NEW ORLEANS (press release) – New Orleans Ballet Association (NOBA) hosts the return of the iconic Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) for two main stage performances on March 21 at 7:30 p.m. and March 22 at 8 p.m. at the Mahalia Jackson Theater.
Last seen in New Orleans in 2019, AAADT celebrates 66 years as one of America’s most beloved and famous companies bringing the African-American cultural experience and dance traditions to the world’s stages. Founded in 1958 by the legendary Alvin Ailey, the company has performed in more than 70 countries on six continents and was named by a U.S. Congressional resolution as a “Cultural Ambassador to the World.” This extraordinary ensemble of over 30 irresistible, powerhouse dancers “will set the stage on fire” (Chicago Sun-Times) with two completely different programs of stunning new works, the 25th anniversary restaging of choreographer Ronald K. Brown’s masterwork Grace, and Alvin Ailey’s iconic Revelations. Featuring brilliant music from Ray Charles, Count Basie, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Duke Ellington to Gustav Mahler and traditional African American spirituals, “the second the lights dim and the curtain rises, magic happens.” Essence Magazine
AAADT “became a place where artists of all races had a home. All that mattered was talent. … And through him, African-American history was told in a way that it had never been told before — with passionate, virtuoso dance performances that transfixed audiences worldwide. Alvin said that ‘dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people.’ Alvin Ailey delivered, both through his life and through the dance company that will forever bear his name.” (former President Barack Obama at the Presidential Medal of Freedom Ceremony on November 24, 2014)
Single ticket prices for Alvin Ailey start at $35. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more, for students with a valid student ID, and for seniors 65 and over. The Ultimate Ailey Experience of both shows is available for a 10% discount. For more information or to purchase single tickets, visit www.nobadance.com or call NOBA at 504-522-0996.
Two Main Stage Performances with Two Different Programs:
The Company brings two completely different programs filled with brand new works to celebrate its 66th anniversary season, company classics and Ailey’s must-see masterpiece Revelations. Program A on Friday, March 21, includes “Sacred Songs” by Matthew Rushing; “Finding Free” by Hope Boykin; and “Revelations” by Alvin Ailey.
Sacred Songs (2024-25 world premiere) with music by Du’Bois A’Keen reimagines the spirituals that were originally part of Ailey’s landmark work Revelations but were later omitted. A tribute to Revelations, this piece is not a sequel or prequel but a heartfelt exploration by longtime Ailey member Matthew Rushing of the enduring power of the spirituals and the artistry of our ancestors.
Finding Free (2024-25 world premiere) delves into the complexities of personal freedom—not as the absence of hardship, but as the strength to carry life’s burdens. In this collaboration between choreographer Hope Boykin and composer/pianist Matthew Whitaker, the work uses Boykin’s expressive movement vocabulary and Whitaker’s jazz and gospel-infused score to explore the trials, triumphs, and transformative power of endurance.
The program will close with Alvin Ailey’s iconic Revelations (1960), considered to be “one of the most stirring masterpieces of 20th-century dance.” (Boston Globe) Revelations is a cultural treasure that is beloved by generations of fans. This American classic is Ailey’s signature masterpiece and a tribute to his heritage and genius. Set to traditional African-American spirituals, the work fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul. Seeing Revelations for the first time or the hundredth can be a transcendent experience, with audiences cheering, singing along and dancing in their seats from the opening notes of the plaintive “I Been ‘Buked” to the rousing “Wade in the Water” and the triumphant finale, “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham.”
Program B on Saturday, March 22, will feature “CENTURY” by Amy Hall Garner, “May Angels” by Lar Lubovitch, and “Grace” by Ronald K. Brown.
Choreographer Amy Hall Garner’s first work for the Company, CENTURY, is a deeply personal tribute to her grandfather, inspired by the eve of his 100th birthday. A celebration of life, resilience, and joy, the piece draws from the vibrant spirit with which he lives. Set to music by Ray Charles, Count Basie, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and others, CENTURY is a pure dance work, with breathtaking choreography that blends jazz partnered dances and syncopated rhythms, reflecting a jubilant sense of movement.
Lar Lubovitch’s Many Angels (2024-25 world premiere) takes its name from the philosophical question, “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?”—an inquiry with no logical answer. In this dance to music by Gustav Mahler, Lubovitch’s choreography isn’t necessarily about angels, but rather explores the abstract beauty of existence. It’s a piece that reminds us that some things—like a dance—exist simply for the sake of being.
The evening culminates with the 25th anniversary restaging of Ronald K. Brown’s Grace, a spiritually charged masterpiece depicting individuals on a transformative journey to the promised land. Described by The New York Times as “astounding, something to be sensed as well as seen,” Grace blends modern dance with West African movement traditions in a rapturous tour-de-force. The work alternates between extremes—power and lightness, serenity and intensity—illustrated in a stunning solo for an angelic figure in white, followed by a fiery, dynamic group section. Twelve dancers embody contemporary warriors as they whirl and pound through Brown’s signature choreography, their arms and legs slicing through the air, fingers reaching toward the heavens.
NOBA presents Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in partnership with the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund (NOTCF).
