DANCE | BOSTON AND BEYOND/ART & ENTERTAINMENT

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MARCH 23: FREE: REVELATIONS CELEBRATION WORKSHOPS

Leading up to its annual run of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in April, Celebrity Series of Boston brings four interactive community events that introduce participants to the joy of Alvin Ailey’s iconic Revelations. Produced and presented by Celebrity Series of Boston, workshops are guided by teaching artists from Ailey’s Arts-in-Education team, including former Ailey company dancer Nasha Thomas.

These Workshops are free, open to all ages and abilities, and include additional activities such as fan-making, gospel music, and step dance showcases. The events are brought to four local neighborhoods that include Hyde Park, Mattapan, Roxbury and Dorchester.. Each location offers an opening dance or music act from the surrounding neighborhood. Ailey teaching artists and former company dancers Renee Robinson and Amos Machanic, Jr., and percussionist Roderick Jackson lead sessions that include warm-up stretches, music and movement from Alvin Ailey’s iconic dance – all interspersed with history about the legendary choreographer and the company that bears his name. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing (rubber-soled shoes or dance shoes are recommended). The schedule for the events follows: Sun, March 23, 2025 

12:00 PM (doors 11:30 AM) – Chez-Vous Roller Skating Rink, 11 Rhoades St., Dorchester. Emcee Courtney Boston welcomes participants and performers from the Boston chapter of 40+ Double Dutch Crew and members of the OrigiNation Junior Dance Teams who will open the event with short performances. Ailey artists Roberts, Machanic and Jackson lead the crowd through a 60-minute event followed by a short reception. Celebrity Series of Boston’s “Ailey Revelations Celebration” events are generously supported by: Institutional Producers Amy & Joshua Boger and the Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture; by Sponsors Cherié Butts, Ph.D. and Dr. Joan Helpern Goldberg; and by Supporters The Aliad Fund and Kenneth Douglass. All events are free…but RSVPs are encouraged at www.celebrityseries.org

THROUGH MARCH 30: WINTER EXPERIENCE…BOSTON BALLET

Boston Ballet breaks the monotony of Winter with their performances at the Citizens Opera House at 539 Washington Street in Boston. The 2025 Winter Experience features George Balanchine’s Mozartiana as well as Symphony in Three Movements, Claudia Schreier’s Slipstream, and Leonid Yakobson’s Vestris. MOZARTIANA is a wonderful example of neoclassical ballet with an enchanting romantic feel. The musical choreography is set to Tchaikovsky’s Suite No. 4, Mozartiana, and Op.61. Opening at the 1981 Tchaikovsky Festival, it was Balanchine’s third ballet set to the composer’s homage to Mozart and is one of the last ballets the choreographer created before his death in April 1983. Balanchine’s Symphony in Three Movements is a large ensemble work that premiered on opening night of the 1972 Stravinsky Festival. Set for 32 dancers, the work is considered one of Balanchine’s most celebrated leotard ballets. SLIPSTREAM is an innovative, unusual, and captivating ballet commissioned in 2022 for Boston Ballet, The music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Suite No. 4 Op. 61), Costume Design by Rouben Ter-Arutunian. Lighting Design: Brandon Stirling Baker and Staging by Philip Neal. Ballet’s ChoreograpHER program. Schreier brings her distinctive choreographic voice to Boston audiences, fusing together neoclassical technique with contemporary vocabulary. The Music is by Tanner Porter, Six Sides from the Shape of Us, the Scenic Design is by Evan Schreier, Costume Design by Erica Desautels and Lighting Design is by Brandon Stirling Baker. VESTRIS is a solo originally created for Mikhail Baryshnikov in 1969 and performed by the best male dancers in history. This dance is about embodying the flamboyant flavor of Auguste Vestris, a renowned Parisian dancer in the 1700’s. Boston Ballet is the only American company trusted to present this work today. The Music is by Gennadi Banshchikov, the Costume Design: is by Robert Perdziola, Lighting Design is by Brandon Stirling Baker and Staging is by Joan Boada. SYMPHONY IN THREE MOVEMENTS, also choreographed by George Balanchine is set to Music by Igor Stravinsky*, with Lighting by Brandon Stirling Ba and staging by Russell Kaiser. Tickets may be purchase here at www.bostonballet.org

