One of the most popular dance companies in the world, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, will be returning to The Auditorium in Chicago for four performances only. This landmark stage is located at 50 E Ida B. Wells Drive and the shows will take place from Friday to Sunday, on March 7-9, 2025. The tour is part of a coast-to-coast 2025 United States tour celebrating the life and legacy of Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison (1943-2024). The current Interim Artistic Director is Matthew Rushing and under his leadership, the passionate spirit and exceptional technique of Ailey’s dancers will be on full display.
During the Chicago engagement, the performances will feature two exciting programs. These include a trio of Chicago premieres, as well as new compelling productions and beloved Ailey Classics, such as the iconic masterpiece “Revelations” by Alvin Ailey. Tickets can be purchased starting at $39 and are currently available at auditoriumtheatre.org or by contacting The Auditorium’s Ticket Service Center at 312-341-2300.
Vernard J. Gilmore, a native of Englewood in Chicago, will be bidding farewell to his hometown during this engagement with Ailey. After an impressive 28 seasons with the Company, Gilmore, who is currently the longest-tenured member, will be taking his final bow. His journey began with professional dance training at Curie Performing and Creative Arts High School, followed by a scholarship to The Ailey School, performing with Ailey II, and eventually joining Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1997.
Friday, March 7 at 7:30pm & Sunday, March 9, at 3pm
Grace (1999, Chicago Premiere of 25th anniversary production) Set to Duke Ellington’s classic “Come Sunday,” Peven Everett’s hit “Gabriel,” and the irresistible pulse of Fela Kuti’s Afro-Pop, Ronald K. Brown’s spellbinding work depicts individuals on a journey to the promised land, expanding from a single angel-like figure in white to the fireball intensity of 12 powerful dancers. Here, the secular and sacred meet in a tour-de-force connecting African and American dance.
Finding Free (2024, Chicago Premiere) by former Company member Hope Boykin who returns to explore personal freedoms in this collaboration with pianist Matthew Whitaker who is composing an original score. This insightful work uses Boykin’s movement-language and Whitaker’s jazz- and gospel-influenced music to examine the challenges and restrictions throughout life’s peaks and valleys that propel the journey forward.
*Friday only: Special Opening Night excerpt of Cry as a tribute to Ms. Jamison.
Cry excerpt (1971) Alvin Ailey choreographed the solo ballet, Cry, as a birthday present for his mother; it went on to become an enduring work of American art. First danced by the legendary Judith Jamison, an excerpt of this powerful work dedicated to “all black women everywhere – especially our mothers” will be performed on the opening night program (Friday, March 7) as a tribute to Ms. Judith Jamison, the beloved Company dancer and Artistic Director Emerita who passed away in late 2024.
Saturday, March 8 at 1pm & 7:30pm
Sacred Songs (2024, Chicago Premiere) by Matthew Rushing features music used in the original 1960 premiere of Alvin Ailey’s seminal Revelations but later omitted when the piece was edited into the current version that has captivated audiences for decades. Drawing inspiration from the roots of Mr. Ailey’s most venerated and consummate creation, this stirring new work will resurrect and reimagine those spirituals-with the collaboration of musical director Du’Bois A’Keen-as an offering to our present need for lamentation, faith, and joy.
Treading (1979, Chicago Premiere of new production) by Elisa Monte is a sculptural, mesmerizing duet featuring fluid, intricate movements that combine with Steve Reich’s evocative music to create an aura of mystery and sensuality.
Many Angels (2024, Chicago Premiere) by Lar Lubovitch in his first premiere for the Company, features the native Chicago choreographer’s renowned lush choreography and musicality set to Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. Many Angels is inspired by a question posed by 13th century theologian St. Thomas Aquinas, “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?,” illustrating that some questions have no logical response but are understood as a question of faith.
Culminating each program will be Alvin Ailey’s must-see American masterpiece Revelations, acclaimed around the world for sending hearts soaring and lifting audiences to their feet with its perfect blend of reverent grace and spiritual elation. Since its debut in 1960, Revelations has been moving audiences with its powerful storytelling and soul-stirring music, evoking timeless themes of determination, hope, and transcendence. An intimate reflection of Mr. Ailey’s childhood memories of growing up in the South and attending services at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Texas, Revelations pays homage to the rich cultural heritage of the African American community and explores the emotional spectrum of the human condition.
2025 Chicago program & performance schedule
Friday, March 7 at 7:30pm & Sunday, March 9, at 3pm
Grace, Finding Free, Cry* (excerpt), Revelations
*Friday only: Special Opening Night excerpt of Cry as a tribute to Ms. Jamison.
Saturday, March 8 at 1pm & 7:30pm
Sacred Songs, Treading, Many Angels, Revelations
In addition to these four public performances, the Company will present two student matinees at The Auditorium, reaching thousands of youths with an inspiring program of Ailey Classics on Thursday, March 6 and Friday, March 7 at 11am.
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