The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University (50 E. Congress Parkway) proudly presents the exclusive Chicago engagement of the world-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for six public performance and two student matinees, Wednesday, March 24 through Sunday, March 28, 2010. Tickets are now on sale at www.ticketmaster.com/auditorium.
Recognized by U.S. Congressional resolution as a vital "American Cultural Ambassador to the World,"
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is proud to bring African American artistic expression and the American modern dance tradition to the world's stages.
The legacy of founder
Alvin Ailey lives on today through the extraordinary talents and artistry of the world-renowned Ailey dancers and the remarkable vision of 2009 TIME Magazine 100 Honoree
Judith Jamison, who celebrates her 20th anniversary as the company's artistic director in this season of dance.
Since 1969,
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has performed a total of 134 times on the Auditorium Theatre's stage. The company's Spring 2009 engagement at the Auditorium Theatre broke ticket revenue and attendance records for all prior Ailey engagements in Chicago.
Ailey's Chicago engagement is generously supported by Blackwell Consulting Services, Inc. J.P. Morgan is the "Art of Learning" Sponsor for
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Wednesday, March 24 at 7:30 p.m. - "Uptown," "Dancing Spirit" and "Revelations"
Thursday, March 25 at 11 a.m. - "Uptown" (excerpt) and "Revelations" (Student Matinee Series Performance ‡)
Thursday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. - "Best of 20 Years" and "Revelations"
Friday, March 26 at 11 a.m. - "Uptown" (excerpt) and "Revelations" (Student Matinee Series Performance ‡)
Friday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m. - "Love Stories," "Among Us (Private Places: Public Spaces)" and "Revelations"
Saturday, March 27 at 2 p.m. - "Uptown," "Dancing Spirit" and "Revelations"
Saturday, March 27 at 8 p.m. - "Best of 20 Years" and "Revelations"
Sunday, March 28 at 3 p.m. - "Uptown," "Dancing Spirit" and "Revelations"
‡ The student matinees are available only to elementary through high school student groups of 10 or more people.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater 2010 Chicago Program
"Uptown," a new ballet choreographed by 18-year AAADT Company veteran Matthew Rushing, takes the audience on a vibrant tour through the Harlem Renaissance era in all its boisterous, swinging glory. Legends like
Langston Hughes,
Zora Neale Hurston,
Josephine Baker and their contemporaries come alive to the music of Fats Waller,
Nat "King" Cole and more.
"Dancing Spirit," a new work by choreographer
Ronald K. Brown, pays tribute to
Judith Jamison's profound influence to the world of dance. Set to music by
Duke Ellington,
Wynton Marsalis and War, Brown's evocative choreography utilizes movement from Cuba, Brazil and the United States to conjure dancing spirits who embody Jamison's elegance, vision, dignity and generosity.
The "Best Of 20 Years" program features highlights from popular ballets
Judith Jamison has brought to or revived in the Ailey repertory, representing a wide range of styles and voices that have contributed to the Ailey canon. The program includes selections from
Talley Beatty's "The Stack-Up" (1982);
Ronald K. Brown's "Grace" (1999);
Lar Lubovitch's "North Star" (1987);
Alonzo King's "Following the Subtle Current Upstream" (2000), Jawole Willa Jo Zollar's "Shelter" (1992); Ulysses Dove's "Bad Blood" (1984);
Donald McKayle's "Rainbow Round My Shoulder" (1959);
Garth Fagan's "Jukebox for Alvin" (1993); Redha's "Lettres d'Amour" (1998); Hans van Manen's "Polish Pieces" (1996);
Billy Wilson's "The Winter in Lisbon" (1992) and
Donald Byrd's "Dance at the Gym" (1991).
"Love Stories," is
Judith Jamison's dynamic collaboration with hip-hop pioneer Rennie Harris and modern dance maverick Robert Battle. The piece was inspired by the Akan word "Sankofa," which means "go back" (Sanko) and "take" (fa).
