Art Intercepts

Culture criticism from fly over country

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to Chicago

By Lauren Warnecke #Alvin Ailey, #Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, #Auditorium Theatre, #Azure Barton, #Bill T. Jones, #Chicago premieres, #Chroma, #D-Man in the Waters, #dance shows, #Four Corners, #LIFT, #Night Creatures, #Pas de Duke, #performance previews, #Revelations, #Robert Battle, #Ronald K. Brown, #The River, #tours, #Wayne McGregor, #world premieres
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in Aszure Barton's LIFT. Photo by Paul Kolnik

Twenty-five years after his death, the legacy and impact of Alvin Ailey on American contemporary dance cannot be disputed. His dances are ones that never get old; watching Revelations and Pas de Duke is like seeing a page out of the history book of dance. You would think we would be tired of them by now… but the Ailey company continues to fill houses and bring audiences to their feet – even all these years later.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in Aszure Barton's LIFT. Photo by Paul Kolnik
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in Aszure Barton’s LIFT. Photo by Paul Kolnik

The ability of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater to maintain its mission and vision through the death of its namesake is largely attributed to Judith Jamison, who led the company from 1989-2011. Now in the hands of Robert Battle, the Ailey company continues to thrive, making new works that beautifully accompany the classics that made them so famous. This weekend and next, Chicago’s dance audiences will have a chance to see Ailey live in a mixed program at the Auditorium Theatre. It’s a standing engagement for Ailey to come to the Auditorium. In fact, I remember seeing them as a college freshman in 19–… let’s just say it was when you could still get a student ticket for $10 and be seated in a box. So, a long time ago…

On this year’s program are four Chicago premieres, including Wayne McGregor’s Chroma, Bill T. Jones’  D-Man in the Waters,  Ronald K. Brown’s Four Corners, and a world premiere by choreographer Aszure Barton called LIFT. The bill varies between performances, with the one consistency being Revelations, of course. Other classic Ailey works pepper the run, including Pas de Duke, The River, and Night Creature.

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Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performs  Feb. 28 – Mar. 9 at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University (50 E. Congress Pkwy). Specific times and programs are listed on the Auditorium Theatre’s website. Tickets are $32-92, available at ticketmaster.com/auditorium, by calling (800) 982-ARTS (2787) or at the Auditorium Theatre Box Office