Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Celebrates 50th Anniversary Season at the Academy of Music with Philly Native Judith Jamison,
April 4, 2008
Photo: Andrew Eccles
"Dancing of astonishing beauty and power."—New Yorker
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater continues to embody the bold, new direction of American modern dance as the troupe celebrates its 50th anniversary season at the Academy of Music with Philly native Artistic Director Judith Jamison on Friday, April 25, 2008 at 8pm and Saturday, April 26, 2008 at 2pm and 8pm. Known for performing physically demanding modern techniques that defy physics, the dance troupe combines ballet with athleticism on stage, as they continue to translate founder Alvin Ailey’s fluid, theatrical choreography. Most recently, the 30 member company was named "vital American Cultural Ambassador to the World" for its dedication to the African-American cultural experience and rich modern dance traditions.
The evening program ranges from the provocative ballet "Firebird" by French choreographer Maurice Béjart; "Love Stories," Jamison’s dynamic collaboration with Philly-based hip-hop pioneer Rennie Harris and modern dance maverick Robert Battle; "Reflections in D"; and Ailey’s powerful masterpiece, "Revelations." The matinee program features "Night Creature"; "Solo"; "Revelations"; and Tony Award-winning choreographer Twyla Tharp’s "The Golden Section."
"There was color, passion, lyricism, energy and loads of talent… a fresh definition of sensuality in motion…amid lifts, leaps, spins and arabesques, there was jive, mambo, merengue and more."
The Friday performance includes an Artist Chat with members of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Kimmel Center’s Director of Programming Tom Warner.
This concert is the third performance in the Movers & Shakers Series scheduled for the Kimmel Center Presents 2007/2008 season. The next concert in the series will be Philadanco’s spring residency on Thursday-Sunday, May 8-11, 2008.
Tickets for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater are $24, $34, $44, $56 and $70 and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center box office open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. (Additional fees may apply.) For group sales call 215-790-5883.
A limited number of $10 tickets are available for every Kimmel Center Presents performance at the Kimmel Center. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning 2.5 hours prior to curtain time and 11:30am for matinees. Limit one ticket per person.
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has earned a reputation as one of the most acclaimed international ambassadors of American modern dance traditions. The company, founded by Alvin Ailey in New York in 1958, has gone on to perform for an estimated 21 million people in 48 states, and 71 countries on six continents, including two historic residences in South Africa. In addition to presenting important works from the past and newly commissioned works by emerging choreographers, the company continues to perform several of Ailey’s 79 ballets, including "Revelations," "Night Creature" and "Cry." In all, the company has performed more than 200 works by over 70 choreographers, including Ulysses Dove, Karole Armitage, Uri Sands, and most recently, Twyla Tharp. The Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, the umbrella organization that supports the company, also incorporates the company’s official school, which trains 3,000 students a year from 21 countries; a long-established junior troupe, Ailey II; and dance camps in seven American cities.
Philly native Artistic Director Judith Jamison recently announced her 2011 retirement as lead director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Jamison was discovered by Alvin Ailey at a New York audition for a TV special and joined his dance company in 1965, remaining for 15 years to great acclaim. Upon returning to support Ailey’s European tour in 1989, Jamison became the company’s artistic associate for the US tour and was shortly after named the company’s artistic director, following Ailey’s untimely death. During her tenure, the company has created a bachelor’s degree program with Fordham University, expanded its performance schedule and built a $56 million headquarters in Manhattan. Jamison is the recipient of many awards and honorary degrees, including the Kennedy Center Honor in 1999, the National Medal of Arts in 2001, and the "Making a Difference" Award by the NAACP ACT-SO in 2003. In September 2007, Jamison was presented a Bessie Award for her lifetime commitment to the preservation and development of dance and the arts.
Kimmel Center Presents 2007/2008 season is sponsored by Citi. Support for the Mellon Jazz Series comes from The Bank of New York Mellon. The Great Orchestra Series is supported by ARC Wheeler. Additional support is provided by the University of Pennsylvania Health System and American Express. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. Toyota is the Official Vehicle of Kimmel Center Presents Mellon Jazz, Mellon Jazz Up Close and World & Pop.
