Clear the highways. Following a five-week run at home in New York City, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is taking its 60th anniversary show on the road, with a two-night stop at Copley Symphony Hall March 26–27. The North American tour, named Ailey Ascending, brings new choreography to the group’s repertoire, like world-premiere number Lazarus, a two-act ballet inspired by the racial inequality Ailey faced when founding the company six decades ago.
Still rooted in merging modern and West African dance, the company has received the National Medal of Arts, been named a Cultural Ambassador to the World by Congress, performed in 71 countries, and recruited world-class dancers, some of whom (like Samantha Figgins, pictured left) have worked with the likes of Beyoncé. Now that’s some fancy footwork.
March 26–27 | Copley Symphony Hall, Downtown alvinailey
Photo by Andrew Eccles