Alvin Ailey Returns To Atlanta

Founded in 1958, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater began its work as “Cultural Ambassador to the World" and one of the foremost American dance theaters based on the vision of a then 27 year old Ailey. He could have not know at AAADT's first performance that he would revolutionize Black participation in 20th dance and that his Revelations would become the most often seen modern dance performance ever.

An original run of Revelations featured  Ailey himself .

Today, led by Artistic Director, Judith Jamison, AAADT has gone on to perform for an estimated 23 million 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.

The series of performances at the Fox will honor Jamison and mark the second run of Uptown, a new work by 18-year Company veteran Matthew Rushing that the New York Times calls, " A glittering love letter to the Harlem Renaissance." The piece is largely inspired and designed to celebrate the people, sounds, and ideas that led the unique movement in American history.

Has been the case for the past 50 years, the Ailey choreographed Revelations will likely make the show. It's punctuated with scenes grounded by Negro spirituals and the vastness of its scope. For inspiration, Ailey drew upon his "blood memories" of his childhood in rural Texas and the piece still carries with it a spirit of authenticity Black life that leaps off of the stage and cannot be denied.

With over 50 years of touring the world, it is easy to see how the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has served as a cultural ambassador to the world. Every performance carries within it a narrative of a people, a company, and a man.

Preview Revelations below and buy tickets here.