Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

“America’s most popular dance company” (The New Yorker) brings its passionate energy and dazzling technique to BAM with two must-see programs that include signature works by Alvin Ailey—including his masterpiece Revelations—as well as recent and rarely performed pieces by renowned choreographers Kyle Abraham, Ronald K. Brown, and Twyla Tharp. Ailey made his debut on the BAM stage as a dancer in 1956 and established close ties to the community when the company began a residency at BAM in 1969. Today, under the leadership of artistic director Robert Battle, the company that forever changed American dance remains a vital force in the city where Ailey put down enduring roots—and around the globe.

Program A: Brooklyn Bonds
Modern masters with Brooklyn connections
Jun 6, Jun 8, and Jun 10 at 7:30pm

Dancing Spirit (2009) by Ronald K. Brown
Roy’s Joys (1997) by Twyla Tharp
Are You in Your Feelings? (2022) by Kyle Abraham

The Ailey company puts its soulful spin on recent and rarely performed pieces by acclaimed choreographers Kyle Abraham, Ronald K. Brown, and Twyla Tharp, the latter returning to the BAM stage for the first time in nearly a decade. Brown’s Dancing Spirit embodies the elegance and influence of the great Judith Jamison. In Roy’s Joys, the company showcases Tharp at her rollicking best in a sultry work set to the silky jazz of Roy Eldridge. Completing the program is Are You in Your Feelings?, a triumphant new work by Abraham that celebrates both Black culture and the youthful spirit that perseveres in us all.

Program B: All Ailey
Revered classics by Alvin Ailey
Jun 7 and Jun 9 at 7:30pm, Jun 10 at 2pm, and Jun 11 at 3pm

Night Creature (1975) by Alvin Ailey
Cry (1971) by Alvin Ailey
Survivors (1986) by Alvin Ailey and Mary Barnett
Revelations (1960) by Alvin Ailey

As part of its eagerly anticipated return to the BAM stage, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater stages four works by the trailblazing master himself: from a buoyant Duke Ellington collaboration to an impassioned tribute to the profound courage of Nelson and Winnie Mandela, set to the visionary jazz of Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln. Also included in the program are the 16-minute solo Cry, a birthday present from Ailey to his mother that is dedicated to “all Black women everywhere,” and the landmark Revelations, which has enraptured audiences since its creation in 1960.