Alvin Ailey is famous for having said that “dance came from the people, and it should always be delivered back to the people.” In this upbeat, quirky, and accessible work, Company member Jamar Roberts holds fast to that mission.

During the centennial year of the birth of jazz saxophonist and composer Charlie “Bird” Parker, at a time in our world rife with chaos and uncertainty, A Jam Session For Troubling Times uses the energy, nuance, and virtuosity of the ‘bebop’ sound as a vehicle to lift our spirits and demonstrate that we are stronger than our circumstances. 

NOTE: This work was created for viewing online, not onstage, and premiered during Ailey's first-ever Virtual Winter Season in December 2020.

Generous support for A Jam Session for Troubling Times is provided by the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey through the generosity of the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation.

The world premiere of A Jam Session for Troubling Times was made possible with major support from Simin N. Allison, Michele & Timothy Barakett, Peter S. Croncota, The Jaharis Family Foundation, Judith McDonough Kaminski & Joseph Kaminski, Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey - Sara & Bill Morgan New Works Endowment Fund, Tracy Elise Poole, Denise Littlefield Sobel, Elaine P. Wynn & Family Foundation, and Pamela D. Zilly & John H. Schaefer.