Join Us for the 50th Anniversary
Celebration Tour!
On Stage at the
Sony Centre for the Performing Arts
May 16 & 17, 2008
THREE PERFORMANCES ONLY – EACH WITH
UNIQUE PROGRAMMING
World Premiere by Camille A.
Brown
Company Premieres of Robert
Battle’s Unfold and Firebird by legendary European choreographer
Maurice Béjart
New Production of Alvin
Ailey’s Flowers
"The euphoric energy and
technical brilliance of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
is a revelation."
Time Out
"This is dancing to die for."
The Times
"Vibrant commitment and
roof-lifting energy"
The Independent
Toronto, Ontario – Hailed by The New
York Times as being "rich with fine performers these days, both
established and rising stars", Alvin Ailey American Dance
Theater will soon bring the beauty, power, passion and artistry
that are its hallmarks to audiences to Toronto in celebration of
ts golden anniversary. Led by acclaimed Artistic Director Judith
Jamison, the Company will return to the Sony Centre for the
Performing Arts (formerly The Hummingbird Centre) to present a
diverse repertory of revered classics, recent favorites,
exciting premieres and dramatic new productions for three
performances only on Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17, 2008.
After completing 2007 with an
appearance on the season five premiere of "The Ellen DeGeneres
Show", performing to sell-out crowds on a 13-city international
tour and in a record-breaking New York City Center season,
Ailey’s artists began 2008 by sharing the "Ailey spirit" by
launching a 7 city North American tour and in a special guest
appearance on ABC’s "Dancing With the Stars". The final
performances of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s tour are in
Toronto with company premieres of legendary European
choreographer Maurice Béjart’s innovative reworking of Fokine’s
Firebird and Robert Battle’s Unfold, a duet to a recording by
Leontyne Price called a "highlight of 2005" by Dance Magazine.
The tour also features world premieres
by highly praised young choreographer Camille A. Brown, a former
student of The Ailey School: Ms. Brown’s The Groove To Nobody’s
Business, with music by Ray Charles and original compositions by
rising composer Brandon McCune, explores relationships that
develop among strangers waiting for a subway train.
Alvin Ailey’s 1971 Flowers, a dramatic
and poignant work inspired by the life of Janis Joplin will also
be seen for the first time in almost three decades. It was
re-staged by Associate Artistic Director Masazumi Chaya, who is
now celebrating his 35th anniversary at Ailey.
AAADT has performed in over 70
countries on six continents, becoming the most-traveled dance
company and regarded as America’s Cultural Ambassador to the
World. Founded by Alvin Ailey in 1958, AAADT’s inspiring
performances honor and enrich the African American cultural
experience and the American modern dance tradition, uniting
people of all backgrounds in a celebration of the human spirit
through the universal language of dance.
Detailed performance schedule
attached. Programs are subject to change.
TORONTO HIGHLIGHTS
World Premiere
The Groove To Nobody’s Business
Choreography: Camille A. Brown
Music: Ray Charles and original
compositions by Brandon McCune
Emerging choreographer Camille A.
Brown, formerly of Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, demonstrates why
Dance magazine named her one of their "25 to Watch" in this new
work that joins her explosive, virtuosic movement with Ray
Charles’ music and an original score by rising talent Brandon
McCune. Awarded a commissioning grant by The Joyce Theater for
its creation, this ballet reveals glimpses of humanity as
relationships develop during ordinary interactions between
strangers waiting for a subway train.
Company Premieres
Firebird (1970)
Choreography: Maurice Béjart
Restaged by: Shonach Mirk Robles
Music: Igor Stravinsky "The Firebird
Suite"
The legendary European choreographer
Maurice Béjart’s famous ballet is a coming of age allegorical
tale of revolution, idealism and rebirth. An innovative
interpretation of the 1910 Michel Fokine original for Ballets
Russes and set to Igor Stravinsky’s glorious score; it features
a male Firebird and Phoenix surrounded by a full chorus,
showcasing the power and beauty of the Ailey dancers in radiant
grandeur.
Unfold (2005)
Choreography: Robert Battle
Music: Gustave Charpentier, sung by
Leontyne Price
Robert Battle’s sensuous, swirling
duet evokes the tenderness and ecstasy in Gustave Charpentier’s
aria, sung by the exquisite diva Leontyne Price. With its fluid
grace, this duet exemplifies the choreographer’s skill for
nuanced gesture and vivid imagery and was dubbed "a highlight of
2005" by Dance Magazine after its premiere. Previously, Robert
Battle’s choreography has been seen in two works in the
repertory of both Ailey II and AAADT.
New Production
Flowers (1971)
Choreography: Alvin Ailey
Restaged by: Masazumi Chaya
Music: Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd, Blind
Faith
Inspired by the sensational life and
death of Janis Joplin, Alvin Ailey’s ballet is set to a
selection of music by Joplin, Pink Floyd and Blind Faith. More
than 30 years after its premiere, Flowers remains a poignant,
dramatic chronicle of one pop star’s rise and fall as well as a
timely statement on voyeurism and the price of fame.
Additional Repertory
In addition to the premieres, new
productions and special performances being presented, the
Toronto repertory includes:
Love Stories (Judith Jamison, Robert
Battle, Rennie Harris)
Inspired by Sankofa, the Akan word
which means "go back" (Sanko) and "take" (fa), Judith Jamison’s
dynamic collaboration with hip-hop pioneer Rennie Harris and
modern dance maverick Robert Battle examines the technique,
energy, movement and rhythm of African-American social dances on
a journey through past, present and future. Under Jamison’s
direction, the unique styles, expressive voices and no-limits
choreography of these artists draw on variations on the
lindy-hop, Philly-bop, hip-hop and eclectic modern dance
techniques to explore a love of movement, all set to the
soundscape of engineer Darrin Ross and the music of the
legendary Stevie Wonder.
Revelations (Alvin Ailey)
Alvin Ailey said that one of America’s
richest treasures was the cultural heritage of the
African-American--"sometimes sorrowful, sometimes jubilant, but
always hopeful". This enduring classic is a tribute to that
heritage and to Ailey’s genius. Using African-American religious
music--spirituals, song-sermons, gospel songs and holy
blues--this suite fervently explores the places of deepest grief
and holiest joy in the soul.
The Winter in Lisbon (Billy Wilson)
Dizzy Gillespie's brilliant music sets
the tone for this sizzling, sensuous ballet celebrating four
decades of his work. Choreographed in 1992 by Billy Wilson, The
Winter in Lisbon pays tribute to Mr. Gillespie as the consummate
jazz musician, evoking an atmosphere in which the dancers
challenge, tease and romance against a backdrop of rhythm and
color. "A joyful dance that gives an emotional lift" raved the
Associated Press.
Treading (Elisa Monte)
When Elisa Monte's sculptural,
mesmerizing duet had its City Center premiere in 1982, The New
York Times declared "Treading gives lovers of fine dancing much
to marvel at." The man and woman in Monte's ballet come together
in fluid, intricate movements that combine with Steve Reich's
evocative music to create an aura of mystery and sensuality.
Further information on Alvin Ailey
American Dance Theater repertory at
