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AILEY II PERFORMS IN 25 CITIES ON 2015-2016 US TOUR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR TROY POWELL COMMISSIONS FOUR WORLD PREMIERES BY RAY MERCER, JEAN EMILE, KYLE ‘JUSTSOLE’ CLARK, AND AILEY DANCER JAMAR ROBERTS
(New York) September 22nd, 2015 – This Friday, Ailey II will embark on a 25-city US tour running through March 13th (full schedule on page two). The tour will take the stellar 12 member ensemble to Towson, MD; Memphis, TN; Pittsburg, PA; Albuquerque, NM; New Orleans, LA; and Durham, NC among many others. After the tour, Ailey II will return home to New York for its annual two week season at The Ailey Citigroup Theater, March 30th – April 10th. Ailey II is universally renowned for merging the spirit and energy of the country’s best young dance talent with the passion and creative vision of today’s most outstanding emerging choreographers. Ailey II is one of the most popular dance companies in the country, combining a rigorous touring schedule with extensive community outreach programs. After three record-breaking seasons as Artistic Director under his belt, Troy Powell announces four richly diverse new commissions in his fourth year at the helm of the Company. “This is the first time in over two decades that Ailey II has presented four world premieres during a performance season. The premieres are richly diverse and they perfectly complement the eleven returning favorites that make up our repertoire. Audiences are in for a treat on this tour – our young professional dance artists and rising choreographers have come together to create a special experience for one and all. Ailey II is at the forefront of cutting edge and exciting dance and we look forward to bringing our distinctive vibrancy and energy to theaters around the country,” Troy Powell said. Inspired by everyday emotions that awaken and bring color to the human spirit, in Something Tangible, choreographer Ray Mercer leads the ensemble cast into a series of vignettes that reflect sensations of love, passion, fear, and self-doubt. The work features a wide range of musical styles that include artists Max Richter, Ólafur Arnalds, Geoff Bennett, and an original score by Bongi Duma. Choreographer and Ailey School alumnus Jean Emile’s In & Out is a poignant work for eight dancers giving an unflinchingly honest view of the ups and downs of contemporary life. Drawing on a mix of dance techniques, Emile brings a fresh approach, which is amplified by a varied score that includes music by Alva Noto, Alberto Iglesias, and Jun Miyake. In the pulsating ensemble work, I Am The Road, hip-hop choreographer Kyle “JustSole” Clark treats audiences to a glimpse into his life as a dancer. Capturing the struggles and triumphs of a young ambitious artist finding his place in the world, Clark presents his personal journal in dance form. House dance music by Vikter Duplaix, Jeff Samuel, Nuyorican Soul, and Markus Enochson illuminate Clark’s depictions of risk taking, falling in love, and remaining true to one’s self. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancer Jamar Roberts makes his Ailey II choreographic debut with his work Gêmeos (Portuguese for twins). Loosely based on the relationship of Roberts and his brother growing up as children – one a dancer, the other an athlete – Roberts illustrates the dynamic between contrasting personalities and how they evolve from hostility to harmony. Using music with heavy percussion, brassy horns, groovy bass guitar, and the commanding singing style of Afrobeat star Fela Kuti, Roberts perfectly captures the energy of youth. This season, six new dancers – Lloyd Boyd, Gabriel Hyman, Jacob Lewis, Jacoby Pruitt, Courtney Celeste Spears, and Terri Ayanna Wright – join the six returning members. In addition to Powell’s four new commissions, Ailey II’s touring repertory will include favorites such as Breakthrough, Divining (solo excerpt), The External Knot, Hissy Fits, The Hunt, Revelations, Streams, Takademe, Virtues, We, and Wings. For more information visit www.alvinailey.org.
Please visit pressroom.alvinailey.org for bios, hi-res downloadable photos and broll, and Ailey II’s electronic press kit.
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Troy Powell Artistic Director 2015-2016 Tour Schedule (As of 09.03.2015) SUMMER / FALL 2015
WINTER / SPRING 2016
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