Date: 11/6/17
Media Contact: Kristin Bennett
Phone: 901.529.4229
Email: bennett@orpheum-memphis.com
(Above Photo: AAADT in Alvin Ailey’s Revelations. Credit: Paul Kolnik)
REVERED DANCE COMPANY RETURNS TO MEMPHIS
ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER FEBRUARY 2-3, 2018
Tickets on Sale Now
MEMPHIS, TN – The Orpheum is pleased to announce the limited engagement of the world-renowned dance company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater February 2-3, 2018 at the historic Orpheum Theatre. Tickets are on sale now.
“I am lucky to have a long history of presenting this inspiring company around the country. In fact, I met our new VP of Education, Jennifer McGrath, when she toured with the Ailey company,” said Brett Batterson, President & CEO of the Orpheum Theatre Group. “I am pleased Memphis will enjoy this incomparable artistic experience again. It has been too many years since Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has appeared in our city.”
Now more than ever, we need the power of dance to bring us all together, connected by our common humanity. Engage your emotions when Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s extraordinary dancers bring to life contemporary works that touch on timely topics and the beloved classic Revelations, Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece that fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul and is acclaimed as a must-see for all.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater grew from a now-fabled performance in March 1958 at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. Led by Alvin Ailey and a group of young African-American modern dancers, that performance changed forever the perception of American dance.
The Ailey company has gone on to perform for an estimated 25 million people at theaters in 48 states and 71 countries on six continents – as well as millions more through television broadcasts, film screenings, and online platforms.
In 2008, a U.S. Congressional resolution designated the Company as a vital American “Cultural Ambassador to the World” that inspires all in a universal celebration of the human spirit using the African-American cultural experience and the American modern dance tradition.. When Mr. Ailey began creating dances, he drew upon his “blood memories” of Texas, the blues, spirituals, and gospel as inspiration, which resulted in the creation of his most popular and critically acclaimed work, Revelations. Although he created 79 ballets over his lifetime, Mr. Ailey maintained that his company was not exclusively a repository for his own work.
Nearly 60 years after its founding, the Ailey company continues to move forward under the direction of Robert Battle, furthering Mr. Ailey’s mission by presenting important works of the past and commissioning new ones. In all, more than 235 works by over 90 choreographers have been part of the Ailey company’s repertory.
Tickets are on sale now and are available for purchase online at the official Orpheum Theatre website, orpheum-memphis.com, the Orpheum Box Office (901.525.3000), and Ticketmaster. Special group rates are also available by calling 901.529.4226 or emailing groups@orpheum-memphis.com.
For more information on Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, please visit www.alvinailey.org.
About the Orpheum Theatre Group:
The mission of the Orpheum Theatre Group is to enhance the communities we serve by utilizing the performing arts to entertain, educate, and enlighten while preserving the historic Orpheum Theatre and the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education. For more information, visit www.orpheum-memphis.com.
About Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, recognized by U.S. Congressional resolution as a vital American “Cultural Ambassador to the World,” grew from a now‐fabled March 1958 performance in New York that changed forever the perception of American dance. Founded by Alvin Ailey, recent posthumous recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the nation’s highest civilian honor – and guided by Judith Jamison beginning in 1989, the Company is now led by Robert Battle, whom Judith Jamison chose to succeed her on July 1, 2011. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has performed for an estimated 25 million people in 71 countries on 6 continents – as well as millions more through television broadcasts, film screenings, and online platforms – promoting the uniqueness of the African‐American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance tradition. In addition to being the Principal Dance Company of New York City Center, where its performances have become a year‐end tradition, the Ailey company performs annually at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami‐Dade County in Miami, The Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, CA, and at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark where it is the Principal Resident Affiliate), and appears frequently in other major theaters throughout the United States and the world during extensive yearly tours. The Ailey organization also includes Ailey II (1974), a second performing company of emerging young dancers and innovative choreographers; The Ailey School (1969), one of the most extensive dance training programs in the world; Ailey Arts in Education & Community Programs, which brings dance into the classrooms, communities, and lives of people of all ages; and Ailey Extension (2005), a program offering dance and fitness classes to the general public, which began with the opening of Ailey’s permanent home—the largest building dedicated to dance in New York City, the dance capital of the world —named The Joan Weill Center for Dance, at 55th Street at 9th Avenue in New York City. For more information, visit www.alvinailey.org.
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TITLE: ALVIN AILEY American Dance Theater
EVENT TYPE: Dance
DESCRIPTION: Now more than ever, we need the power of dance to bring us all together, connected by our common humanity. Engage your emotions when Alvin Ailey® American Dance Theater returns with contemporary works that touch on timely topics and the beloved classic Revelations, Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece that fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul.
VENUE: Orpheum Theatre, 203 S. Main Street, Memphis TN 38103
DATES: February 2 – 3, 2018
- Friday, February 2, 2018 8:00 PM
- Saturday, February 3, 2018 2:00 PM
- Saturday, February 3, 2018 8:00 PM
TICKETS: $39-$89
BOX OFFICE: 901.525.3000
GROUP SALES: 901.529.4226
