Nearly 55 years later, that original initiative has helped to develop Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from a single inspired company into a cultural institution, including a full academy, diverse outreach programs and several professional touring companies. For its part, Ailey II was founded in 1974 with the explicit aim of providing younger dancers and emerging choreographers with a professional outlet. Modeled on the main company, Ailey II shares much of the same repertoire and spends a good amount of its time touring the country, teaching and performing to critical acclaim.
On this tour, the company will be presenting a broad spectrum of pieces, including a ballet for nine dancers titled Rusty, choreographed by Benoit-Swan Pouffer, a former member of the company and the current artistic director of Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet. Another highlight is past company director Sylvia Waters’ Divining, which was created at the urging of the late Ailey himself and features a dance vocabulary that is a clear abstraction of traditional African movement. And also gracing the bill is one of Ailey’s signature pieces, Revelations, which uses a combination of spirituals, gospels and blues to explore what he called the “sometimes sorrowful, sometimes jubilant, but always hopeful” cultural heritage of African-Americans. (Jacob Stringer)
Date: Nov 2, 2012
Time: 7:30 pm
Phone: 435-655-3114
Address: 1750 Kearns Blvd, Park City, 84060
Where: Eccles Center for the Performing Arts
