Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Media Contact:
Diana Roth, Senior Communications Manager
roth@trustarts.org | 412-471-8717

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater photographs, HERE.

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Announces
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
will perform One-Night-Only on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, at the Benedum Center

Presented by Pittsburgh Dance Council and BNY Mellon

Pittsburgh, PA ─ The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces, as part of the 2022-2023 Pittsburgh Dance Council season, the world-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will perform at the Benedum Center, (237 7th Street, Cultural District) for one-night only on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, at 8:00 p.m. This event is presented by the Pittsburgh Dance Council and BNY Mellon. 

“BNY Mellon is proud to support the performing arts in Pittsburgh and welcomes the return of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater,” said Eric Boughner, Chairman of BNY Mellon Pennsylvania. “We are honored to have a world-renowned dance company share their talents with our community – both on and off stage – and look forward to our continued alliance with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.”

For tickets and information, please visit Pittsburgh Cultural Trust official ticket sources TrustArts.org, call 412-456-6666, or in person at the Benedum Center box office, 237 7th Street, (during renovations at the Theater Square box office). 

For the first time since 2005, America’s beloved “cultural ambassador to the world” and one of the most popular dance companies, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, will  return to the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh, during a coast-to-coast 22-city North American Tour.  Led by Artistic Director Robert Battle, the passionate spirit and extraordinary technique of Ailey’s dancers will be showcased in exciting new works from esteemed choreographers, with a grand finale of Alvin Ailey’s must-see American masterpiece Revelations.  

Ailey’s Pittsburgh performance will showcase their 2022 world premieres of Are You in Your Feelings?, by esteemed choreographer Kyle Abraham, and  In a Sentimental Mood, by former Ailey dancer and Resident Choreographer Jamar Roberts. Scored to a “mixtape” of soul, hip-hop, and R&B featuring beloved musical artists such as Jhene Aiko, Erykah Badu, Drake, Lauryn Hill, Kendrick Lamar, Maxwell, Jazmine Sullivan, and Summer Walker,  Abraham’s Are You in Your Feelings?  is a vibrant celebration of Black culture, Black music, and the youthful spirit that perseveres in us all. During Roberts’ In a Sentimental Mood, an intimate scene from the domestic life of a couple becomes an exploration of love and desire. Alvin Ailey’s signature masterpiece Revelations provides the uplifting finale.  More than just a popular dance work, Revelations is a tribute to Alvin Ailey’s heritage; using African American spirituals to explore the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul.

This program spotlights several artists from Pittsburgh including choreographer and MacArthur genius Kyle Abraham; distinguished dancer James Gilmer, a standout performer who has received rave reviews since joining the Company in 2019; and Jau’mair Garland who is in his first season with Ailey.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Arts Education division will be hosting ArtsMASTERS educational outreach programs in collaboration with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.  For more information, visit: TrustArts.org/Education.                              

A visionary choreographer who used his artistry to change American dance and culture, Alvin Ailey is the focus of the acclaimed new documentary film AILEY, streaming on Hulu and PBS Passport and, which explores the man, his work, and its powerful legacy which continues today in the inspiring performances of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (also available to rent on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube and more).

Audiences worldwide are encouraged to get moving from wherever they are with Ailey Extension’s virtual classes offered in a variety of styles including hip-hop, Horton, ballet, West African, Zumba®, jazz,  Masala Bhangra,  NY Style Mambo, contemporary, Pilates, and more techniques taught by elite NYC  instructors. Ailey Extension’s “real classes for real people” exemplify Alvin Ailey’s legacy that dance is for everybody by making dance accessible to people of all ages and experience levels in a welcoming, non-competitive environment. For more information or to sign up, please visit alvinailey.org/extension.

The Pittsburgh Dance Council has been honored to showcase Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater during nine of its 52 presenting seasons, including the current season, as well as the very first season, 1969-1970.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater repertoire for May 9, 2023, Benedum Center, Pittsburgh:

• Are You in Your Feelings? (2022, World Premiere)– Acclaimed choreographer Kyle Abraham’s newest work is a celebration of Black culture, Black music, and the youthful spirit that perseveres in us all. Scored to a “mixtape” of soul, hip-hop, and R&B it explores the connections among music, communication, and personal memory. “A lot of these songs are the songs that I play when I’m at my lowest and at my highest. I wanted to find a way to thank those artists for their music and thank our culture for their contributions to this world in which we live.” -Kyle Abraham, choreographer of Are You in Your Feelings?

