Internationally Acclaimed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Returns to Nashville’s TPAC
NASHVILLE, TN – Jan. 29, 2020 – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, founded by the groundbreaking dancer-choreographer Alvin Ailey (1931-1989), will stop in Nashville as part of a 21-city, coast-to-coast tour engagement Feb. 28-29 at Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s Jackson Hall.
Tickets are on sale now at www.TPAC.org, by phone at 615-782-4040, and at the TPAC Box Office, 505 Deaderick St.
Artistic Director Robert Battle leads Ailey’s 32 extraordinary dancers as they continue the Company’s legacy of using the African-American cultural experience and the American modern dance tradition to uplift, unite and enlighten. The tour’s expansive repertory, which varies from city to city, includes dynamic works by some of the freshest choreographic voices in modern dance.
The program for Nashville will include the acclaimed American masterpiece “Revelations,” and new productions to be announced later.
Acknowledging its lasting significance after 50 years, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution recognizing the artistic and cultural contributions of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the 50th Anniversary of the first performance of “Revelations.”
“Revelations” has become a cultural treasure, beloved by generations of fans. An American classic acclaimed as a must‐see for all, Ailey’s signature masterpiece is a tribute to his heritage and genius. Using African-American spirituals, the work explores the places of grief and joy in the soul. Seeing “Revelations” for the first time or the hundredth can be a transcendent experience with songs like “I Been ’Buked” to the rousing “Wade in the Water” and the triumphant finale, “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham.”
For more information, visit www.alvinailey.org.
About Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, recognized by U.S. Congressional resolution as a vital American “Cultural Ambassador to the World,” grew from a now‐fabled March 1958 performance in New York that changed forever the perception of American dance.
Founded by Alvin Ailey, recent posthumous recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the nation’s highest civilian honor, and guided by Judith Jamison beginning in 1989, the Company is now led by Robert Battle, whom Judith Jamison chose to succeed her on July 1, 2011. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has performed for an estimated 25 million people in 71 countries on six continents – as well as millions more through television broadcasts, film screenings and online platforms - promoting the uniqueness of the African‐American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance tradition. In addition to being the Principal Dance Company of New York City Center, where its performances have become a year‐end tradition, the Ailey company performs annually at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami‐Dade County in Miami, The Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, CA and at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark (where it is the Principal Resident Affiliate), and appears frequently in other major theaters throughout the United States and the world during extensive yearly tours. The Ailey organization also includes Ailey II (1974), a second performing company of emerging young dancers and innovative choreographers; The Ailey School (1969), one of the most extensive dance training programs in the world; Ailey Arts in Education & Community Programs, which brings dance into the classrooms, communities and lives of people of all ages; and The Ailey Extension (2005), a program offering dance and fitness classes to the general public, which began with the opening of Ailey’s permanent home—the largest building dedicated to dance in New York City, the dance capital of the world —named The Joan Weill Center for Dance, at 55th Street at 9th Avenue in New York City. For more information, visit www.alvinailey.org.