Performance Dates: March 20–24, 2024
Ailey’s Repertory for the 21st Season of ‘Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center’ Includes L.A. Premieres of ‘CENTURY,’ ‘Ode’ and ‘Are You in Your Feelings?’ Plus Signature Masterpiece ‘Revelations’
LOS ANGELES (February 13, 2024) —The Music Center continues its 21st season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center with a tremendous seven-performance engagement by the illustrious Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater that will captivate audiences over five days, March 20–24, 2024, at The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The New York-based company will begin its exclusive four-year Southern California residency at The Music Center by showcasing an exhilarating repertory in two programs, blending audience favorites and Ailey classics with three works making their Los Angeles premieres; the two programs will alternate among the seven performance dates.The first program (Program A) includes the L.A. premieres of both Ode (choreography by Jamar Roberts, 2019) and Are You in Your Feelings? (choreography by Kyle Abraham, 2022) as well as the signature masterpiece Revelations (choreography by Alvin Ailey, 1960); program A will be performed on March 20, 22, 23 (matinee) and 24 (evening), 2024. The second program (Program B) includes the L.A. premiere of new work CENTURY (choreography by Amy Hall Garner, 2023), a restaging of Dancing Spirit (choreography by Ronald K. Brown, 2009) with Revelations as the capstone; program B will be performed on March 21, 23 (evening) and 24 (matinee), 2024.“The diverse pieces that Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will perform, including three works never before seen in L.A., convey the company’s passionate spirit and the dancers’ extraordinary technique. Once again, the Ailey company will showcase its incredible artistry that has made it a cultural phenomenon,” said Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. “I also want to congratulate Ailey on its 65th anniversary, which coincides with The Music Center’s 60th year, and its continued success in inspiring audiences. We will proudly present this company for many years to come, as it shines a light on the power and beauty of the performing arts.”In May 2023, The Music Center and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater jointly announced the company’s commitment to perform for four consecutive years at The Music Center’s iconic Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, beginning with the current 2023–2024 season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center. The multi-year residency is the first of its kind in The Music Center’s 60-year history.The Los Angeles premiere of CENTURY, the first work by choreographer Amy Hall Garner for the Ailey company, is a deeply personal piece inspired by her grandfather’s 100th birthday. Taking a cue from his spirited essence and set to the music of Ray Charles, Count Basie, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and more, CENTURY is a pure dance work celebrating life, resilience and joy.Ronald K. Brown’s Dancing Spirit (2009) pays tribute to the profound influence of Judith Jamison, a former Ailey dancer and artistic director, with a moving work that echoes the title of Jamison’s autobiography. Set to music by Duke Ellington, Wynton Marsalis and War, Brown’s evocative choreography uses movement from Cuba, Brazil and the United States to conjure dancing spirits who embody Jamison’s elegance, dignity and generosity.Kyle Abraham’s Are You in Your Feelings? (2022) is a celebration of Black culture, Black music and the youthful spirit that perseveres in everyone. Scored to a “mixtape” of soul, hip-hop and R&B and featuring beloved musical artists like Jhené Aiko, Drake, Lauryn Hill, Kendrick Lamar, Jazmine Sullivan and Summer Walker, the critically acclaimed work resonates with the themes of love and relationships. “A lot of these songs are the songs that I play when I’m at my lowest and at my highest,” said Abraham. “I wanted to find a way to thank those artists for their music and thank our culture for their contributions to this world in which we live.”Ode (2019), choreographed by former Ailey dancer Jamar Roberts, offers a meditation on the beauty and fragility of life in a time of growing gun violence. This tender, engrossing work will be staged with an all-female cast donning Roberts’ own costume designs and will feature a jazz score, including Don Pullen’s Suite (Sweet) Malcolm (Part 1: Memories and Gunshots).In true Ailey style, each engagement in this new Music Center residency culminates with the American masterpiece Revelations, which has become a must-see since its debut in 1960. Beloved by generations of audiences, Alvin Ailey’s signature work is a tribute to his heritage and childhood memories of growing up in the South. His masterpiece moves audiences with its powerful storytelling and soul-stirring music, and evokes timeless themes of determination, hope and transcendence.“I know firsthand the profound and positive impact of an Ailey performance, having been inspired by Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece Revelations as a student growing up in the Los Angeles area,” said Associate Artistic Director Matthew Rushing. “After my three decades with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, it is an honor during the company’s milestone season to lead the extraordinary dancers back to The Music Center stage with a repertory full of dynamic choreographic voices in the city where our legendary founder Alvin Ailey took his first steps into the world of dance.”To engage and inspire students and educators with dance and movement, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s residency will include a special matinee performance for approximately 2,500 middle school and high school students on Friday, March 22, 2024. During the week of March 4, 2024, the company’s Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs will also visit two middle schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District for a weeklong arts-learning experience entitled Revelations: An Interdisciplinary Approach. The program will entail classroom workshops for students to examine the work and historical impact of Alvin Ailey, a writing project on students’ self-reflection and a discussion on the choreography of Ailey’s masterpiece Revelations. These students will then attend Ailey’s student matinee performance at The Music Center. Additionally, The Music Center has arranged for Ailey to provide an AileyDance for Active Aging workshop for older adults in partnership with non-profit organization EngAGE, Inc., at The Piedmont Senior Apartments in North Hollywood.Tickets to performances are available for purchase now by visiting musiccenter.org/ailey or calling (213) 972-0711.The Music Center’s Ticket Buyer Assurance Program protects all advance ticket purchases for dance presentations through 2024. Ticketed patrons will receive, at their request, a full refund or a credit for a future performance if Los Angeles County or the State of California elects to restrict or prohibit large gathering events at venues, resulting in the cancellation by The Music Center of dance performances due to COVID-19-related conditions. If an event is postponed or rescheduled, ticketed patrons will be moved automatically to the new performance date; however, patrons may request a refund or credit for the future. All changes must be handled prior to the purchaser’s scheduled performance date.The Music Center remains committed to the highest standards of safety, sanitation and security to minimize risk for guests, artists and employees. Visit musiccenter.org/safety for information about The Music Center’s continued safety and security measures.
