Strength, precision, and passion remain the hallmarks of the august Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater more than 65 years after its inception. The company’s legendary dancers return to Berkeley with vibrant programs of new and classic works that showcase and synthesize a dazzling range of cultural influences, from spirituals and church hymns, jazz, R&B, and hip-hop, to African dance and classical ballet. Many of the earliest Ailey works and the newest company creations share a common focus: illuminating the rich panorama of Black American experience. Ailey’s monumental Revelations serves as a beacon through it all, and as former company dancer and keeper of the Ailey flame Sylvia Waters observes, “It’s a testament to Alvin’s understanding of humanity and the human spirit. That, yes, people experience despair, struggle, repression, oppression, but they have the resilience and strength to go forward.”
This year’s programs feature the Bay Area premieres of four works—Jamar Roberts’ Al-Andalus Blues, Matthew Rushing’s Sacred Songs, Hope Boykin’s Finding Free, and Lar Lubovitch’s Many Angels—that recently received their world premieres at New York’s City Center, as well as new productions of Ronald K. Brown’s Grace (1999) and Elisa Monte’s Treading (1979).
The company’s current season celebrates the life and legacy of Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison, who passed away on November 9, 2024, and Cal Performances dedicates the April 2025 Ailey Week and AileyCamp to her legacy as well.
