Artistic Director – JUDITH JAMISON

Associate Artistic Director – Masazumi Chaya

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater grew from the now fabled performance in March 1958, at the 92nd Street Young Men's Hebrew Association in New York. 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 21 million people in 48 states and in 71 countries on six continents, including two historic residencies in South Africa. The company has earned a reputation as one of the most acclaimed international ambassadors of American culture, promoting the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance heritage.

Born in Rogers, Texas on January 5, 1931, Alvin Ailey was introduced to dance by performances of the Katherine Dunham Dance Company and the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. His formal dance training began with an introduction to Lester Horton's classes by his friend, Carmen de Lavallade. When Mr. Ailey began creating dance, 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, Alvin Ailey maintained that his company was not exclusively a repository for his own work. Today, the Company continues Mr. Ailey's mission by presenting important works of the past and commissioning new ones to add to the repertoire.

Before his untimely death in 1989, Alvin Ailey asked Judith Jamison to become Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. For more than 15 years, Ms. Jamison has led the Company to overwhelming success with performances including the 1996 summer Olympic games, the 2002 winter Cultural Olympiad, and a State dinner at the White House in fall 2003. In 2004, Ms. Jamison led the Company on a tour of mainland China, the Company’s first visit there in almost 20 years. Most recently, she led the Company to historic performances at the 2005 White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia and the 2006 Les étés de la danse de Paris festival in Paris, France. For more information on The Ailey, visit www.alvinailey.org.

Monday, January 15, 2007

CRY
(1971)
(Excerpt)

For all Black women everywhere especially our mothers.

Choreography by Alvin Ailey
Music: "Right On, Be Free" performed by The Voices of East Harlem
Costume by A. Christina Giannini
Lighting by Chenault Spence


Asha Thomas
This work was made possible, in part, by a grant from
The Ford Foundation.

Alvin Ailey choreographed his stupendous signature solo Cry as a birthday present for his dignified mother, Mrs. Lula Cooper, and created the dance on his stunning muse, Judith Jamison. Mrs. Cooper, Ms. Jamison and Carmen de Lavallade could be considered the archetypal Ailey woman—a role that has been passed on to all the women in the Ailey ranks to whom Ms. Jamison has taught this solo. In her autobiography Dancing Spirit, Ms. Jamison wrote: “Exactly where the woman is going through the ballet’s three sections was never explained to me by Alvin. In my interpretation, she represented those women before her who came from the hardships of slavery, through the pain of losing loved ones, through overcoming extraordinary depressions and tribulations. Coming out of a world of pain and trouble, she has found her way—and triumphed.”

ASHA THOMAS (Atlanta, GA) graduated from North Atlanta High School of the Performing Arts and was a member of the Gary Harrison Dance Company in Atlanta. She was a fellowship student at The Ailey School and received her B.F.A. degree from The Juilliard School under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy. Ms. Thomas joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1999.