In our third installation of “Offstage and Unbound,” The Music Center’s President and CEO Rachel Moore chats with Hope Boykin of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She joined the company in 2000 and has choreographed three stunning works for the company. They include Acceptance In Surrender in 2005, in collaboration with fellow Ailey company members Abdur-Rahim Jackson and Matthew Rushing; Go in Grace in 2008 with music by the award-winning singing group Sweet Honey in the Rock; and her most recent piece, r-Evolution, Dream, which was inspired by the speeches and sermons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with original music by Ali Jackson.
Hope is a three-time recipient of the American Dance Festival’s Young Tuition Scholarship and received a New York Dance and Performance (Bessie) Award.
We’re so excited for opening night tonight of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, we thought you might enjoy some of this (mostly) LA-centric trivia about the iconic company!
Did you know…?
Lester Horton Dance Theater members Joyce Trisler, Alvin Ailey, and Lelia Goldoni in Ailey’s first choreographic work, According to St. Francis, 1954. Photo by Jack Mitchell.
The daily training for Ailey dancers consists of Horton technique, named after Lester Horton whose Los Angeles based Horton Dance Company is where Alvin Ailey got his start. Bonus trivia: the original Horton Dance Theater was on Melrose Ave between Sierra Bonita and Curson Ave!
AAADT in Alvin Ailey’s Revelations. Photo by James R. Brantley
Since its premiere in 1960, Revelations has been seen by more audiences around the world than any other modern work! It has been enjoyed by over 23 million people in 71 countries across six continents.
Odetta seen here performing at the Hollywood Turnabout Puppet Theatre
Odetta was created by the company’s own Rehearsal Director and Guest Artist Matthew Rushing, who hails from Los Angeles. Rushing graduated from LACHSA and won a Music Center Spotlight Award, before joining Ailey II! Bonus trivia: Odetta’s first professional experience was in musical theater as an ensemble member for four years with the Hollywood Turnabout Puppet Theatre!
Artistic Director Robert Battle. Photo by Andrew Eccles.
Current Artistic Director Robert Battle is only the third person to run the company, as personally picked by Alvin Ailey’s own successor Judith Jamison. Bonus trivia: Jamison’s autobiography, Dancing Spirit, was edited by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and published in 1993.
Choreographer Ulysses Dove has two pieces in Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s complete program here at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion: Episodes and its precursor Bad Blood. Dove’s inspired style is a merging influence of his choreographic mentors Alvin Ailey and Merce Cunningham.
If you’re anything like us, you’re beside yourself that Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is in town! There are six opportunities to see them this week, and three different programs to choose from!
In anticipation for National Picnic Day (April 23rd), we’re kicking off Picnic Season early with PicnicDTLA in Grand Park this Saturday from 12-4.
REDCAT presents three opportunities to see Hotel Modern: The Great War in which this Dutch theater ensemble re-create the WWI Western Front from dollhouse-scale props and ordinary household materials and then utilize video cameras to project the action onto an overhead screen, accompanied by live sound effects and spoken narration from actual soldiers’ letters! Then on Monday evening see the revival screening ofKidlat Tahimik: Perfumed Nightmare, what Werner Herzog attributed as “One of the most original and poetic works of cinema made anywhere in the seventies.”
AAADT in Alvin Ailey’s Revelations. Photo by James R. Brantley
We’ve been talking about it for months (and can you blame us?) One of America’s most beloved dance companies is returning to LA this April and we can hardly wait! Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will take our Dorothy Chandler Pavilion stage April 15-19th and, whether you’ve seen them a dozen times or never before, this is one Ailey engagement you won’t want to miss… In fact you may want to come to a few shows because there are 3 completely different programs among the six performances!
How do you know which show to see? Well, we’ve created this handy dandy quiz to help you figure out which program best fits your personality and likes, but here’s a more general breakdown of how the shows are divided up and why each program totally rocks….
Power of Ailey – April 15th @7:30pm & 18th @7:30pm
This program is the only one of the 3 that does not include Alvin Ailey’s beloved work Revelations. So if that’s a must see for you, then consider one of the other performances. Power of Ailey packs a powerful punch of new and exciting works from Ulysses Dove, David Parsons, Hofesh Shechter and Ohad Naharin. Each piece is brimming with athleticism, strength and innovative choreography that’s sure to leave a lasting impression.
