By turns muscular and lyrical, The River is a sweeping full-company work that suggests tumbling rapids and meandering streams on a journey to the sea. Ailey’s allegory of birth, life and rebirth abounds with water references, from the spinning “Vortex” solo to the romantic “Lake” duet, and from the powerful “Falls” quartet to the joyful “Giggling Rapids.” The choreography demonstrates Ailey’s admiration for classical ballet, but retains the modern and jazz influences found in all his work. “The River shows Mr. Ailey at his inventive best,” declared The New York Times.

The grandeur of the dancing is matched by the music, which was Duke Ellington’s first symphonic score written for dance. Ailey and Ellington collaborated closely on the piece.

Former Associate Artistic Director Masazumi Chaya, the foremost living expert on Ailey’s repertory, believes that the ballet feels fresh each time around because “each audience member can make a story of their own from The River." Alvin was very clever; he created something that can be applied to one’s entire life — birth, a relationship with a child, or even one’s impression of a flower. It is what the audience makes of it. It is what it means to the individual.”

This new production features costumes newly designed for the first time since the 1970s.

Generous support for this production of The River was provided by Celestine & Howard Campbell, Denise Littlefield Sobel, and The Jaharis Family Foundation.

The original Ailey production was made possible, in part, with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, and by a grant from Ford Foundation.