Displaying items by tag: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Two dancers stand center stage. The traditional, spiritual music begins to play as they start to move. Very much in unison, and slowly in time with the rhythm. We are in the first segment of Revelations - “Pilgrim of Sorrow.” The first two segments were larger group numbers, but this one feels different.

“Fix Me, Jesus” features a duet, and as the song continues, Ailey’s choreography only heightens. Just when you might think the pure strength on stage cannot become more mesmerizing, the dancers wow you with yet another move. The male dancer dips the female to the stage with little more support than his hand on her head. Then he lifts her into the air with his feet, and she continues to amaze with kick after kick – holding her extension at full height for multiple seconds at a time.  Each acrobatic feat elicited cheers from this opening night audience and even brought some to their feet upon the number’s completion.

Alvin Ailey’s company is full of so many incredible dancers. Every number showcased impressive talent that left the eager audience wanting more. However, you just might find that what pushes these numbers over the top is the clear connection that the performers not only share with each other, but also the material. Whether it’s a large group number or a duet like “Fix Me, Jesus,” there is an emotional resonance to each of the pieces that pushes the storytelling over the top.

Helmed by Interim Artistic Director Matthew Rushing, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s tour to the Auditorium Theater showcases a range of material. Long-time fans of the company (like myself) are sure to recognize some of the famous pieces – such as Revelations. This particular performance also sprinkled in some of the newer pieces from the company – including Grace and Finding Free. Each piece was stunning, and from the uproars of applause from the surrounding audience, it was clear I was not alone in my assessment.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Hope Boykin's Finding Free.

Cry was certainly a favorite at this performance, and it’s not hard to see why. Alvin Ailey choreographed this piece as a birthday present to his mother back in 1971, and as noted in the program, it continues to serve as a celebration of “black women everywhere – especially our mothers.” With costumes by A. Christina Giannini, the women on stage wear long, flowing white skirts that twirl and sway with every movement. Particularly when combined with the blue of Chenault Spence’s lighting design, the women almost feel angelic. So much of this performance was met with cheers and standing ovations, but this particular number left audience members silent – clearly leaning into the heartfelt, emotional depth of the piece.

As much as the slower, heavier pieces stood out, you might find that it is hard to top the pure joy that exudes from the final installment of Revelations - “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham.” This number is a full-ensemble moment – with each member dressed up to the nines for a church service. With the men in suits and the women carrying fans, they dance in unison and are clearly having a blast as the music moves through them. Audience members, swept along in the passion, even began to clap along to the music – which only invited the smiles on the dancers to grow.

Full of talent and delight, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s performance simply does not disappoint. Whether you are a long-time fan or completely new to the company, there’s a little something for everyone.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s run at the Auditorium Theater (50 East Ida B. Wells Drive) ended on Sunday, March 9. See the Auditorium Theatre website for  information on other performances in their season. 

*You can also find this review featured on https://www.theatreinchicago.com/.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, one of the world's most popular dance companies, returns to The Auditorium, Chicago's landmark stage at 50 E Ida B. Wells Drive, in four performances only, Friday-Sunday, March 7-9, 2025 as part of a coast-to-coast 2025 United States tour in a season celebrating the life and legacy of Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison (1943-2024). Led by Interim Artistic Director Matthew Rushing, the passionate spirit and extraordinary technique of Ailey's dancers will be showcased in two exciting programs featuring a trio of Chicago premieres alongside compelling new productions and beloved Ailey Classics including Alvin Ailey's must-see signature masterpiece Revelations. Tickets start at $39.00 and are now available at auditoriumtheatre.org or by calling The Auditorium's Ticket Service Center at 312.341.2300.

"Auditorium audiences welcome Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater with great enthusiasm each Spring, knowing a joyful experience awaits, and this year's programming will be no exception. In this, the Company's 56^th visit to The Auditorium, we are saddened by the recent passing of the legendary Ailey dancer and Artistic Director, Judith Jamison, with whom we collaborated many times, but are pleased to pay tribute with a special opening night performance featuring an excerpt of Cry, the exuberant Ailey work that became her signature," said The Auditorium CEO Rich Regan. "And in addition to our public programming, we are proud to be offering two student performances by the Company this year, enabling The Auditorium to introduce thousands of students to this inspiring, dynamic company."

