Alvin Ailey’s Memoria is a deeply personal work and one of his most affecting.  Mr. Ailey said that nearly all of his dances had some basis in a relationship, feeling or event that he experienced.  In the case of Memoria, choreographed in 1979, his motivation was the death of his dear friend and colleague, Joyce Trisler.

Robert Battle’s bravura work mixes humor and high-flying movement in a savvy deconstruction of Indian Kathak dance rhythms. Clear shapes and propulsive jumps mimic the vocalized syllables of Sheila Chandra's syncopated score.

Robert Battle’s The Hunt is a primal ritual with a distinctly urban feel fueled by a thundering percussion soundtrack by Les Tambours du Bronx. Perhaps Battle’s most popular work, it explores the relationship between modern sports and the rites of the gladiators.

Using African-American spirituals, song-sermons, gospel songs and holy blues, Alvin Ailey’s Revelations fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul.  More than just a popular dance work, it has become a cultural treasure, beloved by generations of fans.

Donald Byrd’s Shards is a skillfully crafted work, which showcases his eclectic and complex choreography. Set to music by Mio Morales, Byrd expertly combines passion and formality in this ballet, creating the perfect vehicle for the stunning Ailey II dancers.

Chicago native Malcolm Low, a 2012 New Directions Choreography Lab Fellow chosen by Robert Battle, Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, is a highly-regarded rising choreographic talent. 

In 1984, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison created Divining, on a major company for the first time at the request of her mentor, Alvin Ailey.  The ritualized ballet is set to a score that incorporates North African, Central African and Latin rhythms.

Ailey honors the modern dance tradition with Arden Court, a bucolic masterpiece by Paul Taylor.  It is the first work by this illustrious dance master to enter the Ailey repertory. Set to a series of excerpted symphonies by baroque composer William Boyce, Arden Court allows for the Ailey dancers to be at once both playful and majestic. 

Home, choreographed by bold hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris, is inspired by the stories of people living with or affected by HIV.  Drawing upon poems and images submitted in 2011 to the Fight HIV Your Way contest, an initiative of Bristol-Myers Squibb, Harris created a compelling work that conveys both the chilling isolation and uplifting sense of community many experience.

Using African-American spirituals, song-sermons, gospel songs and holy blues, Alvin Ailey’s Revelations fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul.  More than just a popular dance work, it has become a cultural treasure, beloved by generations of fans.

Donald Byrd’s Shards is a skillfully crafted work, which showcases his eclectic and complex choreography. Set to music by Mio Morales, Byrd expertly combines passion and formality in this ballet, creating the perfect vehicle for the stunning Ailey II dancers.

Quintet is in its way a small masterwork and one that differed significantly from other Ailey signature works before it. Like Reflections in D, the piece was an imaginative and sensitive reading of its score, and it offered yet more proof of Alvin's distinctive gift for blending serious choreography and themes with affectionate teasing of his characters. In the new piece, however, Alvin explored for the first time the private being behind a highly public face, a subject he would return to repeatedly."
- Jennifer Dunning, Alvin Ailey: A Life In Dance

Using African-American spirituals, song-sermons, gospel songs and holy blues--this suite fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul.

Thang Dao’s Echoes began as a haunting depiction of the choreographer’s memories of life in Vietnam and his migration to America. This poignant ballet has grown into a deeply moving reverie that transcends personal history.

Amy Hall Garner is emerging as one of America's most diverse creative talents, with a career that spans from Broadway to ballet. In her new work,  set to a vibrant score by Karl Jenkins, Garner delivers high energy with a sophisticated edge.

Using African-American spirituals, song-sermons, gospel songs and holy blues--this suite fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul.