How to go
What: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Where: Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., Cincinnati
When: 7:30 p.m. March 3-4, a Tuesday and a Wednesday
Cost: $30-$75
Tickets: Call (513) 621-ARTS (2787) or visit www.cincinnatiarts.org; For group sales of 10 or more call (513) 977-4157; Half-price student/educator tickets are available by phone or at the ticket office by mentioning promo code EDUCATE. Limit two tickets per person with a valid student ID. Subject to availability.
The legendary Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater makes a highly anticipated return to southwest Ohio on March 3-4 at Cincinnati’s Aronoff Center.
Under the leadership of artistic director Robert Battle, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater continues to mesmerize audiences with uplifting, inspiring programming celebrating the human spirit. The Cincinnati engagement contains six colorful dance works split between the two performance dates, resulting in a different program for each performance. However, both performances will include the troupe’s beloved, iconic masterpiece “Revelations,” an absolutely thrilling depiction of grief and joy incorporating African-American spirituals choreographed by Ailey in 1960.
The March 3 performance spotlights “Grace” (1999) and “Episodes” (1989). Choreographed by Ronald K. Brown, “Grace” returned to the Ailey repertory during the 2012-13 season. Featuring music by Duke Ellington (“Come Sunday”), Roy Davis Jr. (“Gabriel”), Paul Johnson, and the Afro-pop flavor of Fela Kuti, the routine showcases Brown’s signature mixture of modern dance and West African sensibilities. The energetic “Episodes,” choreographed by former Ailey company member Ulysses Dove, features the percussive music of Robert Ruggieri in its exploration of expression and power struggles involved in human relationships.
The March 4 performance will be accented by “Polish Pieces” (1995), “Awassa Astrige/Ostrich” (1932) and “Four Corners” (2013).
Featuring choreography by Hans van Manen and music by Henryk Mikolaj Górecki, “Polish Pieces” arises from geometric patterns transpiring in shifting formations that contrasts with two seductive pas de deux.
“Hans van Manen’s work has a great sense of humor and mischief in it,” Battle commented. “He’s a master of creating grand, kaleidoscopic works from very simple motifs. ‘Polish Pieces’ has allusions to folk dance, which give it a timeless feeling that’s a wonderful complement to our repertory.”
Choreographed by Sierra Leone native Asadata Dafora with music by Carl Riley consisting of African drumming and flute, “Awassa Astrige/Ostrich” is a groundbreaking solo work depicting a warrior’s transformation into a proud, powerful ostrich.
“I’ve always loved the mystery of this piece by Asadata Dafora,” Battle said. “It’s one of the first fusions of African and Western styles of dance. Preservation is very important, and I wanted to give audiences a chance to see some of the early, historic works that shaped what we know as modern dance.”
Choreographed by the aforementioned Brown, “Four Corners” uses the music of Carl Hancock Rux, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Yacoub in its spiritual account of four angels standing on the four corners of the earth holding the four winds.
Founded in 1958, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has performed for an estimated 25 million people at theaters in 48 states and 71 countries on six continents. Battle, who succeeded longtime artistic director Judith Jamison in 2011, notably visited the White House last fall to accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, on behalf of Ailey. The honor was bestowed 25 years after Ailey’s death. President Obama remarked that “through him, African-American history was told in a way that it had never been told before with passionate, virtuoso dance performances that transfixed audiences worldwide.”
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