APRIL 8 – 13: RIVERDANCE

The Boch Center Wang Theatre at 270 Tremont St. in Boston, brings to their stage the return to the city of Riverdance, now observing their 30^th Anniversary bringing its wonderful fusion of Irish and international dance and music. Since coming onto the world stage, the production has captured the hearts of millions worldwide. The Grammy award-winning music and the infectious energy of the show boasts mesmerizing choreography and breathtaking performances that leaves audience in in awe and are what originally established Riverdance as a global cultural sensation. This all new anniversary tour is a spectacular production that rejuvenates the much-loved original show as well as contains new innovative choreography, costumes, state of the art lighting, along with depth additions of stunning projections and motion graphics. And for the first time Riverdance welcomes “The New Generation” of performers, all of whom were not born when the show originated 30 years ago John McColgan, Director of Riverdance said “ It is both a privilege and a delight to celebrate 30 years of Riverdance and the unique journey it has taken us on. In those 30 years the show has…” continuously evolved…”yet remaining true to its Irish roots. On this upcoming tour we look forward to welcoming ‘The New Generation’ of artists while paying tribute to the talented performers, creators, dedicated crew, and the millions of fans who have made Riverdance a worldwide celebration of music and dance.” Audiences, new as well as solid long term fans, will enjoy a unique and memorable performance as it blends the traditional and the contemporary, showcasing the skill and passion of the world-class of dancers, musicians and singers in the Riverdance ensemble. Composed by Bill Whelan, Produced by Moya Doherty and Directed by John McColgan, Riverdance should not be missed. Tickets may be obtained at www.bochcenter.org

APRIL 24 – 27: ALVIN AILEY AMEREICAN DANCE THEATER

Celebrityseries again brings the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater to Boston with performances that feature celebrated works from the company’s storied seven-decade history and fresh new works that highlight a new generation of Ailey-aligned choreographers, plus the latest from an icon of American modern. The Boch Center Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont St, in Boston’s Theatre District. Hosts this famous dance troupe. All performances in this run are dedicated to celebrating Ailey’s late, beloved Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison, The five-show run features three distinct programs with four Boston premieres including Ailey Interim Artistic Director Matthew Rushing’s Sacred Songs, works from two former Ailey dancers – Hope Boykin’s Finding Free, and Jamar Roberts’s Al-Andalus Blues – and a new work from multidisciplinary choreographer Lar Lubovitch called Many Angels (r., photo by Paul Kolnik), and frequent company collaborator). Dancemaker Ronald K. Brown’s classic Grace gets a new production that debuted in 2024, 25 years after its premiere for the Ailey company. Ailey’s iconic masterpiece Revelations closes every performance PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE AND DETAILS: THURSDAY, APRIL 24 @ 8pm Grace

(1999, new production 2024)Photo Paul Kolnik Choreography by Ronald K. Brown. This new production marks the 25th anniversary of Brown’s rapturous work fueled by Duke Ellington’s classic “Come Sunday,” Peven Everett’s hit “Gabriel,” and the irresistible pulse of Fela Kuti’s Afro-Pop. Here, the secular and sacred meet in a tour-de-force connection between African and American dance (r., photo by Nir Arieli). Finding Free

(2024)Photo Paul Kolnik – Choreography by Hope Boykin. Boykin’s collaboration with composer/pianist Matthew Whitaker examines the challenges, and restrictions, of life’s peaks and valleys that propel one’s journey forward. With distinct movement language and a jazz- and gospel-influenced score, Finding Free explores the notion of personal freedoms. Revelations

(1960) – Choreography by Alvin Ailey. Revelations is a cultural treasure, beloved by generations and a must‐see for all. Ailey’s signature work is a tribute to his heritage. Revelations fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy. Seeing Revelations for the first time or the hundredth can be a transcendent experience: audiences cheer, sing along and dance – from the opening notes of “I Been ’Buked” to the triumphant finale, “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham.” FRIDAY, APRIL 25 @ 8pm and SATURDAY, APRIL 26 @ 8pm Grace (1999, new production 2024) Al-Andalus Blues

(2024)Photo Paul Kolnik – Choreography by Jamar Roberts. Roberts takes audiences in a journey back in time to the Golden Age of Al-Andalus on the Iberian Peninsula as Jamar Roberts evokes the northern African Moors who inhabited the land prior to the Christian Reconquista. Music from Roberta Flack and Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain sets the tone for this abstract ensemble piece. Revelations (1960) SATURDAY, APRIL 26 @ 2pm and SUNDAY, APRIL 27 @ 3pm Sacred Songs

(2024)PhotoPaul Konik – The Boston premiere of this new work by Interim Artistic Director Matthew Rushing, features music used in the 1960 premiere of Alvin Ailey’s seminal Revelations but later omitted when the piece was edited into its current version. Drawing inspiration from the roots of Ailey’s creation, Sacred Songs resurrects and reimagines those spirituals, in collaboration with musical director Du’Bois A’Keen, as an offering to the present need for lamentation, faith and joy. Many Angels

(2024)Photo Paul Kolnik – Choreography by Lar Lubovitch. The question “how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” has no logical answer. “Why do you make dances?” is another. Occasionally something may exist in the world simply for the sake of itself—for example, a dance. Many Angels is a dance to music by Gustav Mahler. It is not really about angels. (Well, maybe a little.) Revelations (1960) Tickets may be obtained here at www.celebrityseries.org/ailey