The celebrated Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is returning to Memphis for a limited weekend engagement February 14-16.
Tickets go on sale to the public on August 30.
“After a triumphant return to Memphis in 2018, I couldn’t wait to have this incredible company back at the Orpheum,” said Brett Batterson, president and CEO of the Orpheum Theatre Group.
For the Orpheum Theatre Group’s new COO, Dacquiri Baptiste, the return of the revered company is particularly special. Before beginning her role at the Orpheum in June, Baptiste worked with the company for 19 years.
“Having Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater return to Memphis during my first year at the Orpheum is a gift that I am eagerly looking forward to receiving,” said Baptiste. “It will feel like a ‘family reunion’ as I get to welcome familiar faces into my new home.”
The Memphis visit is part of a 21-city national tour. The theme of this season is “Ailey Revealed.”
In 1958, Alvin Ailey and a small group of dancers debuted in New York City. Today, the company is synonymous with inspiring “a universal celebration of the human spirit using the African-American cultural experience and the modern dance tradition.”
Ailey died in 1989 from AIDS-related illness at 58. Now, more than 60 years after he created the dance company, it moves forward under the leadership of Robert Battle.
Tickets for Alvin Ailey’s Memphis engagement go on sale Friday (August 30) at 10 a.m. and will be available for purchase through the Orpheum box office (901-525-3000), orpheum-memphis.com, and Ticketmaster.
(For more information, visit orpheum-memphis.com/alvinailey.)
