Tuesday, February 28, 2023, 7:30 PM
Wednesday, March 1, 2023, 7:30 PM

Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre

Works on Tuesday, February 28

For Four (2021), choreography by Robert Battle
DUET (1964, Ailey premiere 2022), choreography by Paul Taylor
Survivors (1986), choreography by Alvin Ailey and Mary Barnett
Revelations (1960), choreography by Alvin Ailey

This performance will last approximately an hour and 15 minutes. There will also be two additional intermissions.

Works on Wednesday, March 1

In a Sentimental Mood (2022), choreography by Jamar Roberts
Are You in Your Feelings? (2022), choreography by Kyle Abraham
Revelations (1960), choreography by Alvin Ailey

This performance will last approximately an hour and a half. There will also be two additional intermissions.

THESE PERFORMANCES HAVE ALREADY OCCURRED.

PROGRAM NOTEs

View the program for this event here.

 

STUDY GUIDE

We offered a study guide for the school-day performance for K12 students, but you may learn something new, too! View the study guide here.

Co-sponsored by the Black Cultural Center

Robert Battle
Artistic Director

Matthew Rushing
Associate Artistic Director

Celebrate over 60 years of unparalleled artistry when Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater comes to Blacksburg! These dancers dazzle with their technical brilliance and passionate energy, bringing audiences to their feet at every performance.

"Unbelievable. Go see Ailey. It’s change-your-life good."​

— NBC’s Today Show

Each evening features a distinct program of new and classic works from the groundbreaking company, as well as founder Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece, Revelations. You may want to see them both!

About the Company

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater grew from a now-fabled performance in March 1958 at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. Led by Ailey and a group of young African American modern dancers, that performance forever changed the perception of American dance. The Ailey company has gone on to perform for an estimated 25 million people at theatres in 48 states and 71 countries on six continents — and has reached millions more online and through television broadcasts. In doing so, the ensemble has grown beyond the limits of the stage to encompass community outreach, cultural diplomacy, and education at all levels.

In 2008 a U.S. Congressional resolution designated the company as “a vital American cultural ambassador to the world” that celebrates the uniqueness of the African American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance heritage.

"[Revelations] becomes brighter, its brilliance more memorable, every year."

—The New York Times

About Alvin Ailey

When Ailey began creating dances, he drew upon his “blood memories” of Texas, the blues, spirituals, and gospel as inspiration, which resulted in the creation of his most popular and critically acclaimed work, Revelations.

Although he created 79 ballets over his lifetime, Ailey maintained that his company was not exclusively a repository for his own work. Today, the company continues Ailey’s mission by presenting important works of the past and commissioning new ones. In all, more than 200 works by over 80 choreographers have been part of the Ailey company’s repertory.

Before his untimely death in 1989, Ailey named Judith Jamison as his successor, and over the next 21 years, she brought the company to unprecedented success. Jamison, in turn, personally selected Robert Battle to succeed her in 2011. In announcing his appointment as artistic director, Jamison stated, “Combining an intimate knowledge of the Ailey company with an independent perspective, Robert Battle is without question the creative force of the future.”

The Ailey Organization includes Ailey II, a second performing company of young dancers and emerging choreographers; The Ailey School, one of the world's most extensive dance training programs; Ailey Arts in Education and Community Programs, which bring dance into classrooms and communities; and Ailey Extension, offering dance and fitness classes to the public.

"Movement that’ll move you. Plenty of reasons to see Ailey: the slew of thought-provoking new work and perennial favorites [that] feel especially relevant right now.”

—New York Magazine

This is Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's first performance at the Moss Arts Center.

This performance is supported in part by gifts from Dr. Mark and Connie Froggatt, Ms. Ann Goette, and Dr. James M. Shuler and Ms. Margaret F. Shuler.

Please note, there will be no livestream option for this performance, and program is subject to change.

Image Credits
Main image: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Jacquelin Harris, photo by Dario Calmese
Slideshow, in order: Yannick Lebrun, photo by Dario Calmese; Yannick Lebrun, photo by Dario Calmese; Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Revelations, photo by Paul Kolnik; Alvin Ailey American Dance Theaterin Revelations, photo by Paul Kolnik; C. Stamatiou, Sarah Daley-Perdomo, Khalia Campbell, and Jacquelin Harris, photo by Dario Calmese; Courtney Celeste Spears in Revelations, photo by Daniel Azoulay; Jacquelin Harris, photo by Dario Calmese; Michael Jackson Jr., photo by Dario Calmese; Michael Jackson Jr., photo by Dario Calmese; Renaldo Maurice, photo by Dario Calmese; Sarah Daley-Perdomo and Michael Jackson Jr., photo by Dario Calmese; and Solomon Dumas, Khalia Campbell, and Samantha Figgins in Revelations, photo by Paul Kolnik