Photos: Go Inside DANCE MASTERPIECES at the Academy of Music

This weekend the Philadelphia Ballet, under the artistic direction of Angel Corella, tackled and staged modern dance masterpieces by three of the most influential choreographers of the last century in one night. The works of Alvin Ailey, William Forsythe, and Twyla Tharp are both iconic and award-winning.

According to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, "The choreography demonstrates Ailey’s admiration for classical ballet, but retains the modern and jazz influences found in all his work." Ailey’s The River set the tone for the evening and flowed into William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated. The Guardian in the U.K. called it "the work that changed ballet forever". The Philadelphia Ballet closed out the evening with Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room. After premiering in 1986, In the Upper Room won The Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance in 1991.

Take a look at Broadway World's exclusive photographic look at these three masterpieces below!