Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Performs Mother's Day Weekend at NJPAC

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will complete its 65th anniversary coast-to-coastUnited States tour to 21 cities at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND with performances Friday, May 10 at 8pm, Saturday, May 11th at 8pm and Sunday, May 12 at 3pm.
 
Ailey returns to the NJPAC stage for the 25th time with exciting New Jersey premieres, a powerful new production in celebration of this year’s Max Roach Centennial, and repertory favorites including Ailey’s must-see American masterpiece Revelations. 
 
Ailey’s 32 extraordinary dancers include two New Jersey natives: Montclair’s Chalvar Monteiro(Montclair) and Newark’s Christopher Taylor (Newark); and three AileyCamp alumni: Taylor, Solomon Dumas, and De’Anthony Vaughan. 
 
Audiences will have the opportunity to experience the New Jersey premieres of two works specially commissioned for Ailey: Amy Hall Garner’s first work for the Company, CENTURY, and former Ailey dancer Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish’s duet, Me, Myself and You. CENTURY is a deeply personal piece inspired by Hall Garner’s grandfather on the eve of his 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 celebration of life, resilience, and joy. Me, Myself and You is a dreamlike dance about reminiscence. Set to Damien Sneed and Brandie Sutton’s rendition of “In A Sentimental Mood,” it conjures the memories of love and passion of a woman who is asking herself if she should let go or forge ahead.
 
New productions include: the seven-minute tour-de-force Solo by Hans van Manen, the internationally celebrated choreographer long associated with the Dutch National Ballet; and Alonzo King’s Following the Subtle Current Upstream (2000), an audacious, non-stop piece that investigates deeply rooted affinities between Western and Eastern classical forms, elemental materials, the natural world, and the human spirit. Described by choreographer Alonzo King as “a piece about how to return to joy,” Following the Subtle Current Upstream mirrors life’s boisterous waves and reminds us that everything in nature seeks to return to its source. 
 
Also on the program are returning favorites: Survivors (1986) by Alvin Ailey and Mary Barnett, and Ailey’s signature masterpiece Revelations (1960). The former is Ailey’s impassioned tribute to the profound courage and terrible anguish of Nelson and Winnie Mandela. Max Roach’s richly varied drumming and Abbey Lincoln’s vocals set the emotional tone for this powerful work that lifts up those who resist oppression in any form. Revelations has been seen by more people around the world than any other modern dance work, moving audiences with its powerful storytelling and soul-stirring music and evoking timeless themes of determination, hope, and transcendence. Ending each performance is the finale Revelations. Springing from Ailey’s childhood memories of growing up in the south and attending services at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Texas, Revelations pays homage to the rich cultural heritage of the African American community and explores the emotional spectrum of the human condition.  
 
Don't miss Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Tickets are on-sale now and can be purchased by visiting NJPAC.org or calling 888.GO.NJPAC (888.466.5722) or by visiting the NJPAC Box Office.
 

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