Blues Suite

"Blood memories" of rural, Depression-era southern Texas come to life in Blues Suite, Alvin Ailey’s popular ballet that launched Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1958. With the rumble of a train and the toll of distant bells, a cast of vividly-drawn characters from the barrelhouses and fields of Alvin Ailey’s southern childhood are summoned to dance and revel through one long, sultry night.

What is extraordinary is that Alvin Ailey was just 27 years old when the dance premiered and it was only the sixth ballet that he had choreographed. Blues Suite is often documented as Mr. Ailey’s first masterpiece, where he had found his own miraculous voice as a creative artist presenting real people on the concert dance stage, defining his choreographic genius. 

As Jennifer Dunning wrote in her book Alvin Ailey: A Life in Dance, "[Blues Suite] is set in a 'sporting house.' The characters are the men and women who frequent the place, drinking, dancing, and flirting to the music of the blues over the course of a night that ends with the early morning sounds of a train and church bells."

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Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater National Tour January 28 - May 8 Celebrates A Decade Of Robert Battle's Leadership And 50th Anniversary Of Alvin Ailey's Cry

NEW YORK – JANUARY 27, 2022 – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, America’s beloved cultural ambassador to the world, returns to stages on a coast-to-coast National Tour starting January 28 in Philadelphia, kicking off Black History Month at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on February 1 , and traveling to cities like Atlanta, Miami, Berkeley, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles before the finale in Newark on May 8. Marking a decade of leading the Company forward, Artistic Director Robert Battle presents Ailey’s renowned artists in a diverse repertory of premieres, new productions, and Ailey classics. Highlights include a Battle 10th Anniversary program; two world premieres adapted from video to stage, For Four by Robert Battle and Holding Space by Ailey Resident Choreographer Jamar Roberts; the return of hip-hop innovator Rennie Harris’s acclaimed Lazarus; 50 Years of Cry commemorating Ailey’s beloved classic dedicated to “all Black women everywhere—especially our mothers;” and Ailey & Ellington, spotlighting cherished classics from the series of more than a dozen ballets that Alvin Ailey created celebrating the musical genius of the eminent American composer Duke Ellington. Alvin Ailey’s American masterpiece Revelations, which has inspired generations through its powerful storytelling and soul- stirring spirituals since its creation in 1960, will reach all cities on the North American tour.

Ailey All Access Series Of Digital Performance Broadcasts January 31-June 20 Headlines Slate Of Free Ailey Virtual Offerings

New York, NY – January 20, 2022 – The Ailey organization committed to furthering the pioneering vision of its founder Alvin Ailey continues to find ways to build community, inspire, and celebrate the indomitable human spirit through dance with a new slate of digital programing in conjunction with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s national tour marking Artistic Director Robert Battle’s 10th anniversary and 50 years of Cry. Upcoming offerings include: Ailey All Access, a returning online initiative featuring a series of performance broadcasts January 31 – June 20; a virtual educational performance experience will introduce young audiences to the magic of Ailey; Ailey Extension's dance and fitness classes program invites fans around the world to join in the dance with new workshops; and viewers are encouraged to explore the life and work of a brilliant and enigmatic genius through feature-length documentary portrait, AILEY.

Ailey All Access Returns With A Spring Series Of Free Digital Broadcasts March 17-June 24

New York, NY – March 17, 2021 – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will continue to inspire audiences virtually with a spring series of free programs through Ailey All Access from March 17 – June 24. Using dance as a vehicle for joy and hope during a time of unprecedented challenges and separation, the presentations will advance the Ailey organization’s online initiatives that have inspired and enlightened over 12 million people in 121 countries over the past year, including a December holiday season featuring several dance film premieres.

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