Alvin Ailey 2: 2011
22 February - 16 March 2011

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Programme A

There are no venues listed for this programme yet.

Shards

Choreography: Donald ByrdCostume Designer: Gabriel BerryMusic: Mio MoralesFurther Info: Donald Byrd’s Shards is a skillfully crafted work, which showcases his eclectic and complex choreography. Set to music by Mio Morales, Byrd expertly combines passion and formality in this ballet, creating the perfect vehicle for the stunning Ailey 2 dancers.

Echoes

Choreography: Thang DaoLighting Designer: Linda O’Brien Al crawfordCostume Designer: Ronald Le Platte & Lignes Dancewear after original design by Emiko TokunagaMusic: Ezio Bosso (“Io Non Ho Paura”)Further Info: Echoes, featuring the entire company of 12 dancers, is loosely based on choreographer Thang Dao’s family’s journey from Vietnam to America. An eloquent and elegant ballet, Echoes explores how memories cascade into the distant past yet are also felt here and now.

Revelations

Choreography: Alvin AileyFurther Info: Alvin Ailey said that one of America’s richest treasures was the cultural heritage of the African American—“sometimes sorrowful, sometimes jubilant, but always hopeful.” This enduring classic is a tribute to that heritage and to Ailey’s genius. Using African American religious music--spirituals, song sermons and holy blues--this suite fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul. This season the Company celebrates 50 years of Revelations, seen by more people around the world than any other modern dance.

Programme B

There are no venues listed for this programme yet.

The External Knot

Choreography: Troy PowellLighting Designer: Al CrawfordCostume Designer: Jon TaylorMusic: Philip Glass and Robert SchumannFurther Info: Troy Powell’s (Ailey 2’s Associate Artistic Director) The External Knot is an exhilarating favourite featuring music by Philip Glass and Robert Schumann. It highlights the company’s exquisite story-telling skills with the journey of a young man searching for his inner self. The piece captures his internal battle through loneliness and despair to reconciliation.

Splendid Isolation

Choreography: Jessica LangLighting Designer: Al CrawfordCostume Designer: Elena ComendadorMusic: Trio MediaevalFurther Info: Jessica Lang created Splendid Isolation 2 specifically for Ailey 2. Set to the beautiful and haunting choral piece O Maria, Stella Maris by Trio Mediaeval and Adagietto from Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 in C Sharp Minor, this visually stunning work focuses on a woman trapped centre-stage in an enormous white skirt.

The Hunt

Choreography: Robert BattleLighting Designer: Burke WilmoreCostume Designer: Mia McSwainMusic: Les Tambours du BronxFurther Info: Set to a wildly percussive soundtrack by Les Tambours du Bronx, Robert Battle’s extraordinary ballet for six men examines the relationship between modern sports and the rituals of the gladiators, revealing the aggressive side of human nature and the primitive thrill of the hunt.

Revelations

Choreography: Alvin AileyFurther Info: Alvin Ailey said that one of America’s richest treasures was the cultural heritage of the African American—“sometimes sorrowful, sometimes jubilant, but always hopeful.” This enduring classic is a tribute to that heritage and to Ailey’s genius. Using African American religious music--spirituals, song sermons and holy blues--this suite fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul. This season the Company celebrates 50 years of Revelations, seen by more people around the world than any other modern dance.