SUMMARY
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UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
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Robert Battle, Artistic Director; Matthew Rushing, Associate Artistic Director
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Two nights, two programs; both programs feature Ailey’s iconic workRevelations
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Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has performed for an estimated 25 million people at theaters in 48 states and 71 countries on six continents
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AADT has been designated by the U.S. Congress “a vital American cultural ambassador to the world”
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This presentation is part of the 2021-2022 CREATING HOPE programming initiative
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Thursday, April 14th / 8:00 p.m. Pacific / The Granada Theatre
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$51-$131 : General Public / FREE for UCSB Students (Current student ID required)
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Health & Safety: Proof of full vaccination (including booster, when eligible) is required for all attendees. Visithttps://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu/SeasonFAQs/ for updates and further details.
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Tickets/Info: (805) 893-3535, www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu or www.GranadaSB.org
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At-home viewing is not available for this event.
SANTA BARBARA — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents performances by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater on Thursday, April 14th at 8:00 p.m. at the Granada Theatre. This presentation is part of the 2021-2022 CREATING HOPE programming initiative.
Celebrating over 60 years of unparalleled artistry, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater stands tall as an enduring cultural touchstone, reminding us of the power of dance to bring people together. The Ailey company has cultivated the best and brightest choreographers working today – gifted artists exploring themes of hope, sorrow, joy and resilience – and its dancers dazzle with their trademark technical brilliance and passionate energy. The groundbreaking company returns to Santa Barbara with new and classic works.
Each evening will feature different programs. Both evenings will include founder Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece Revelations. The April 13th performance celebrates the 10th Anniversary of Robert Battle as Artistic Director of this prestigious American dance company.
Thu, Apr 14 Program
Rennie Harris: Lazarus (2018; music: Darrin Ross)
Alvin Ailey: Revelations (1960; music: traditional spirituals)
ABOUT ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER
“A vital American cultural ambassador to the world.”
– U.S. Congress
“[Ailey] has gone on to become nothing short of an American cultural treasure that remains as popular and artistically relevant as ever.”Chicago Sun-Times
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater grew from a now-fabled performance in March 1958 at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. Led by Alvin Ailey and a group of young African-American modern dancers, that performance changed forever the perception of American dance. The Ailey company has gone on to perform for an estimated 25 million people at theaters in 48 states and 71 countries on six continents – as well as millions more through television broadcasts, film screenings and online platforms.
In 2008, a U.S. Congressional resolution designated the Company as “a vital American cultural ambassador to the world” that celebrates the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance heritage. When Ailey began creating dances, he drew upon his “blood memories” of Texas, the blues, spirituals and gospel as inspiration, which resulted in the creation of his most popular and critically acclaimed work, Revelations.Although he created 79 ballets over his lifetime, Ailey maintained that his company was not exclusively a repository for his own work.
Today, the Company continues Ailey’s mission by presenting important works of the past and commissioning new ones. In all, more than 235 works by over 90 choreographers have been part of the Ailey company’s repertory.
Watch Ailey videos>> https://www.alvinailey.org/performances-tickets/ailey-all-access
Learn more>> www.www.alvinailey.org/
ABOUT ROBERT BATTLE, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Robert Battle became Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in July 2011 after being personally selected by Judith Jamison, making him only the third person to head the Company since it was founded in 1958. Battle has a long-standing association with the Ailey organization. A frequent choreographer and artist in residence at Ailey since 1999, he has set many of his works on Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ailey II and at The Ailey School. The Company’s current repertory includes his ballets Ella, For Four, In/Side, Love Stories finale,Mass and Unfold.
In addition to expanding the Ailey repertory with works by artists as diverse as Kyle Abraham, Mauro Bigonzetti, Ronald K. Brown, Rennie Harris and Paul Taylor. Battle has also instituted the New Directions Choreography Lab to help develop the next generation of choreographers. Battle’s journey to the top of the modern dance world began in the Liberty City neighborhood of Miami, Florida. He showed artistic talent early and studied dance at a high school arts magnet program before moving on to Miami’s New World School of the Arts, under the direction of Daniel Lewis and Gerri Houlihan and finally to the dance program at The Juilliard School, under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy, where he met his mentor, Carolyn Adams. He danced with The Parsons Dance Company from 1994 to 2001, and also set his choreography on that company starting in 1998. Battle then founded his own Battleworks Dance Company, which made its debut in 2002 in Düsseldorf, Germany, as the U.S. representative to the World Dance Alliance’s Global Assembly. Battleworks subsequently performed extensively at venues including The Joyce Theater, Dance Theater Workshop, American Dance Festival and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.
Battle was honored as one of the “Masters of African-American Choreography” by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2005, and he received the prestigious Statue Award from the Princess Grace Foundation-USA in 2007.
He is a recipient of the 2021 Dance Magazine Award and has honorary doctorates from The University of the Arts, Marymount Manhattan College and Fordham University. Battle was named a 2015 Visiting Fellow for The Art of Change, an initiative by the Ford Foundation. He is a sought-after keynote speaker and has addressed a number of high-profile organizations, including the United Nations Leaders Programme and the UNICEF Senior Leadership Development Programme.
See A&L’s full 2022 lineup here
This is a moment that calls for Optimism, Resilience, Courage and Vision.
Santa Barbara needs Hope, and Arts & Lectures is uniquely positioned to respond.
A&L’s 2021-2022 CREATING HOPE programming initiative has already inspired our community with presentations by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, chef Jose? Andre?s and author Anne Lamott. We will continue to inspire, through shared experiences with thought leaders, creative problem solvers and arts visionaries who will guide us forward. CREATING HOPE programs strengthen human connection, promote emotional well-being, joy and compassion, and envision positive change. Learn more about the CREATING HOPE:https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu/CreatingHope.aspx
ABOUT UCSB ARTS & LECTURES
Founded in 1959, UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) is the largest and most influential arts and lectures organization between Los Angeles and San Francisco. A&L annually presents more than a hundred public events, from critically acclaimed concerts and dance performances by world-renowned artists to talks by groundbreaking authors and film series at UCSB and Santa Barbara-area venues. With a mission to “educate, entertain and inspire,” A&L also oversees an outreach program that brings visiting artists and speakers into local classrooms and other venues for master classes, open rehearsals, discussions and more, serving K-12 students, college students and the general public.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures. Presented in association with the UCSB Department of Theater and Dance.
Major Sponsor: Jody & John Arnhold
Dance Series Sponsors: Sarah & Roger Chrisman, Margo Cohen-Feinberg & Bob Feinberg, Audrey & Timothy O. Fisher, Barbara Stupay, and Sheila Wald
Supporting Sponsor: Linda Stafford Burrows
National Tour Sponsor: Bank of America
This presentation is part of the 2021-2022 CREATING HOPE programming initiative.
$131 – $51 : General Public / FREE for UCSB Students (Current student ID required)
For tickets and more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535 or visit www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu.
UCSB Arts & Lectures gratefully acknowledges our Community Partners the Natalie Orfalea Foundation & Lou Buglioli for their generous support of the 2021-2022 season.