• In a Sentimental Mood (2022, World Premiere), choreography by Jamar Roberts – An intimate scene from the domestic life of a couple becomes an exploration of love and desire in the world premiere by Jamar Roberts. Using an original composition by Duke Ellington and four jazz standards given an avant-garde twist by composer Rafiq Bhatia, Roberts bridges the past and present, making these musical classics freshly relevant and timely.

• Revelations (1960) An American classic acclaimed as a must-see for all, Alvin Ailey’s signature masterpiece is a tribute to his heritage and genius. Choreographed when he was only 29 years old, Revelations is an intimate reflection that explores the emotional spectrum of the human condition, from the deepest of grief to the holiest joy. Using African-American religious spirituals, this suite is a classic tribute to the resolve and determination of a people. Revelations has been seen by more people around the world than any other work of modern dance.

Bank of America is Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s North American Tour Sponsor.

The 2023 National Tour is supported, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The creation of Are You in Your Feelings? is supported by commissioning funds from New York City Center.

The world premiere of Are You in Your Feelings? is made possible with major support from Michele & Timothy Barakett, Melinda & Paul Pressler, Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn & Nicolas S. Rohatyn New Works Endowment Fund, and The Pamela D. Zilly & John H. Schaefer Endowment Fund.

Additional support was provided by an Anonymous supporter, The Fred Eychaner New Works Endowment Fund, and The Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey—Sara and Bill Morgan New Works Endowment Fund.

The world premiere of In a Sentimental Mood is made possible with support from Maury & Joseph Bohan, Peter S. Croncota, The Ellen Jewett & Richard L. Kauffman New Works Endowment Fund, Tarell Alvin McCraney, the Red Moose Charitable Fund, and Denise Littlefield Sobel.

All performances of Revelations are permanently endowed by a generous gift from Donald L. Jonas in celebration of the birthday of his wife, Barbara, and her deep commitment to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

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The Pittsburgh Dance Council joined the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust as a programming division in 2002. The mission of Pittsburgh Dance Council is to bring the best contemporary dance companies from around the world to the Cultural District. Each season, Pittsburgh Dance Council presents diverse, world-class contemporary works, including U.S. and world premieres.  The 2022-2023 Pittsburgh Dance Council season celebrates its 52nd anniversary as a presenter of contemporary dance.  TrustArts.org/dance

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh’s most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners.  Founded in 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District.  The District is one of the country’s largest land masses “curated” by a single nonprofit arts organization.  A major catalytic force in the city, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity.  Using the arts as an economic catalyst, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh’s quality of life.  Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies and thousands of private citizens, the Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts.

TrustArts.org | @CulturalTrust on Facebook · Instagram · Twitter

About Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, recognized by U.S. Congressional resolution as a vital American “Cultural Ambassador to the World,” grew from a now‐fabled March 1958 performance in New York that changed forever the perception of American dance. Founded by Alvin Ailey, recent posthumous recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the nation’s highest civilian honor, and guided by Judith Jamison beginning in 1989, the Company is now led by Robert Battle, whom Judith Jamison chose to succeed her on July 1, 2011. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has performed for an estimated 25 million people in 71 countries on 6 continents – as well as millions more through television broadcasts, film screenings, and online platforms - promoting the uniqueness of the African‐American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance tradition. In addition to being the Principal Dance Company of New York City Center, where its performances have become a year‐end tradition, the Ailey company performs annually at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, The Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, CA and at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark where it is the Principal Resident Affiliate), and appears frequently in other major theaters throughout the United States and the world during extensive yearly tours. The Ailey organization also includes Ailey II (1974), a second performing company of emerging young dancers and innovative choreographers; The Ailey School (1969), one of the most extensive dance training programs in the world; Ailey Arts in Education & Community Programs, which brings dance into the classrooms, communities and lives of people of all ages; and The Ailey Extension (2005), a program offering dance and fitness classes to the general public, which began with the opening of Ailey’s permanent home—the largest building dedicated to dance in New York City, the dance capital of the world —named The Joan Weill Center for Dance, at 55th Street at 9th Avenue in New York City. For more information, visit alvinailey.org.