CALENDAR LISTING
Alvin Ailey American Dance TheaterThe Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler PavilionWednesday, March 20, 2024, 7:30 p.m. (Program A)Thursday, March 21, 2024, 7:30 p.m. (Program B)Friday, March 22, 2024, 7:30 p.m. (Program A)Saturday, March 23, 2024, 2:00 p.m. (Program A)Saturday, March 23, 2024, 7:30 p.m. (Program B)Sunday, March 24, 2024, 2:00 p.m. (Program B)Sunday, March 24, 2024, 7:30 p.m. (Program A)Last company appearance at The Music Center: 2022
Program A:
- Are You in Your Feelings? (2022, L.A. Premiere)Choreography: Kyle AbrahamRehearsal Associate: Stephanie TeraskiMusic: Various ArtistsCostumes: Karen YoungLighting: Dan Scully
- Ode (2019, L.A. Premiere)Choreography: Jamar RobertsRestaging: Ghrai DeVore-StokesMusic: Don PullenCostumes: Jamar RobertsLighting: Brandon Stirling BakerScenic Design: Libby Stadstad
- Revelations (1960)Choreography: Alvin AileyMusic: Traditional SpiritualsDécor and Costumes: Ves HarperRedesigned costumes for Rocka My Soul: Barbara ForbesLighting: Nicola Cernovitch
Program B:
- CENTURY (2023, L.A. Premiere)Choreography: Amy Hall GarnerRehearsal Associate: Natrea BlakeMusic: Various ArtistsCostumes: Susan RoemerLighting and Scenic Design: Nicole Pearce
- Dancing Spirit (2009)Choreography: Ronald K. BrownMusic: Duke Ellington, Wynton Marsalis, Radiohead, War
- Revelations (1960)Choreography: Alvin AileyMusic: Traditional SpiritualsDécor and Costumes: Ves HarperRedesigned costumes for Rocka My Soul: Barbara ForbesLighting: Nicola Cernovitch
ABOUT GLORYA KAUFMAN PRESENTS DANCE AT THE MUSIC CENTERGlorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, a TMC Arts program, is one of the leading presenters of dance on the West Coast. The celebrated series offers significant works by prestigious ballet and contemporary dance artists from around the world. Now entering its 21st year, Dance at The Music Center is a powerful force, supporting new works and artists-in-residence projects by today’s most influential companies and choreographers. Performances are complemented by special experiences for both ticket buyers and the public with opportunities to learn more about the choreography and the themes explored, including panels, master classes, dance film festivals, interactive experiences and more. The 21st season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center is generously supported by Glorya Kaufman Foundation, Center Dance Arts, Dorothy B. Chandler Program Fund and Elisabeth Katte Harris.ABOUT CENTER DANCE ARTSCenter Dance Arts is a dynamic community of patrons with a passion for dance. Center Dance Arts members bring dance to life in Los Angeles by promoting The Music Center’s world-class dance performances, extensive educational outreach and free and low-cost community experiences so all may experience the transformative power of dance. For more information, visit musiccenter.org/cda.ABOUT THE MUSIC CENTERThe Music Center convenes artists, communities and ideas with the goal of deepening the cultural lives of every resident in Los Angeles County. Celebrating its 60th year in 2024, the $70 million non-profit performing arts organization has two divisions: TMC Arts and TMC Ops. TMC Arts, The Music Center’s programming engine, provides year-round programming inside The Music Center’s four theatres, on Jerry Moss Plaza, outside at Gloria Molina Grand Park—a 12-acre adjacent green space—in schools and other locations all over Los Angeles County and on a digital platform called The Music Center Offstage. TMC Arts presents world-class dance with Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, free and low-cost public concerts and events, as well as live and digital K–12 arts education programs, workshops, performances, interactive experiences and special events. TMC Ops manages the theatres, the Plaza and Gloria Molina Grand Park, which comprise $2 billion in county assets, on behalf of the County of Los Angeles. The Music Center is also home to four renowned resident companies—Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Master Chorale, LA Opera and LA Phil. For more information, visit musiccenter.org. Follow The Music Center on social media @MusicCenterLA.ABOUT ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATERAlvin 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. Founded by Alvin Ailey, recent posthumous recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the nation’s highest civilian honor—and guided by Judith Jamison beginning in 1989, the Company was led until 2023 by Robert Battle, whom Judith Jamison chose to succeed her on July 1, 2011. 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 Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC; the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago; 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 alvinailey.org.