The Kimmel Center also receives support from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, The William Penn Foundation, The Wachovia Foundation, Verizon Foundation, PNC Foundation, The Philadelphia Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and the Philadelphia Music Project and Dance Advance, Initiatives of The Pew Charitable Trust administered by The University of the Arts. In-kind support is generously provided by Deloitte. NBC-10 is a Media Partner for Kimmel Center Presents, and additional media sponsors include WDAS, WRTI, WJJZ, Afro-Pop, WXPN and WXPN's Kids Corner 20th Anniversary.
Free in the Plaza programming and subsidized tickets offered to the community and social service groups for $10 are made possible through the Wachovia Gateway to the Arts Community Access Program, supported by a generous grant from Wachovia Foundation.
KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS SPONSORED BY CITI
Friday, April 25, 2008 | 8pm
Saturday, April 26, 2008 | 2pm & 8pm
Academy of Music
Movers & Shakers Series
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Judith Jamison, Artistic Director
Masazumi Chaya, Associate Artistic Director
Company members:
Guillermo Asca, Olivia Bowman, Kirven J. Boyd, Hope Boykin, Clifton Brown, Courtney Brené Corbin, Rosalyn Deshauteurs, Khilea Douglass, Antonio Douthit, Vernard J. Gilmore, Alicia J. Graf, Ebony Haswell, Zach Law Ingram, Abdur-Rahim Jackson, Chris Jackson, Gwynenn Taylor Jones, Willy Laury, Malik Le Nost, Roxanne Lyst, Amos J. Machanic, Jr., Adam McKinney, Briana Reed, Jamar Roberts, Renee Robinson, Matthew Rushing, Glenn Allen Sims, Linda Celeste Sims, Yusha-Marie Sorzano, Constance Stamatiou, Tina Monica Williams
Friday and Saturday, April 25-26, 2008 | 8pm
"Firebird"
Choreographer: Maurice Béjart
Restaged by: Shonach Mirk Robles
Composer: Igor Stravinsky ("The Firebird Suite")
Costume design by: Joëlle Roustan & Roger Bernard
"Love Stories"
Choreographer: Judith Jamison with Robert Battle and Rennie Harris
Music: Stevie Wonder
Original composition composed and produced by: Darrin Ross
Costumes: Susan Hilferty
Lighting and Visual Design: Al Crawford
"Reflections in D"
Choreographer: Alvin Ailey
Restaged by: Judith Jamison
Composer: Duke Ellington
Lighting: Nicola Cernovitch
"Revelations"
Choreographer: Alvin Ailey
Music: Traditional Spirituals
Original decor and costumes: Lawrence Maldonado
Revival decor and costumes: Ves Harper
Costumes for Rocka My Soul section redesigned by: Barbara Forbes
Lighting: Nicola Cernovitch
Saturday, April 26, 2008 | 2pm
"Night Creature"
Choreographer: Alvin Ailey
Music: Duke Ellington
Original costumes: Jane Greenwood
Revival costumes: Barbara Forbes
Fabric Dyeing: Elissa Tatigikis Iberti
Lighting: Chenault Spence
"Solo"
Choreographer: Hans van Manen
Staged by Mea van Dijken Venema
Music by Johann Sebastian Bach
Costumes design by Keso Dekker
Lighting by Joop Caboort
"The Golden Section"
Choreographer: Twyla Tharp
Staged by: Shelley Washington
Music: David Byrne
Costumes: Santo Loquasto
Lighting Design: Jennifer Tipton
"Revelations"
Choreographer: Alvin Ailey
FREE AT THE KIMMEL:
Friday, April 25, 2008 | Post-show
Academy of Music Stage
Artist Chat with members of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
The Friday performance includes an Artist Chat with some of the evening’s artists and the Kimmel Center’s Director of Programming Tom Warner.
Saturday, April 26, 2008 | 11am
Commonwealth Plaza Stage
PNC Grow Up Great: Yosi & The Superdads
Look, up on the stage! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Yosi & The Superdads! Faster than a speeding toddler. More powerful than finger paint. Yosi & The Superdads welcome spring with their energetic songs in four-part harmony.
Saturday, April 26, 2008 | 1pm
Commonwealth Plaza Stage
Kimmel Center Youth Jazz Ensemble celebrates Jazz in our Schools Month
The Kimmel’s own middle school big band performs its third concert of the season as part of Jazz in our Schools Month. Join conductor Marc Johnson as he leads the next generation of student musicians, picked from across the Delaware Valley, in an afternoon of jazz standards.
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