ALVIN AILEY® AMERICAN DANCE THEATER’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION TOUR

50-CITY GLOBAL TOUR COMES TO
BASS CONCERT HALL
MARCH 24 & 25, 2009
FOR TWO PERFORMANCES ONLY!

FEATURING:
Go In Grace by AAADT Member Hope Boykin with
Live Onstage Performances by Sweet Honey In The Rock,

A New Production of George Faison’s Suite Otis,

And

Alvin Ailey’s classic piece, Revelations.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Following a celebratory New York season, which opened with a December 3rd Golden Anniversary Gala with Oprah Winfrey as Honorary Chair and Honored Guest, and the Empire State building shining in golden tribute, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) are now bringing the beauty, power, passion and artistry that are its hallmarks to audiences across the United States. As part of a 50-city global tour in celebration of AAADT’s 50th Anniversary, a 26-city U.S. tour began in February and will stop in Austin for two performances at the University of Texas at Austin Performing Arts Center’s Bass Concert Hall March 24 & 25!

Led by renowned Artistic Director Judith Jamison, the Company will present a diverse repertory of exciting premieres, dramatic new productions, revered classics, and repertory favorites. The Austin performances will feature AAADT company member Hope Boykin’s Go in Grace; an innovative collaboration with Grammy-Award winning female a cappella musical group Sweet Honey In The Rock, who will perform their original score live onstage with the dancers; a new production of the historic work, Suite Otis (1971), by Tony-Award winning choreographer and former AAADT company member George Faison. a piece that is ripe with the romance and humor of young lovers out on the town in a sizzling suite of dances to the timeless songs of Otis Redding; and Ailey’s timeless masterpiece Revelations, performed in its entirety!

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT), now celebrating its 50th Anniversary, recognized by the US Congressional resolution as a “Vital American Cultural Ambassador to the World,” was founded in 1958 and has performed for more than 21 million people in 71 countries and on 6 continents. Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc. is the umbrella organization which includes AAADT; Ailey II, founded in 1974 as a junior performing company of emerging young dancers and innovative choreographers; The Ailey School, founded in 1969 and currently offering some of the most extensive dance training programs in the world; Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs which is committed to bringing dance into the classrooms, communities and lives of people throughout the world; and The Ailey Extension, a program that offers dance and fitness classes to the general public at Ailey’s permanent home, The Joan Weill Center for Dance, located at 405 West 55th Street (at 9th Avenue), New York, NY.

Austin, TX Bass Concert Hall U of TX at Austin – 512.477.6060 / utpac.org
Tues 3/24 8:00pm – GO IN GRACE* / SUITE OTIS / REVELATIONS
Wed 3/25 8:00pm – GO IN GRACE* / SUITE OTIS / REVELATIONS

Go in Grace
Choreography: Hope Boykin
Music: Sweet Honey in the Rock (original composition & performing live onstage)
Company member Hope Boykin weaves a gentle, affecting tale of community, family and growth that illustrates the African proverb “it takes a village to raise a child.” Boykin casts the dancers and singers as members of a society who unite to move a young girl forward in wisdom and grace to a commissioned score composed and performed live onstage by Sweet Honey In The Rock. Rooted in a deeply held commitment to create music out of the rich textures of African American legacy and traditions, this Grammy-Award winning female vocal ensemble possesses a stunning vocal prowess that captures the multifaceted sounds of blues, spirituals, traditional gospel hymns, rap, reggae, African chants, hip hop, ancient lullabies and jazz improvisation.

Suite Otis (1971)
Choreography: George Faison
Music: Otis Redding
The timeless music of pioneering soul singer Otis Redding sets the stage for former AAADT company member and Tony Award-winning choreographer George Faison’s playful battle of the sexes. The yearning sensuality of soul stirring songs such as “Satisfaction,” “Try a Little Tenderness,” “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” and other favorites burst through this wildly popular six-part suite of dances ripe with romance and humor.

Revelations (1960)
Choreography: Alvin Ailey
Music: Traditional
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.

CALENDAR LISTING:

Tuesday & Wednesday, March 24-25, 2009, 8:00 pm – The University of Texas at Austin Performing Arts Center presents Alvin Ailey® American Dance Theatre With Special Guest Sweet Honey in the Rock at the Performing Arts Center’s Bass Concert Hall (E. 23rd St. and Robert Dedman Dr). A map of the campus: http://www.utpac.org/visit/maps_directions :. Tickets ($30.00 – $52.00 / limited number of $10 tickets for UT students / discounted tickets available for UT faculty & staff) are on sale now at the authorized ticket outlets, which include the Bass Concert Hall Box Office, most H-E-B stores and all Texas Box Office outlets, online at www.utpac.org, or by calling (512) 477-6060 or (800) 982-BEVO.

PRESS CONTACT:
Gene Bartholomew
512.471.0632
gbartholomew@utpac.org

Download a PDF version of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater press release.