The Company’s Exceptional Dancers in World Premieres of Sacred Songs by Matthew Rushing, Finding Free by Hope Boykin, Many Angels by Lar Lubovitch, and Al-Andalus Blues by Jamar Roberts 25th Anniversary Staging of Ronald K. Brown’s Grace and a New Production of Elisa Monte’s Treading Share the Love with a Moving Valentine’s Day Performance Alvin Ailey’s Must-See Masterpiece Revelations is Finale of All Programs Tickets Now on Sale!
ATLANTA – updated January 14, 2025 – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, one of the world’s most popular dance companies and America’s cultural ambassador to the world, returns to the Fox Theatre, February 12-16 for six exciting performances during a season celebrating Legacy in Motion and the life of beloved Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison (1943 – 2024).
The 2025 Atlanta engagement will feature season world premieres by choreographers for whom Alvin Ailey paved the way - Sacred Songs by Interim Artistic Director Matthew Rushing, Finding Free by Hope Boykin, Many Angels by Lar Lubovitch, and Al-Andalus Blues by Jamar Roberts. The season will also include the 25th anniversary staging of Ronald K. Brown’s rapturous blockbuster Grace and a new production of Elisa Monte’s mesmerizing Treading. The finale of all programs will be Alvin Ailey's soul-stirring, must-see masterpiece, Revelations, which has captivated audiences globally since 1960.
The Atlanta engagement opens Wednesday, February 12 at 7:30pm with a College Night performance where college students will be able to access $15 tickets or two tickets for $25 plus fees using promo code COLLEGE. The evening begins with the 25th anniversary production of Ronald K. Brown’s spellbinding Grace, set to Duke Ellington's classic "Come Sunday," Peven Everett’s hit "Gabriel," and the irresistible pulse of Fela Kuti's Afro-Pop. The secular and sacred meet in a tour-de-force connecting African and American dance that depicts individuals on a journey to the promised land, expanding from a single angel-like figure in white to the fireball intensity of 12 powerful dancers. The performance continues with former Company member Hope Boykin’s exploration of personal freedoms in the world premiere Finding Free, a collaboration with pianist Matthew Whitaker who composed an original score. This insightful work uses Boykin’s movement language and Whitaker’s jazz- and gospel-influenced contemporary music to examine the challenges and restrictions throughout life’s peaks and valleys that propel our journey forward.
The Tribute to Judith Jamison program on Thursday, February 13 at 7:30pm kicks off with Grace followed by the world premiere Al-Andalus Blues by former Ailey dancer Jamar Roberts. Featuring music from Roberta Flack and Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain, the abstract ensemble piece journeys back in time to the golden age of Al-Andalus, evoking the northern African Moors who flourished in the south of present-day Spain prior to the Christian Reconquista. Following Al-Andalus Blues will be a performance of an excerpt of Alvin Ailey’s Cry, to pay tribute to Judith Jamison, who originated the role and ignited the ballet with her unparalleled grace and power. Thursday evening’s performance is also WSB-TV’s Family 2 Family Night.
On Valentine’s Day, Friday, February 14 at 7:30pm, a moving performance will feature Sacred Songs, a world premiere by Matthew Rushing that reimagines several spirituals used in the original 1960 premiere of Revelations that were later omitted when the piece was edited into the current version, beloved for decades. Drawing inspiration from the roots of Mr. Ailey’s most venerated and consummate creation, this stirring new work—with the collaboration of creative associate and musical director Du’Bois A’Keen—is an offering to our present need for lamentation, faith, and joy. Fittingly for Valentine’s, the program features two mesmerizing duets: Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish's Me, Myself and You, a dreamlike duet of reminiscence set to Damien Sneed and Brandie Sutton’s rendition of “In A Sentimental Mood;” and a new production of Elisa Monte’s Treading, a sculptural, mesmerizing duet featuring fluid, intricate movements that together with Steve Reich's evocative music create an aura of mystery and sensuality.
The Family Matinee performance on Saturday, February 15 at 2pm includes Finding Free and Treading followed by Many Angels, the first world premiere for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater by Lar Lubovitch, which showcases his renowned lush choreography and musicality set to Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. A choreographer for 60 years, Lubovitch has frequently been asked: "Why do you make dances?” For Lubovitch, “Something may exist in the world simply for the sake of itself. For example, a dance.” Many Angels is inspired by a question posed by 13th century theologian St. Thomas Aquinas, “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” illustrating that some questions have no logical response but are understood as a question of faith.
The Saturday, February 15 at 7:30pm program presents Legacy in Motion with performances of Finding Free and AlAndalus Blues. On Sunday, February 16 at 2pm, an Ailey Spirit final performance in Atlanta features Sacred Songs and Grace. The inspiring, must-see finale of all programs will be Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece Revelations. Since its debut in 1960, Revelations has been seen by more people around the world than any other modern dance work, moving audiences with its powerful storytelling and soul-stirring music, evoking timeless themes of determination, hope, and transcendence. Springing from Mr. Ailey’s childhood memories of growing up in the south and attending services at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Texas, Revelations pays homage to the rich African American cultural heritage and explores the emotional spectrum of the human condition.
To introduce young audiences to the timeless magic of AILEY, a school-time performance on Friday, February 14 at 10:30am will excite, inspire, and educate Atlanta students. The hour-long program, moderated by one of the Company’s dancers, will give Atlanta youth a peek behind the scenes into the world of dance and introduce a new generation to Alvin Ailey’s beloved masterpiece Revelations. Call 404-881-2000 to arrange $10 student group tickets. In addition to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s enthralling live performances, AILEY is thrilled to announce workshops, residencies, auditions for dance enthusiasts, and special events in Atlanta. Explore the following offerings in 2025:
For more information on AILEY’s initiatives and upcoming performances, visit www.ailey.org. For additional press materials, including bios, b-roll, and photos, members of the media may visit pressroom.alvinailey.org.
Bank of America is Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s 2025 National Tour Sponsor. The 2024-2025 Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s North American Tour is supported, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts. Lead support for AILEY in Atlanta is provided by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia-Pacific, Georgia Power, the Home Depot Foundation, and The Perry Foundation.
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