Celebrated, classic choreography meets new and reimagined works in Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s 65th anniversary season, with performances coming to the Kennedy Center in Northwest, D.C. Feb. 6-11. Featuring excerpts from the beloved Ailey work “Revelations,” plus new and reconceptualized pieces, this season celebrates women and visionaries, while also honoring the company’s legacy of Black excellence.
In her 10th year with the company, D.C. native Samantha Figgins remains honored to continue the Ailey tradition: entertaining and empowering audiences worldwide.
“This season is an opportunity for people to really see the human experience and see from the dancers [the lesson of], never backing away, always pushing forward– even in uncomfortable moments– to discover your glory, discover your true self, and discover the beauty it is to be alive,” said Figgins, a graduate of D.C.’s prestigious Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
Figgins, 34, said that the 2024 season offers lessons with a large helping of hope.
“I think this season is empowering for the audience to see that there is no limit to your greatness, there’s really no obstacle in front of you, and there’s no mistakes, there’s only lessons. And there’s only an invitation to a path that will lead to your highest and greatest good,” she said.
In its 65th season, Alvin Ailey is all about celebrating trailblazers, while also serving up classics to audiences.
“We’re really trying to hone in and celebrate not only the organization as a whole, but really people that have shifted the organization and taken it to all new heights,” said Alvin Ailey company member and DMV native Alisha Rena Peek.
And women are the highlight of the 65th season.
From Judith Jamison, the legendary Alvin Ailey dancer and artistic director emerita of the company, to the likes of Carmen de Lavallade, Sylvia Waters, and other dancers, this season highlights Black women’s strength, beauty and brilliance, with new and classic Ailey pieces.
“We have another ballet coming back, this time with an all female cast by our former elite dancer Jamar Roberts. This dance is called ‘Ode,’ a meditation on the beauty and fragility of life in a time of growing gun violence,” Figgins said, adding it was originally performed by men. “It was really at the height of George Floyd and just really inspired by those types of things that we saw in the news and headlines. And to bring it back with the all female cast, it’s just been an honor and a pleasure to do so.”
Peek, 27, also noted that this season, while holding strong to the classic works such as “Revelations,” the company is also working to appeal to a younger audience.
“Aside from the audience that we already have, we’re really trying to expand our reach. So we’re not only touching on Mr. Ailey’s classics that are so near and dear to the organization, but we’re bringing back works from Alonso King, ‘Follow the Subtle Current Upstream,’ and we have a work that we presented last year by Kyle Abraham that was really a hit ‘Are You in your Feelings?,’” Peek told The Informer.
“We have a new work by Amy Hall Garner called ‘Century,’” Peek added, which draws inspiration from the choreographer’s grandfather’s life and legacy.
While maintaining the beauty of the choreography, the dancers find ways to bring their life experiences to the movements. Through each step, the artists reveal truths about life and the world– true to the mission of the company’s visionary namesake and founder, who started the organization in 1958.
“Mr. Ailey, one of the things he always said is,’These are the dance steps, but I need to be able to see you– see you as a person, your story, your life, through these dance steps,’” Figgins told The Informer, adding. “[Ailey] is not a cookie cutter ballet company where we all have these small little heads and tiny buns… but we are really reflecting what the world looks like.”
While the dancers master the same steps, Figgins emphasized, “we all come from different walks of life and whatever movement is given to us can resonate with us in a different way.”
“There’s space for us to live because Mr. Ailey’s ballets were created, he said, based on characters that he saw in his life,” Figgins continued.
Ailey performances, throughout its 65-year legacy of engaging and entertaining audiences, allows people to deeply connect with the narratives, tap into their own truths, and leave empowered.
“I hope [audiences] are inspired by the work that we’re presenting, because we are doing the Ailey classics and its things that, even if they’ve seen before, they love it. But we’re also venturing into new territory with a lot of these new works,” Peek told The Informer, highlighting the dynamic nature of the company. “Really look at us as not being just one sided, but that we have the ability to tap into so many different styles. And the energy is electric, so I’m hoping that [the audience] will be able to walk away from this re-energized.”
In addition to the energy boost, Figgins emphasized that audiences will experience a multitude of feelings and walk away with a powerful reminder this Black History Month.
“I think people will get from this season just love, joy and laughter. And, yes, you’re experiencing grief, sorrow and anger, sometimes, even. But again, humanity, that’s the human experience, and that’s exactly what we will be giving and showcasing,” Figgins said. “And Black excellence.”
