_____________________________

Alvin Ailey Exhitbition Opens in D.C.; Dance Troupe in Norfolk, May 2-4

  
    On March 30, 1958, Alvin Ailey’s new company of seven dancers performed for the first time in New York City. Fifty years later, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) has performed for more than 21 million people in 48 states and in 71 countries on six continents. The Library of Congress commemorates the troupe’s golden anniversary with the exhibition, “Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: 50 Years as Cultural Ambassador to the World.”
    The exhibition opens on May 8 and remains on view through Sept. 6.
Alvin Ailey (1931–1989) founded AAADT to carry out his vision of a company dedicated to enriching the heritage of American modern dance, as well as safeguarding the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience.

Posted April 3, 2008

  
 

  
     The exhibition, featuring material from the Library’s Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation Archive and selected items from the Lester Horton Dance Theater Collection, offers a window into Ailey’s roots at the Los Angeles-based Lester Horton Dance Theater, his repertory of 79 choreographic works, the development of his dance company and the continuation of the Ailey legacy under the leadership of Judith Jamison.
    The exhibition draws on an extensive collection of photographs and includes images of works by some of the 70 choreographers who have created dances for AAADT, as well as extraordinary examples of Ailey’s most beloved creations, including “Blues Suite,” “Revelations” and “Cry.”

   The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will be performing in Norfolk at Chrysler Hall May 2-4th as part of this year’s Virginia Arts Festival. Ticket information at Ticketmasters.

Click Here to Subscribe to the New Journal and Guide.