{"id":232991,"date":"2026-03-23T19:47:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T19:47:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/232991\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T19:47:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T19:47:08","slug":"alvin-ailey-american-dance-theater-returns-to-cal-performances-april-7-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/232991\/","title":{"rendered":"Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to Cal Performances April 7-12"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Grace-May Hansen<\/p>\n

One of the world\u2019s most acclaimed dance ensembles, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, returns to Berkeley for its annual residency at Cal Performances this April 7-12, led by new artistic director, Alicia Graf Mack.\u00a0 Four diverse programs blend bold contemporary works with uplifting classics, showcasing the breadth and resilience of its dancers and artistic legacy across seven performances.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tickets: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at Cal Performances April 7-12, are available at calperformances.org<\/a>, by phone at (510) 642-9988, or in person at the Ticket Office at Zellerbach Hall.<\/p>\n

A multi-genre soundtrack spans musical history, featuring compositions ranging from the violin sonatas of Johann Sebastian Bach to popular songs by Ed Sheeran, Stevie Wonder and Pink. The music and choreography explore the depths and variety of human experience, expressing spiritual themes and social commentary while celebrating the richness and diversity of the African American experience.<\/p>\n

New Leadership<\/p>\n

This year, Alicia Graf Mack \u2014 a San Jose native, virtuoso ballerina, and recent dean and dance division director at The Julliard School in New York \u2014 returned to the Ailey company as its fourth artistic director since its 1958 founding. She was a celebrated dancer with the company from 2005 to 2014.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAiley was always the north star,\u201d Graf Mack said. \u201cTo come back now feeling prepared, ready, honored \u2014 I couldn\u2019t be more happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having collaborated with the likes of Alicia Keys and Beyonc\u00e9, Graf Mack informs the Ailey company\u2019s rich dance tradition with a contemporary sensibility. Graf Mack was first brought to the company and mentored by Judith Jamison, the company\u2019s artistic director from 1989 to 2011, and emerita director at the time of her death in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2025 Graf Mack received an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Juilliard. Her achievements have been recognized with Smithsonian Magazine\u2019s American Innovator of the Arts and Sciences award, Columbia University\u2019s Medal of Excellence, and the prestigious 2023 Dance Magazine Award.<\/p>\n

With the support of the Ailey Company\u2019s associate artistic director, Matthew Rushing, Graf Mack is piloting the company\u2019s evolution, elevating contemporary creators while staying true to the legacy and vision of Alvin Ailey.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Alicia Graf Mack,\u00a0at center, the new artistic director at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, with members of the Company. The Ailey company performs at Cal Performances April 7-12. Credit: Andrew Eccles<\/p>\n

Repertoire<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Ailey performances in Berkeley feature six Bay Area premieres paired with familiar classics.<\/p>\n

