ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER
ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER
PERFORMS AN EXTENSIVE REPERTOIRE, INCLUDING THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF URI SANDS’S EXISTENCE WITHOUT FORM, AT THE AUDITORIUM THEATRE OF ROOSEVELT UNIVERSITY
MARCH 28 – APRIL 1
Thursday, March 29 Performance Honors Renee Robinson and
Celebrates Her 25th Anniversary with AAADT
CHICAGO— Brett Batterson, executive director of the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, is pleased to announce the highly anticipated return of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) to Chicago’s National Historic Landmark Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Parkway, March 28 - April 1. One of the most acclaimed international ambassadors of American culture, AAADT will perform an eclectic repertoire, which includes the Chicago premiere of Uri Sands’ Existence Without Form. This Chicago premiere explores the vulnerability of the human soul, the passion of the heart and the power of the spirit.
Special to the engagement will be a tribute Thursday, March 29 to honor veteran dancer Renee Robinson who is celebrating her 25th year with the company. That evening, Robinson will perform in Ronald K. Brown’s Grace, Carmen de Lavallade’s Sweet Bitter Love (excerpt), and the company’s signature work Revelations. Robinson, the last performer to be selected by company founder Alvin Ailey (1931-1989), is described by AAADT Artistic Director Judith Jamison as “our gift.”
The remainder of the 2007 program features the company premiere of The Golden Section by Twyla Tharp and new productions of Ailey’s The River and Pas de Duke staged by Associate Artistic Director Masazumi Chaya and Portrait of Billie staged by Chaya and de Lavallade. Other pieces include Ulysses Dove’s Episodes and the return of Jamison’s Love Stories and Reminiscin’.
The Chicago premiere, Existence Without Form, by former AAADT dancer Uri Sands, fuses modern dance and traditional styles with Indian and West African movements. This new ballet, which premiered in December 2006 at New York City Center, was created with a commissioned score by Christian Matjias. Sands was recently named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 Choreographers to Watch.”
The company will be presenting its Chicago debut of The Golden Section by Tony Award-winning choreographer Twyla Tharp on opening night. Shattering limits of human physicality, the choreography showcases breathtaking leaps, finely-honed partnering and explosive joy. Set to a propulsive score by David Byrne, The New Yorker hails AAADT’s The Golden Section as “dancing of astonishing beauty and power.”
The renowned choreography of Alvin Ailey meets the musical genius of Duke Ellington in two legendary collaborations: The River and Pas De Duke, both restaged by Associate Artistic Director Masazumi Chaya. In The River, Ailey’s choreographic allegory combines modern dance, classical ballet and jazz in celebration of birth, life and rebirth. Declared by The New York Times as “Mr. Ailey at his inventive best,” The River explores the journey of life through the mutability of water on its voyage to the sea.
Pas de Duke is Ailey’s modern dance translation of a classical pas de deux celebrating the musical brilliance of Duke Ellington. Choreographed as a playful jazz duo, Pas de Duke was originally created to showcase the star qualities of Jamison and Mikhail Baryshnikov. The New York Times praised the work as “one of those special dances that lives in new ways with each new set of performers.”
In Portrait of Billie, choreographer John Butler brings the music of Billie Holiday to life through a poignant portrayal of the singer’s public glory and private demons. Hailed by The New York Times as “Mr. Butler’s finest dance work,” Portrait of Billie pairs sensuous ballet with such familiar Holiday favorites as “Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good to You,” “What a Little Moonlight Can Do” and others.
Grace choreographer Ronald K. Brown explains his ballet “is about people who are on a journey that we watch.” Inspired by the different ways in which dancers deal with choreographic material, the title represents the unacknowledged grace Brown believes surrounds people’s individual existences. The New York Times praised Grace as “astounding, something to be sensed as well as seen.”
Sweet Bitter Love, choreographed by Carmen de Lavallade, is performed to the music of Roberta Flack and originally premiered in 2000. Ms. de Lavallade, an original member of the Ailey Company, told Dance Magazine, “It’s a little one-act play. It's a story about a love affair. I thought about the old movie ‘Brief Encounter,’ where two people, a couple, are attached to other people…They're very nice people, but they have to break it up and it's very hard to do those things. The solo [to be performed by Renee Robinson] was from the woman's viewpoint--her hurt and anger.”
