Alvin Ailey

50th Anniversary at The Paramount Theatre

Returning to Seattle as a part of its 50th Anniversary Celebration, AAADT will perform several works from their classic repertory including, Revelations. The engagement will also include new works from today’s most daring and visionary choreographers, Maurice Béjart, Twyla Tharp, and Billy Wilson.
Sunday, March 30 marks the 50th anniversary of AAADT’s now legendary first performance in 1958. To commemorate this historic milestone, Sunday’s program will feature all Ailey choreographed ballets.

AAADT brings to Seattle a journey of fearless exploration and discovery. In five decades, AAADT has performed in over 70 countries on 6 continents, becoming not only the most-traveled dance company, but also gaining recognition as America’s Cultural Ambassador to the World. Its inspiring performances continue to unite people of all backgrounds, celebrating the human spirit through the universal language of dance.

Alvin Ailey’s dream and Judith Jamison’s remarkable vision have brought us to this moment, fifty years in the making. A pioneering legacy continues of honoring African-American cultural expression and the American modern dance tradition. Extraordinary art endures. Beauty, spirit, hope and passion know no bounds. That is the power of Ailey. The celebration is now.

Featured Show: MEMORIA
The Paramount Theatre (performance on March 30, 2008)
•Memoria Cast

To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of AAADT on March 30, 2008 Memoria will be performed in the Sunday matinee performance. The dance includes 23 local dancers of diverse backgrounds ranging in age from 15-22. The student dancers come from the Seattle area and beyond, including Olympia, Tacoma, Bainbridge Island, Redmond and Spokane!

Alvin Ailey began choreographing Memoria after dear friend and choreographer Joyce Trisler died prematurely. The ballet is structured in two parts “In Memory” and “In Celebration.” Memoria was last performed in Seattle in 2005. To date Memoria has only been performed in Seattle, New York City, Washington DC, Berkeley, Paris and Johannesburg.

History
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) grew from the now fabled performance in March 1958, at the 92nd Street Young Men's Hebrew Association in New York. Led by Alvin Ailey and a group of young African-American modern dancers, that performance changed forever the perception of American dance.

Born in Rogers, Texas on January 5, 1931, Alvin Ailey was introduced to dance by performances of the Katherine Dunham Dance Company and the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. His formal dance training began with an introduction to Lester Horton's classes by his friend, Carmen de Lavallade.

When company founder Alvin Ailey began creating dance, he drew upon his “blood memories” of Texas, the blues, spirituals and gospel as inspiration, which resulted in the creation Revelations. The company continues to promote his unparalleled vision.

Although he created 79 ballets over his lifetime, Alvin Ailey maintained that his company was not exclusively a repository for his own work. Today, AAADT continues Mr. Ailey's mission by presenting important works of the past and commissioning new ones to add to the repertoire. In all, more than 200 works by over 70 choreographers have been performed by AAADT.

Before his untimely death in 1989, Alvin Ailey asked Judith Jamison to become Artistic Director of AAADT. Ms. Jamison wrote in her autobiography, Dancing Spirit, "I hope I'm a continuation of Alvin's vision. He has left me a road map. It's very clear. It works.”