concerning the potential of Black ethnic materials as themes for concert dance, but proved that black dancers could be successful on the American concert stage. His company, Shologa Oloba, was made up of 25 Africans and African Americans whose dancing was acclaimed by critics and audiences. Robert Battle comments: "I've always loved the mystery of this piece by Asadata Dafora; it's one of the first fusions of African and Western styles of dance. Preservation is very important, and I wanted to give audiences a chance to see some of the early, historic works that shaped what we know as modern dance."

Four Corners (2013)

Choreography: Ronald K. Brown

Music: Carl Hancock Rux, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and Yacoub

Four Corners is celebrated choreographer Ronald K. Brown's fifth work for Ailey's extraordinary dancers, who have become known as inspiring interpreters of his phenomenal dance storytelling. Set to the music of Carl Hancock Rux and various artists, the 11 dancers on a spiritual journey bring to life the vision of four angels standing on the four corners of the earth holding the four winds.

Revelations (1960) - see above (Tuesday, March 3)

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Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater grew from a now-fabled performance in March 1958 at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. Led by Alvin Ailey and a group of young African-American modern dancers, that performance changed forever the perception of American dance. The Ailey company has gone on to perform for an estimated 25 million people at theaters in 48 states and 71 countries on six continents -- as well as millions more through television broadcasts.

In 2008, a U.S. Congressional resolution designated the Company as "a vital American cultural ambassador to the world" that celebrates the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance heritage. When Mr. Ailey began creating dances, he drew upon his "blood memories" of Texas, the blues, spirituals, and gospel as inspiration, which resulted in the creation of his most popular and critically acclaimed work, Revelations. Although he created 79 ballets over his lifetime, Mr. Ailey maintained that his company was not exclusively a repository for his own work.

Today, the Company continues Mr. Ailey's mission by presenting important works of the past and commissioning new ones. In all, more than 235 works by over 90 choreographers have been part of the Ailey company's repertory. Before his untimely death in 1989, Alvin Ailey named Judith Jamison as his successor, and over the next 21 years, she brought the Company to unprecedented success. Ms. Jamison, in turn, personally selected Robert Battle to succeed her in 2011, and The New York Times declared he "has injected the company with new life."

Audience members are also invited to join in the dance during their next New York City visit with a complimentary class at The Ailey Extension for first-time visitors by using a ticket stub from any Ailey performance. The Ailey Extension's popular program of 80 weekly "real classes for real people" has been enjoyed by over 85,000 at Ailey's 'The Joan Weill Center for Dance', New York's largest building dedicated to dance. Each "Ticket to Dance" special offer is good for one year from the performance date for first-time students, and when purchasing a 10-class card for classes for returning students.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater inspires all in a universal celebration of the human spirit using the African-American cultural experience and the American modern dance tradition. For further information, visit www.alvinailey.org.

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