Chicago's own Vernard J. Gilmore will celebrate his farewell hometown engagement with Ailey, taking his final bow after 28 seasons with the Company. Currently the longest tenured Company member, the Englewood native began his professional dance training at Curie Performing and Creative Arts High School before receiving a scholarship to The Ailey School, performing with Ailey II, and joining Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1997.

In addition to the inspiring finale of Revelations for all performances, the programs for the 2025 Chicago engagement of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater are as follows:   

Friday, March 7 at 7:30pm & Sunday, March 9, at 3pm

• Grace(1999, Chicago Premiere of 25th anniversary production) Set to Duke Ellington's classic "Come Sunday," Peven Everett's hit "Gabriel," and the irresistible pulse of Fela Kuti's Afro-Pop, Ronald K. Brown's spellbinding work depicts individuals on a journey to the promised land, expanding from a single angel-like figure in white to the fireball intensity of 12 powerful dancers. Here, the secular and sacred meet in a tour-de-force connecting African and American dance.
• Finding Free(2024, Chicago Premiere) by former Company member Hope Boykin who returns to explore personal freedoms in this collaboration with pianist Matthew Whitaker who is composing an original score. This insightful work uses Boykin's movement-language and Whitaker's jazz- and gospel-influenced music to examine the challenges and restrictions throughout life's peaks and valleys that propel the journey forward.

*Friday only: Special Opening Night excerpt of Cry as a tribute to Ms. Jamison.  

• Cryexcerpt (1971) Alvin Ailey choreographed the solo ballet, Cry, as a birthday present for his mother; it went on to become an enduring work of American art. First danced by the legendary Judith Jamison, an excerpt of this powerful work dedicated to "all black women everywhere - especially our mothers" will be performed on the opening night program (Friday, March 7) as a tribute to Ms. Judith Jamison, the beloved Company dancer and Artistic Director Emerita who passed away in late 2024.

Saturday, March 8 at 1pm & 7:30pm

• Sacred Songs(2024, Chicago Premiere) by Matthew Rushing features music used in the original 1960 premiere of Alvin Ailey's seminal Revelations but later omitted when the piece was edited into the current version that has captivated audiences for decades. Drawing inspiration from the roots of Mr. Ailey's most venerated and consummate creation, this stirring new work will resurrect and reimagine those spirituals—with the collaboration of musical director Du'Bois A'Keen—as an offering to our present need for lamentation, faith, and joy.
• Treading(1979, Chicago Premiere of new production) by Elisa Monte is a sculptural, mesmerizing duet featuring fluid, intricate movements that combine with Steve Reich's evocative music to create an aura of mystery and sensuality.
• Many Angels(2024, Chicago Premiere) by Lar Lubovitch in his first premiere for the Company, features the native Chicago choreographer's renowned lush choreography and musicality set to Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 5.  Many Angels is inspired by a question posed by 13th century theologian St. Thomas Aquinas, "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?," illustrating that some questions have no logical response but are understood as a question of faith.

Culminating each program will be Alvin Ailey's must-see American masterpiece Revelations, acclaimed around the world for sending hearts soaring and lifting audiences to their feet with its perfect blend of reverent grace and spiritual elation. Since its debut in 1960, Revelations has been moving audiences with its powerful storytelling and soul-stirring music, evoking timeless themes of determination, hope, and transcendence. An intimate reflection of Mr. 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. 

2025 Chicago program & performance schedule

Friday, March 7 at 7:30pm & Sunday, March 9, at 3pm

Grace, Finding Free, Cry* (excerpt), Revelations 

*Friday only: Special Opening Night excerpt of Cry as a tribute to Ms. Jamison.  

Saturday, March 8 at 1pm & 7:30pm

Sacred Songs, Treading, Many Angels, Revelations

In addition to these four public performances, the Company will present two student matinees at The Auditorium, reaching thousands of youths with an inspiring program of Ailey Classics on Thursday, March 6 and Friday, March 7 at 11am. 

About Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, recognized by U.S. Congressional resolution as a vital American "Cultural Ambassador to the World," grew from a now-fabled March 1958 performance in New York that changed forever the perception of American dance. Forged during a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement, the Company was established to uplift the African American experience while transcending boundaries of race, faith, and nationality with its universal humanity. Founded by Alvin Ailey, the posthumous recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the nation's highest civilian honor. Before his untimely death in 1989, Mr. Ailey named Judith Jamison as his successor, and for 21 years she led the Company to unprecedented success. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has performed for an estimated 25 million people in 71 countries on 6 continents—as well as millions more through television broadcasts, film screenings, and online platforms—promoting the uniqueness of the African American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance tradition. In addition to being the Principal Dance Company of New York City Center, where its performances have become a year‐end tradition, the Ailey company performs annually at The Auditorium; Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC; The Fox Theatre in Atlanta; Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, CA, and at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark where it is the Principal Resident Affiliate, and appears frequently in other major theaters throughout the United States and the world during extensive yearly tours. The Ailey organization also includes Ailey II (1974), a second performing company of emerging young dancers and innovative choreographers; The Ailey School (1969), one of the most extensive dance training programs in the world; Ailey Arts in Education & Community Programs, which brings dance into the classrooms, communities, and lives of people of all ages; and Ailey Extension (2005), a program offering dance and fitness classes to the general public, which began with the opening of Ailey's permanent home—the largest building dedicated to dance in New York City, the dance capital of the world—named The Joan Weill Center for Dance, at 55th Street at 9th Avenue in New York City. For more information, visit ailey.org.

The compelling story of the life, work, and legacy of Alvin Ailey is the subject of Portrait of Ailey, a new eight-part documentary series available for free on PBS LearningMedia. Created by Ailey II Artistic Director Emerita Sylvia Waters, Portrait of Ailey uses rare historical film and still images as well as contemporary footage to create a sweeping narrative of Mr. Ailey as a performer, choreographer, celebrity, teacher, social activist, arts advocate, and the creator of an enduring institution. All eight chapters are currently available online.

About The Auditorium

The Auditorium, located at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive in Chicago, is an Illinois not-for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community, and educational programming to all of Chicago and beyond as The Theatre for the People. The organization also is committed to the continued restoration and preservation of this National Historic Landmark that originally opened in 1889. The Auditorium's 2024-25 performance season features a dynamic mix of cultural events from ballet to rock and roll and everything in between. For more information on The Auditorium and a complete listing of events at The Auditorium, please visit AuditoriumTheatre.org.

What an honor and delight to see Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theater return to the historic Auditorium Theater during its 125 Anniversary year with our First Lady, Mrs. Michelle Obama serving as Honorary Chair for the 2014-2015 season!

Chicago is not only the groundbreaking company’s home; the Auditorium Theater is host to the longest run of domestic performances by Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theater outside of New York city.

The program changes each night of the run except for the performance of Ailey’s seminal work “Revelations”. I have seen “Revelations” in the past and it never fails to deeply move me and inspire great hope.

“Revelations” truly does “explore the emotions of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul”. Ailey uses classic songs like “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel” and “Sinner Man” to paint with his superbly trained dancers many expressive and poignant pictures of hopelessness leading to deliverance in the African American tradition.

The program I viewed also featured the refreshingly modern “Chroma” and “Four Corners” which stunningly portrayed the four Archangels guarding the four corners of the earth, holding in their angelic hands the four winds.  It was breathtaking and beautifully performed.

I highly recommend seeing as many of the different nights of dance Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theater bestows upon its beloved Chicago audiences. The spectacular strength and beauty of Ailey’s dancers as directed by Robert Battle since 2011 will be a great source of inspiration and joy to all the members of your family, especially little girls and boys who dream of dancing with this exceptional troupe one day.

Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theater will be performing at the Auditorium Theater (50 East Congress Way, Chicago) through March 9^th. For tickets and/or more information, visit http://www.alvinailey.org.