Dove’s Episodes dramatically exposes the eternal dilemma’s between men and women through explosive choreography. And Parsons’ signature solo Caught is a breathtaking fusion of art and technology, with the dancer executing a continual series of over 100 leaps synchronized to the flashes of a strobe light, creating a stunning suspension of weight. Schechter’s Uprising uses an all male cast and is set to some of the choreographer’s own music. While Naharin’s Minus 16 has been creating a buzz in the dance world for sometime now and if you haven’t seen it yet, you need to asap! Get ready to be amazed!
AAADT’S Hope Boykin in Matthew Rushing’s ODETTA Photo by Steve Wilson
Soul of Ailey – April 16th @7:30 & 19th @2pm
If you’re literally looking for something a bit more soulful, this is the program for you. Soul features the west coast premiere of Matthew Rushing’s ODETTA – a ballet based on the life of the activist singer Odetta Holmes – as well as classic works from Ulysses Dove and Alvin Ailey himself. The program has some of THE BEST music of the engagement, and promises to be a truly moving production.
Matthew Rushing is actually an LA native – having attended LACHSA and performed as a finalist in our own Spotlight Awards – so we are especially proud to host the west coast premiere of his ODETTA. Dove’s Bad Blood depicts a desperate and futile search for connection through physical impact, and was actually a precursor to Episodes. And Alvin Ailey’s signature work, Revelations, closes out this program. If you’ve never seen it, now is the time. It is one of the most moving works ever to grace the stage!
AAADT in Aszure Barton’s LIFT. Photo by Paul Kolnik
Joy of Ailey – April 17th @7:30 & 18th @2pm
And finally, our Joy of Ailey program brings together a beautiful mix of moving, and high energy pieces guaranteed to put a smile on your face! With in-demand choreographer Aszure Barton’s Lift getting things started, this program takes an energetic bend. Barton’s work has been described by Dance Magazine as “vulnerable and feisty, brightly adept yet peculiar, witty and impetuously wild.” Who doesn’t want some of that?
And Hans van Manen’s Polish Pieces continues the mood by creating a brilliant kaleidoscope of energy through the shapes and movement of 12 colorfully clad dancers. Then Christopher Wheeldon’s masterpiece After The Rain adds a touch of elegant calmness to the fold, before the show closes again with Ailey’s Revelations. If you want to leave the theater in the best mood ever, opt for the Joy of Ailey program. It’s a dead lock!
Hope to see you at one, two, or all three of our Ailey programs! Tickets have been going fast so be sure to snag your seats asap!
Glenn Allen Sims. Alvin Ailey Dance Theater – Photo by Andrew Eccles
Now that it’s 2015, we’re looking at our calendar and can hardly wait for all the upcoming shows and events in the works. But just to narrow things down a bit, here are 5 Events for 2015 that our on our can’t miss list!
#1. Alvin Ailey Dance Theater
America’s most popular dance company returns to LA in April with 3 amazing programs filled to the brim with the hottest premieres as well as returning favorites like Mr. Ailey’s beloved Revelations.Get Tickets!
#2. H’Sao
Political refugees based in Montreal, by way of Chad, bring their sweet harmonies and songs of freedom to The Music Center’s Stern Grand Hall (in the Chandler Pavilion) for 1 night only on January 17th. Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. weekend with this amazing group, followed by a set with DJ Rani De Leon and artist CD signing. Get Tickets!
#3. Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg
They are one of the most requested dance companies in the world, and we are so thrilled that Eifman Ballet returns to The Music Center in June with Boris Eifman’s latest signature piece – Rodin. Based on the life of sculptor Auguste Rodin and his muse Camille Claudel, this full-length work explores the tragic nature of genius through innovative choreography and theater that’s sure to leave an impression. Get Tickets!
Eifman Ballet’s Rodin – Photo by Gene Schiavone
#4. Gamelan Sekar Jaya
Internationally recognized as “the finest Balinese gamelan ensemble outside of Indonesia,” this 25 member troupe will bring Balinese traditional music and dance to our World City stage on February 22nd, with two free performances in the Keck Amphitheater behind Walt Disney Concert Hall. Learn more!
Gamelan Sekar Jaya – Photo by Nina Herlina
#5. A Taste of Dance
Literally this event gives anyone and everyone the chance to learn a variety of dance styles, choreography, and skills for just a dollar a lesson. Join us on March 21st for a day of learning all kinds of dance and getting into the groove with friends and amazing local teachers (it’s always a great work out too!)
The Music Center 