In "Among Us (Private Spaces: Public Places)," characters from all walks of life come together in
Judith Jamison's new collection of vignettes examining the joys and complications of human relationships. Original jazz compositions by musical iconoclast
Eric Lewis and costumes by award-winning designer
Paul Tazewell were inspired by a series of Jamison's own drawings that depict these characters' ordinary and sometimes extraordinary lives.
The finale of each program is "Revelations,"
Alvin Ailey's most significant cultural masterpiece. Ailey's inspiration for creating "Revelations" came from a variety of sources: memories of attending Baptist services in Texas as a child, interest in Brueghal's paintings, Oriental Theater and his acquaintances with
James Baldwin and
Langston Hughes. Using African American traditional spirituals, this suite fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul. Since its premiere in 1960, more people around the world have seen this modern dance classic than any other work.
ticket information
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater tickets are now on sale, and range in price from $30 - $85. For tickets, visit the Auditorium Theatre Box Office at 50 E. Congress Parkway; call Ticketmaster at (800) 982-ARTS (2787); or log on to ticketmaster.com/auditorium.
The two student matinee performances of
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater are available for elementary through high school student groups of ten or more people, and can be booked by calling (312) 431-2357. Tickets are $12. The Auditorium Theatre's Student Matinee Series is generously sponsored by The PrivateBank and The
Robert Thomas Bobins Foundation.
Subscriptions for the Auditorium Theatre's 2009 - 2010 Season are also available until March 12. Subscribers to three or more shows receive 10% off full ticket prices. Discounted tickets are currently available for groups of 10 or more. For subscription and group ticket information, call (312) 431-2357 or visit
www.auditoriumtheatre.org.
Chicago
Alvin Ailey Circle Celebration
The Chicago
Alvin Ailey Circle Celebration will be held on Tuesday, March 23 at The Blackstone Hotel (636 S. Michigan Avenue). Tables of ten are $5,000 and individual tickets are $500. Ticket prices include a reception and dinner, as well as a ticket to the opening night performance of
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater on Wednesday, March 24. Proceeds benefit The Auditorium Theatre and
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and provide complimentary show tickets for students attending AileyCamp in Chicago. For information and reservations, call (312) 922-2110 ext. 368.
about
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
On March 30, 1958 in New York City,
Alvin Ailey led a group of young African American modern dancers in a performance that forever changed the perception of American dance. Although he created some 79 ballets during his lifetime, Ailey was a pioneer in establishing a multi-racial repertory company that presented important American dance works from the past as well as new works by both dance pioneers and emerging choreographers.
Today, as we celebrate 20 years of Artistic Director
Judith Jamison's remarkable vision and the artistry of 30 extraordinary dancers,
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, America's Cultural Ambassador to the World, continues to celebrate the African American cultural experience and to preserve and enrich the American modern dance tradition. Regarded as one of the world's premier modern dance companies, The New York Times declares that "Ailey's phenomenal popularity is unmatched by any other company."
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has performed for an estimated 23 million people in 48 states and in 71 countries on 6 continents, including two historic residencies in South Africa, becoming not only the most-traveled dance company, but also an ambassador of American culture, inspiring and uniting people of all backgrounds around the globe. With a repertory of more than 200 works by more than 70 choreographers and a permanent home in New York City, the nation's largest building dedicated to dance, the Ailey legacy flourishes, using the universal language of dance as a medium for honoring the past, celebrating the present and fearlessly reaching into the future.
Toyota is the Official Vehicle Sponsor of
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
American Express is the Official Card and sponsor of "Best of 20 Years." American Airlines is the Official Airline of
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The 2010 North American Tour is supported, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts.
about the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University
The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, located at 50 E. Congress Parkway, is an independent, not-for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural and community programming to Chicago, and to the continued restoration and preservation of the National Historic Landmark Auditorium Theatre. The Auditorium Theatre is generously supported by the Illinois
Arts Council, CityArts, American Airlines and the Palmer House Hilton. For more information about programming, volunteer and donor opportunities or theater tours, call (312) 922-2110 or visit
www.auditoriumtheatre.org.
Photo: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Kirven James Boyd. Photo by Andrew Eccles
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