Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre Opens

ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER’S 2008 ENGAGEMENT AT AUDITORIUM THEATRE OF ROOSEVELT UNIVERSITY TO FEATURE powerful, DIVERSE WORKS INCLUDING Maurice Béjart’S legendary FIREBIRD, April 16 – 20

Program for exclusive Chicago engagement also features exciting mix of classic and new works by Alvin Ailey, Robert Battle, Talley Beatty, Camille A. Brown, Rennie Harris, Judith Jamison, Elisa Monte and Fredrick Earl Mosley

CHICAGO — Brett Batterson, executive director of the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University (ATRU), is pleased to announce programming details for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s (AAADT) annual spring sojourn at Chicago’s National Historic Landmark Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Parkway, April 16 – 20. Tickets are now on sale.

One of the most highly acclaimed international ambassadors of American culture and dance, AAADT will perform a richly eclectic repertoire featuring the talents of a wide array of choreographers, including legendary European choreographer Maurice Béjart’s innovative reworking of Fokine’s traditional Firebird. This Firebird reinterprets the traditional Russian fairytale as an allegory of revolution, idealism and rebirth played out against Stravinsky’s glorious score. The ATRU engagement also features a recent AAADT company premiere of Robert Battle’s sensuous, swirling 2005 duet Unfold, which evokes tenderness and ecstasy in Gustave Charpentier’s aria, exquisitely sung by Leontyne Price.

Another highlight of the engagement will be the company’s revival of Talley Beatty’s 1959 The Road of the Phoebe Snow, featuring the impeccable and captivating choreography of the legendary Beatty. A certified National Endowment for the Arts masterpiece of American dance, AAADT’s compelling and riveting production was re-staged by Associate Artistic Director Masazumi Chaya and marks the first time in nearly three decades that the piece is being included in the company’s repertory. Named for a train on the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad, this technically challenging ballet weaves a turbulent and gripping love story of young Americans from “the wrong side of the track” battling alienation and urban life.

The programs will also feature several timeless pieces choreographed by Ailey, including his 1971 tribute to Janis Joplin, Flowers, performed to her music plus selections from Pink Floyd and Blind Faith; Night Creature, a definitive homage to Duke Ellington’s jazz created in 1975; and Reflections in D, a strong yet serene solo also performed to Ellington’s music. The finale of each program will be Ailey’s 1960 masterpiece Revelations, a powerful tribute to spirituals and one of the company’s best-loved and most significant works. Danced with the joy and vitality that are the hallmarks of Ailey, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution calls Revelations, “soul-stirring (and) show-stopping… as sassy, snappy and soulful as ever.”

Camille A. Brown, one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch,” was commissioned in 2007 to create an explosive, virtuosic new work that imagines the meeting of strangers on the subway. The resulting The Groove To Nobody’s Business is performed to the music of Ray Charles and Brandon McCune. Elisa Monte’s 1981 Treading was hailed by the New York Times as giving “lovers of fine dance much to marvel at,” as two dancers come together in intricate, fluid movements to create an aura of mystery and sensuality to an evocative score by Steve Reich. Rounding out the program offerings is Love Stories, choreographed in 2004 by Artistic Director Judith Jamison with hip-hop pioneer Robert Battle and modern dance maverick Rennie Harris, performed to the music of Motown legend Stevie Wonder.

ATRU and the JPMorgan Chase Foundation are proud to offer a special one-hour student-only matinee performance Friday, April 18 at 11 a.m., which is available only to school groups of 10 or more throughout Chicagoland. The program will feature excerpts from Frederick Earl Mosley’s 2007 Saddle Up!, an exuberant hoedown with music by Yo-Yo Ma, plus the full performance of Revelations. Study guides are available. Schools should call (312) 431-2357 for student matinee tickets and additional information. Tickets are $12.

AAADT will showcase Love Stories, Reflections in D, The Groove To Nobody’s Business and Revelations at the Family Matinee. The performance will be held Saturday, April 19 at 2 p.m. as part of the Auditorium Theatre’s LaSalle Bank Family Series, which offers a free child ticket with the purchase of a full-priced adult ticket. Patrons must use the special code FAMTIX during the ticket transaction to receive the family ticket offer. Children must be under 18 years old to be eligible for the complimentary ticket, and some additional restrictions may apply. The Family Matinee is immediately followed by a post-performance question and answer session with company members.

Since its inception in 1958, AAADT has made a broad, indelible impact on the way people view dance, the African American aesthetic and music in America. AAADT blends artistry and dramatic power to create an electrifying performance that appeals to and amazes all audiences. Through the artistic leadership of Judith Jamison, the Ailey legacy continues to embrace the mantle of the company’s founder in showcasing dance as a medium to honor the past, celebrate the present and fearlessly reach into the future. AAADT has performed for an estimated 21 million people in 48 states and in 71 countries on six continents. According to The New York Times, “This season the Ailey dancers will be pulling out all the dramatic stops.”

The performance schedule for the company’s exclusive Chicago engagement at ATRU is as follows*:

Wednesday, April 16 at 7:30 p.m.

Firebird, Flowers, Unfold, Revelations

Thursday, April 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Firebird, The Road of the Phoebe Snow, Revelation

Friday, April 18 at 11 a.m. (Student-only matinee)

Saddle Up! (excerpt), Revelations

Friday, April 18 at 8 p.m.

Night Creature, Treading, The Road of the Phoebe Snow, Revelations

Saturday, April 19 at 2 p.m. (LaSalle Bank Family Matinee)

Love Stories, Reflections in D, The Groove To Nobody’s Business, Revelations

Post-show Q&A with AAADT company members

Saturday, April 19 at 8 p.m.

Firebird, Flowers, Unfold, Revelations

Sunday, April 20 at 3 p.m.

Love Stories, Reflections in D, The Groove To Nobody’s Business, Revelations

*Programming is subject to change.

Tickets are currently on sale, and ticket prices are $30 / $40 / $50 / $67 / $79. For tickets or more information about Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, visit the Auditorium Theatre box office at 50 E. Congress Parkway, call (312) 902-1500, log on to ticketmaster.com or visit auditoriumtheatre.org. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more are also available by calling (312) 431-2357.

The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, located at 50 E. Congress Parkway, is an independent, not-for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural and community programming to Chicago, and to the continued restoration and preservation of the National Historic Landmark Auditorium Theatre. For more information about programming, volunteer and donor opportunities or theatre tours, call (312) 922-2110 or visit auditoriumtheatre.org, now featuring Chicago’s Landmark Stage, a comprehensive online history of the Auditorium from 1889 through today, made possible by the generous support of the American Express Performing Arts Fund.

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater engagement is supported by LaSalle Bank (Family Series Sponsor), JPMorgan Chase Foundation (Student Matinee Sponsor), and Grubb & Ellis (Opening Night Sponsor).

The Road of the Phoebe Snow was made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpieces: Dance initiative, administrated by the New England Foundation for the Arts.

The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University is also supported by the Illinois Arts Council and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs City Arts Program Grant. The Auditorium’s official and exclusive airline is United; the Palmer House Hilton is the official hotel partner.

Citigroup provides major support for the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation’s Arts In Education programs. Altria Group provides major support for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s New Works Fund. Movado Group provides major support for Firebird, a new production during Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s 2007-2008 season. American Airlines is the Official Airline of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The 2007 North American Tour is sponsored, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts.

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