Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, beloved as one of the world’s most popular dance companies, will share its inspiring artistry with audiences on a 19-city national tour that includes performances in Mesa Arts Center’s Ikeda Theater on April 10 and 11 at 8 p.m. Arizona Community Foundation’s Black Philanthropy Initiative is the Event Sponsor for the Mesa performances.
Tickets are available at mesaartscenter.com or by calling 480-644-6500.
Prior to the launch of Ailey’s exciting new season, Artistic Director Robert Battle visited the White House to accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the nation’s highest civilian honor – on behalf of Alvin Ailey. Bestowed 25 years after the passing of the Company’s legendary founder, President Obama proclaimed that “through him, African-American history was told in a way that it had never been told before — with passionate, virtuoso dance performances that transfixed audiences worldwide.”
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater carries on Alvin Ailey’s pioneering legacy of uplifting, uniting and celebrating the human spirit as Ailey’s extraordinary dancers bring life to a wide variety of new productions and classic works. In addition to performances of Ailey classics, including Alvin Ailey’s signature American masterpiece Revelations (1960), other encore performances will include Ronald K. Brown’s spiritually-charged Grace (1999), Ulysses Dove’s explosive Episodes (1989), Aszure Barton’s LIFT (2013), and Ohad Naharin’s unique and innovative Minus 16 (1999/Ailey Company Premiere 2011).
Theater goers and the general public are invited to enjoy pre- and post-performance events beginning at 6:30pm on Friday, April 10, including a Swing Dance lesson given by the Arizona Lindy Hop Society on Mesa Arts Center’s North Patio and performances by Bruce Gates Big Band with special guest Dennis Rowland on the Alliance Pavilion Stage, as well as a post-performance reception with food and beverage available for purchase. A ticketed pre-performance dinner is also available on both April 10 and 11.
Audience members are also invited to join in the dance during their next New York City visit with a complimentary class at The Ailey Extension for first time visitors by using a ticket stub from any Ailey performance. The Ailey Extension’s popular program of over 80 weekly “real classes for real people” has been enjoyed by over 85,000 at Ailey’s building The Joan Weill Center for Dance, New York’s largest building dedicated to dance. Each “Ticket to Dance” special offer is good for one year from the performance date for first time students, and when purchasing a 10-class card for classes for returning students.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater inspires all in a universal celebration of the human spirit using the African-American cultural experience and the American modern dance tradition. For further information, visit: www.alvinailey.org.
Mesa Arts Center is located at One East Main Street in downtown Mesa.
