Liberian Suite was written by Duke Ellington as a tribute to the Liberian Republic’s centennial and had its first performance in Carnegie Hall. Lester Horton created for his Dance Theater in 1952 a non-literal series of Dances of Celebration aimed at capturing the spirit of the piece – a work of vitality, optimism, and scope. James Truitte later created a new production of Liberian Suite in 1976.