Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre Present New Works of Modern Dance

Last week, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre unveiled two new works among their established repertoire. In performances on Thursday and Friday night, the troupe debuted both Mauro Bigonzetti's "Deep" and Kyle Abraham's "Untitled America: Second Movement."

The dance company's signature work remains their renowned performance of Ailey's "Revelations," in production by the New York group since early 1960. In a review at the New York Times, writer Brian Seibert spoke of the organization's founder, Robert Battle, prefacing the performance of new and old dance routines:

"Robert Battle, the artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater since 2011, gives an excellent curtain speech. But when the company returned to the David H. Koch Theater on Thursday and Friday, he kept uncharacteristically quiet. What spoke instead was the repertory he has updated and upgraded."

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre was established by dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey in 1958. Ailey is often cited as a popularizer of the modern dance genre and a spearheading the involvement of African-American performers into dance during the 20th century. In 2014, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Ailey a Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contributions to the modern arts landscape.

In an interview with PBS talk show host Tavis Smiley, founder Battle spoke of his pride in the dance company's accomplishments, identifying a popular Maya Angelou quote as a source of inspiration for the company: 

"I love what Maya Angelou said: 'Everything in the universe has rhythm, everything dances.' I think this company reflects the universality of every person, that being an American dance company, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, to me, that notion is that anything is possible. We are only limited by our imagination."

Below, watch a portion of a live performance by the dance company:

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre continue their performances at David H. Koch Theater this week until June 19 before heading out to Saratoga Springs, New York for a string of performances at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, July 8-9.

We want to hear from you. Let us know if you’ve ever attended a presentation by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, and what you thought of the performance, in the comments section below.

TagsAlvin Ailey, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Mauro Bigonzetti, Kyle Abraham, Robert Battle, David H. Koch Theater, Maya Angelou, Tavis Smiley, Modern Dance, President Barack Obama, Presidential Medal of Freedom