Wynton Marsalis on “Ailey Forward” Virtual Season
This December, enjoy Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s first-ever online season.
In the words of Artistic Director Robert Battle, “this season we look forward to joining with you on a journey of reinvention and reimagination that takes Ailey’s artistry to new heights with excellence, beauty, strength, hope, and love.” Celebrating six decades of Revelations, the season will elevate Ailey’s legacy of innovation and excellence with premieres, reinvented classics, interactive workshops, and a series of artist conversations.
All events will be free to enjoy here on Alvin Ailey website or on YouTube and Facebook, with no registration required.
Season features include:
- A celebration of the 60th anniversary of Alvin Ailey’s Revelations including “Revelations Reimagined” during our Opening Night Virtual Benefit on December 2.
- Family-friendly programs, including one focused on Revelations where you’ll learn choreography from Alvin Ailey’s beloved masterpiece, and another where Robert Battle and Wynton Marsalis explore Mr. Ailey’s collaboration with Duke Ellington, plus performance highlights from Ailey’s ballets with Ellington music. (Sat., Dec. 5 @ 2:00pm ET – Dec. 12)
- Talks with Artistic Director Robert Battle and special guests.
- A farewell performance honoring longtime Company members Glenn Allen Sims and Linda Celeste Sims, featuring a newly-filmed excerpt from Billy Wilson’s The Winter in Lisbon.
- The world premiere of A Jam Session for Troubling Times by Company member and Resident Choreographer Jamar Roberts. Set to the music of jazz saxophonist and composer Charlie “Bird” Parker, this work uses the energy, nuance, and virtuosity of the ‘bebop’ sound as a vehicle to lift our spirits and demonstrate that we are stronger than our circumstances.
- The world premiere of Testament by Associate Artistic Director Matthew Rushing, Company member and Assistant to the Rehearsal Director Clifton Brown, and former Company member Yusha-Marie Sorzano. Weaving together deep personal experiences and an original score by composer Damien Sneed, Testament is a tribute to Alvin Ailey’s Revelations that follows a community of people turning pain into power and lament into hope.
- “Decades of Revelations”, with excerpts captured over the last 60 years on film and video. Many of these highlights have been unseen by the public for decades.
