Alvin Ailey News

From the late 19th century to today, dance has captured this nation's culture in motion. 'Dancing the Dream' includes images of performers like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Savion Glover, George Balanchine, Beyoncé and Isadora Duncan.

Tony Yazbeck will join the previously announced Christian Borle in Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh's Little Me, the opening production of New York City Center Encores! series, running for seven performances, February 5 - 9, 2014. Joshua Bergasse will choreograph the production, along with the previously announced Director John Rando and Music Director Rob Berman.

From the late 19th century to today, dance has captured this nation's culture in motion. 'Dancing the Dream' includes images of performers like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Savion Glover, George Balanchine, Beyoncé and Isadora Duncan.

Dance Currents presents 'One Hundred Years of Modern Dance' tonight, September 28, 10AM at the Underground Theater, 7 Medford St., Arlington, Mass., with workshop to follow in Modern Technique/Repertory.

Robin Becker didn't blink when she decided to create a dance based on Pulitzer Prize winning author David Maraniss's book, "They Marched Into Sunlight," a 530-page cultural history of war and protest set in 1967. Becker's result, "Into Sunlight," a tour de force of imagination and emotional power, becomes remarkably relevant given the moral dilemmas America is currently facing in the world. The dance receives its New York premiere at Florence Gould Hall, Ocotber 25-27.

On October 13, Las Vegas-based song and dance collaborators Michael Kessler and Melinda Jackson will welcome guests to their newest Las Vegas show, "That's Life." The performance will be held one night only at Summerlin's Starbright Theatre and include the duos' signature song and dance stylings along with fine artist Terry Ritter. The production will intertwine Ritter's live painting with song and dance.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater fall happenings include AMC's Low Winter Sun appearance, Fall for Dance Performances & more.

Amas Musical Theatre (Donna Trinkoff/Artistic Producer) will present three free staged readings of 'Cookin'!', a new musical by Debra Barsha and Hollye Levin, with musical director Gillian Berkowitz, directed by Lynne Taylor-Corbett. The readings will take place tonight, September 25 @ 6pm and Thursday, September 26 at 1:00pm and 5pm, at The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street.

Marking both the inaugural performances under newly appointed Artistic Director Kevin Irving and the final season of Principal Dancer Alison Roper, Oregon Ballet Theatre will present their opening program, DREAM, at the grand Keller Auditorium.

In celebration of this extraordinary legacy on the occasion of the series' 40th anniversary on PBS, a stellar roster of diverse alumni gather to share their personal stories of what Great Performances has meant to them, with reminiscences and performances by Julie Andrews, Audra McDonald, Don Henley, David Hyde Pierce, Josh Groban, Itzhak Perlman, Peter Martins, Patti Austin and Take 6, Met Opera star El?na Garan?a and Michael Buble. The evening, taped at Lincoln Center last November, will be televised on Great Performances, Friday, October 18 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings).

Northrop at the University of Minnesota presents Hubbard Dance Street Chicago tonight, Sep 21 at 8:00 pm at the State Theatre as the opening performance in the 2013-14 Northrop dance season.

Known for creating contagious joy through movement, General Mischief Dance Theatre continues to take audiences on high-flying adventures. This Fall in New York City, General Mischief presents multiple premieres in a two-part performance series starting with 'Three if by Air' at the Manhattan Movement Arts Center this weekend, September 21-22, followed by 'Four on the Floor' at New York City Center Studios on October 18-19.

American Repertory Ballet will kick off its 2013-14 season at Rider University's Bart Luedeke Center Theater in Lawrenceville, NJ today and tomorrow, September 20 and 21 at 7:30pm. ARB's Fall Kick-Off production features Artistic Director Douglas Martin's critically acclaimed Rite of Spring, Patrick Corbin's lyrical Caress, ARB Resident Choreographer Mary Barton's vibrant Five Men and a Concerto, and an excerpt from Martin's Romeo and Juliet. The program presents repertory appealing to a wide variety of tastes, showcasing the diverse range of American Repertory Ballet's dancers and choreographers.

As Houston's leading performing arts presenter, Society for the Performing Arts (SPA) has announced its 2013-2014 season filled with music, dance and family entertainment from the world's best artists and companies.

Dr. Barbara Ann Teer's National Black Theatre (NBT) and Brooklyn's 651 ARTS partner together to present a dynamic conversation between Legendary dancer/choreographer Bill T. Jones and internationally renowned dancer, choreographer Gregory Vuyani Maqoma that falls inline with NBT's 45th Season of "Moving the Legacy Forward." The conversation will happen on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 at 7PM. The discussion, entitled "History, Memory and the Creative Process," will focus on the creative process of making a dance work based on biographical and historical narratives. National Black Theatre's CEO, Sade Lythcott will moderate the conversation, which will be held at the NBT located at 2031 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10035. Tickets to this event are with a suggested donation of $10.

Over 400 guests attended Westport Country Playhouse's annual fundraising gala, 'Sophisticated Lady: A Gala Evening Honoring Phylicia Rashad,' on Monday evening, September 16. In addition to honoring the Tony Award-winning actress, arts advocate and philanthropist Howard J. Aibel of Weston was presented with the Westport Country Playhouse Leadership Award. Scroll down for photos from the big event!

Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet is pleased to announce that Rachelle Scott is the first company dancer to win the Princess Grace Award. Scott will receive her award at the annual Princess Grace Awards Gala held in the presence of HSH The Princess of Monaco on October 30, 2013 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York.

Mikhail Baryshnikov serves as the Honorary Chairman for Uptown Downtown, a special one-night-only extravaganza to benefit the Abrons Arts Center on October 14. Bringing together the brightest lights of New York City's uptown and downtown performance scenes, the evening will feature Kyle Abraham, Joey Arias, Jack Ferver + James Whiteside, Ellen Greene, Robert La Fosse, Bebe Neuwirth, Philippe Petit, and other special guests. Lance Horne serves as Musical Director.

Stephen Pier has achieved a uniquely rich and varied career as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer. His credits as a performer include many years with the Jose Limon Dance Company where the New York press hailed him as '...one of the most gifted dancers on the modern dance scene today.' He went on to become a leading soloist with the Hamburg Ballet in Germany, performing the title roles in John Neumeier's Othello and Saint Matthew's Passion, and creating numerous other major roles during his nine years with the company. As a member of the Royal Danish Ballet for six years, Mr. Pier had the privilege of dancing leading roles in works of Bournonville, Balanchine, MacMillan, Bejart, and collaborating with many of Europe's finest contemporary choreographers.