Hailed by The New York Times as “steamy, emotionally intense…and brilliant,” Jamison’s ballet, Reminiscin’ insightfully reflects on the complications and celebrations of human relationships. Set to the sweet melodic sounds of female jazz legends including Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, the soulful score enhances Jamison’s artistry. “I always wanted to create a ballet to the music of extraordinary female singers who were singing songs that touched my heart and also made me laugh,” says Jamison. Inspired by Edward Hopper’s artistic masterpiece Nighthawks, the piece beautifully captures the essence of the human condition: pain, love, loss, and friendship. The finale of each program will be Ailey’s 1960 masterpiece Revelations, a powerful tribute to spirituals and one of the company’s best-loved and most significant works. Danced with the joy and vitality that are the hallmark of Ailey, the Atlanta Journal Constitution calls Revelations, “soul-stirring (and) show-stopping… as sassy, snappy and soulful as ever.”
AAADT will showcase The River, The Golden Section and Revelations in a special Family Matinee. The performance held Saturday, March 31 at 2 p.m., as part of the Auditorium Theatre’s LaSalle Bank Family Series, offers an affordable entertainment option for families: a free child ticket with the purchase of a full-priced adult ticket. Patrons use the special code FAMTIX during the ticket transaction to receive the special family tickets. Children must be under 18 years old to be eligible for the complimentary ticket; some restrictions apply. The Family Matinee is immediately followed by a post-performance question and answer session with company members.
Prior to AAADT’s performances at the Auditorium Theatre, the company will participate in an educational outreach program sponsored by Morgan Stanley. The program will benefit Chicago Public School students at Daniel Boone Elementary School, located on Chicago’s North Side at 6710 N. Washtenaw Ave, March 19-23. Ailey teaching artists will work with sixth grade Boone students during the five-day program, teaching them the importance of dance and free artistic expression in enriching their communities and lives. This inter-disciplinary residency program combines traditional dance instruction and exercises with an underscoring in history, language, and art. The program culminates in the students’ attendance at the Student Matinee performance, Friday, March 30. This residency is among seven across the country that are being made possible by a generous grant from Morgan Stanley, the National Sponsor of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
The special one-hour student-only matinee performance Friday, March 30 at 11 a.m. is available to school groups from throughout Chicagoland. The program will feature excerpts from Love Stories and the full performance of Revelations. Study guides are available. Schools should call 312.431.2357 for student matinee tickets and information
Since its inception in 1958, AAADT has made a broad, indelible impact on the way people view dance, the African-American aesthetic and music in America. AAADT blends artistry and dramatic power to create an electrifying performance that appeals to and amazes all audiences. Through the artistic leadership of Judith Jamison, the Ailey legacy continues to embrace the mantle of the company’s founder in showcasing dance as a medium to honor the past, celebrating the present and fearlessly reaching into the future.
Performance and Program Schedule
The performance schedule for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University is as follows:
Wednesday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m.: The River, The Golden Section, Revelations
Thursday, March 29 at 7:30 p.m.: Grace, Sweet Bitter Love (excerpt), Existence Without Form, Revelations
Friday, March 30 at 8 p.m.: Reminiscin’, Portrait of Billie, Pas de Duke, Revelations
Saturday, March 31 at 2 p.m.: The River, The Golden Section, Revelations
Saturday, March 31 at 8 p.m.: Love Stories, Episodes, Revelations
Sunday, April 1 at 3 p.m.: The River, The Golden Section, Revelations
Tickets range in price from $29 to $79 and are currently on sale. For tickets or more information about Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, visit the Auditorium Theatre box office, call 312.902.1500, log onto ticketmaster.com or visit auditoriumtheatre.org. Groups of 10 or more receive a discount on select shows by calling 312.431.2357.
The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, located at 50 E. Congress Parkway, is an independent, not-for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural and community programming to Chicago, and to the continued restoration and preservation of the National Historic Landmark Auditorium Theatre. For more information about programming, volunteer and donor opportunities or theatre tours, call 312. 922.2110 or visit our newly renovated website www.auditoriumtheatre.org, made possible by the generous support of the American Express Performing Arts Fund.