Program A, to be performed Tues., April 7 at 7:30 p.m., includes three Bay Area premieres. From Medhi Walerski, now artistic director of Ballet BC, comes \u201cBlink of an Eye.\u201d It explores the strong yet vulnerable relationship between dance and music, with bold athletic choreography that mingles with J.S. Bach\u2019s timeless violin sonatas and partita.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Second on the program is \u201cSong of the Anchorite,\u201d a display of earthly and spiritual passion, by Jamar Roberts, formerly an Ailey dancer and resident choreographer. The piece was inspired by Alvin Ailey\u2019s 1961 solo, \u201cHermit Songs.\u201d It is powered by the recording of Ravel\u2019s Adagio assai (from Piano Concerto in G Major) performed by jazz trumpeter Avishai Cohen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Following that, is Matthew Neenan\u2019s choreographic debut for the Ailey company.\u00a0 His \u201cDifference Between\u201d creates a world of tension, grief and love set to a compilation of powerful music composed and recorded by singer\u202fHeather Christian, a 2025 MacArthur Fellow.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The program concludes with the return of Alvin Ailey\u2019s timeless anthem, \u201cRevelations,\u201d which premiered in 1960. \u201cRevelations\u201d pays homage to and reflects the cultural heritage of the African American, which Ailey considered one of America\u2019s richest treasures.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Program B is offered on Wed., April 8 at 7:30 p.m., Sat., April 11 at 2 p.m., and Sun. April 12 at 3 p.m. It opens with the Bay Area premiere of \u201cJazz Island,\u201d a theatrically staged Caribbean folktale choreographed by Cuban American artist Maija Garc\u00eda in her first collaboration with the Ailey company. It features an original score by New Orleans jazz artist Etienne Charles.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The program continues with Fredrick Earl Mosley\u2019s \u201cEmbrace\u201d \u2014 a reflection on the complexity of human connection set to songs performed by a variety of artists including Stevie Wonder, Maxwell, and Etta James \u2014 and concludes with \u201cRevelations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Dancers in the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will perform Alvin Ailey\u2019s iconic work\u00a0\u201cRevelations\u201d at Cal Performances April 7-12. Credit: Paul Kolnik<\/p>\n

Program C, performed Thursday, April 9 at 7:30 p.m., and Friday, April 10 at 8 p.m., opens with the Bay Area premiere of \u201cThe Holy Blues.\u201d It\u2019s a collaboration between Jawole Willa Jo Zollar (founder of Urban Bush Women), current Ailey company dancer Samantha Figgins, and former Ailey dancer Chalvar Monteiro. The 2025 creation is inspired by the Ring Shout \u2014 a circular dance originating from Central and West Africa \u2014 and the Door of No Return \u2014 the final point of departure of enslaved Africans sent to America. Both serve as metaphors and an account of the lived experience of past generations. \u201cThe Holy Blues\u201d is brought to life with a fusion of gospel music and the blues by artists including Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers, Howlin\u2019 Wolf, and Andy Bey.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is followed by Walerski\u2019s \u201cBlink of an Eye\u201d and the Bay Area premiere of a new production by Judith Jamison \u201cA Case of You.\u201d Jamison\u2019s work is a sensual duet performed to Diana Krall\u2019s rendition of the classic 1971 Joni Mitchell song.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Program C concludes with a company classic, Ronald K. Brown\u2019s \u201cGrace,\u201d a blend of modern dance and West African movement depicting individuals journeying to the promised land. \u201cGrace\u201d is set to a dynamic musical mix including selections by Duke Ellington, Fela Kuti and Peven Everett\u2019s house music track, \u201cGabriel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Program D, performed Sat., April 11 at 8 p.m., begins with three of the residency\u2019s Bay Area premieres: Zollar, Figgins, and Monteiro\u2019s \u201cThe Holy Blues;\u201d Walerski\u2019s \u201cBlink of an Eye;\u201d and Jamison\u2019s \u201cA Case of You;\u201d before concluding with \u201cRevelations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ailey company\u2019s annual residency at Cal Performances has been a Bay Area tradition for nearly 60 years, and this year\u2019s engagement, like those before it, showcases the passionate spirit and extraordinary technique of Ailey\u2019s dancers in new works and classic repertory favorites that have inspired fans for decades.<\/p>\n

Performances for K\u201312 students<\/p>\n

\"\"Cal Performances education programs serve grades K\u201312 and college campus communities. Courtesy of Cal Performances<\/p>\n

Two performances for Bay Area K-12 students take place Thurs. and Fri., April 9-10, at 11 a.m. in Zellerbach Hall as part of Cal Performances\u2019 SchoolTime series. The hourlong program, moderated by an Ailey dancer, introduces students to Alvin Ailey\u2019s masterpiece, \u201cRevelations,\u201d and features excerpts of Ronald K. Brown\u2019s \u201cGrace.\u201d Pre-registration and ticket purchase is required by filling out the order form at calperformances.org\/k-12<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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