The ‘Cultural Ambassador to the World,’ Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre returns to the Orange County Performing Arts Center to celebrate artistic director Judith Jamison’s 20th year anniversary. In celebration of Jamison who has been involved with the company since 1965 as a dancer AAADT is presenting several west coast and OCPAC premiers. These premiers include new works “Dance Spirit,” Ronald K. Brown’s fourth piece for the company, Among Us by Judith Jamison herself, Uptown by long time company member Matthew Rushing, and Best of 20 Years, a mash up of 14 ballets commissioned or re-staged under Jamison’s directorship. In addition to these premiers, Jamison’s Hymn a tribute to company founder Alvin Ailey, Suite Otis by George W. Faison, Alvin Ailey staple Revelations, and the powerful Episodes by Ulysses Dove will be performed by the internationally renowned company.
This week of performances, March 2-7, at OCPAC is going to give new audiences a taste of the history and longevity of the company while giving fans the opportunity to see old favorites mixed with some new takes on the company’s signature style. Ailey can either make the audience stand up and cheer like during performances of Revelations or leave them slightly disappointed because of the less contemporary, boisterous and more classical, cool style of the company. Regardless, the dancers of the company are technical monsters with gorgeously chiseled bodies.
In addition to the performances for the general public, AAADT will be holding master classes, workshops, and performances for thousands of youth and young adults in the Orange County area. Using the signature work Revelations, the company will be making a presentation about the significance of language arts, social science, and dance. The students that get to partake in the outreach of AAADT have a great opportunity to learn from some of the company’s dancers.
Performances at OCPAC by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre will be at 7:30PM every night from March 2-7 with additional 2PM performances on Saturday March 6 and Sunday March 7. With tickets on sale now starting at $16, you can bring the whole family. Different programs are on different nights, make sure you check out the OCPAC website for further ticket and performance information.
