Arts & Entertainment

Dance

Updated Editor’s Note: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is also holding a free community dance class at the Cabrillo Ballroom on Tuesday, April 15 at 11:15 a.m. Focused on Ailey’s masterpiece, Revelations, and taught by members of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the class will encourage participants to reminisce on their own life experiences to create dance. All ages and levels are welcome. https://bit.ly/3R9ywrO

In addition, the Ailey company management has advised us to make sure people understand that the shows will have a strict no late seating policy. Please plan to arrive early to the theater and allow yourself plenty of time. People who arrive late may not be able to get to their seats until intermission, especially on night one.

Revelations Are Afoot from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Cultural Phenomenon Performs for Two Nights at the Santa Barbara Granada

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Matthew Rushing's 'Sacred Songs.' | Photo: Paul Kolnik

“There’s a very unique experience that you have coming to see an Alvin Ailey concert. You come to the theater, and you get to connect with all the different dancers, the different shapes and sizes and shades. It’s all-encompassing,” said Matthew Rushing, in an interview with the Santa Barbara Independent in 2016. At that time, Rushing was hailed as one of the most prolific modern dancers of our time, filling various roles within the organization, including choreographer, principal dancer, rehearsal director, and company advocate.

The past decade has only served to solidify Alvin Ailey’s seminal role in the dance world. Rushing is now the company’s Interim Artist Director, and they return to Santa Barbara on April 15-16 with two vibrant programmatic blends of contemporary and classic movement. A UCSB Arts & Lectures presentation at The Granada Theatre, the Wednesday, April 16, program will feature founder Alvin Ailey’s beloved masterpiece Revelations. Considered a must-see since its creation in 1960, Revelations has been seen by more people around the world than any other modern dance work.

It’s even got the Oprah stamp of approval. “Every American owes it to him or herself to see the Ailey company perform Revelations. It is an American phenomenon,” said Winfrey.

Founded by Alvin Ailey on March 30, 1958, during a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is one of the most acclaimed dance companies in the world. With a repertory that boasts close to 300 works by more than 100 choreographers, it has performed in more than 70 countries on six continents and has been designated a “vital American Cultural Ambassador to the World” by a U.S. Congressional resolution.

The Santa Barbara program on Tuesday, April 15, includes the performance of Sacred Songs, a new choreographic work by Rushing that features music used in the original premiere of Ailey’s seminal Revelations but later omitted. Rushing and the company have resurrected and reimagined those spirituals, with the collaboration of creative associate and musical director Du’Bois A’Keen, as an offering to our need for lamentation, faith, and joy.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Ronald K. Brown’s ‘Grace.’ | Photo: Danica Paulos

Though the planned debut of Sacred Songs was delayed by the pandemic, the piece made its world premiere last year at New York City Center as part of the Whitney Museum of American Art’s exhibit Edges of Ailey, with instrumentalists and a chorus on stage. As Rushing told the Los Angeles Times, “These spirituals have such power and history, but some of them are extremely well known and important to a lot of people. We wanted to present them in a fresh way. We spent two weeks brainstorming with musicians at the 92nd Street Y in New York, where Revelations premiered in 1960. It was amazing to be in that room, creating sounds to honor the original.”

That first evening also includes another favorite returning to the stage, Elisa Monte’s Treading, a mesmerizing duet featuring fluid, intricate movements that combine with Steve Reich’s evocative music to create an aura of mystery and sensuality. Also on the program for Tuesday is Solo by Hans van Manen, an explosive display of three dancers in a tour de force that challenges the Ailey men’s daring, agility, and grace.

In addition, that evening features Grace by Ronald K. Brown. Set to Duke Ellington’s classic “Come Sunday,” Peven Everett’s hit “Gabriel,” and the infectious pulse of Fela Kuti’s Afro-pop, Grace depicts individuals on a journey to the promised land, expanding from a single angel-like figure in white to the fireball intensity of 12 powerful dancers.

Hope Boykin’s Finding Free — a collaboration by the former company member with pianist Matthew Whitaker’s original score — will also be presented on Wednesday; along with Many Angels, the first world premiere for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater by Lar Lubovitch, and the finale of the two-day run will be Revelations, which has moved audiences for decades with powerful storytelling and soul-stirring music.

UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater with two separate programs on April 15-16 at The Granada Theatre (1214 State St.), at 7:30 p.m. both nights. For tickets and more information, see bit.ly/3YhZCRk.