Kanji Segawa’s Future is part of Alvin Ailey virtual spring gala (photo by Cherylynn Tsushima)
Who: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Lonnie G. Bunch III, James E. Clyburn, Michelle Obama, DJ M.O.S., DJ Kiss
What: Virtual gala
Where: Alvin Ailey online
When: Thursday, June 24, free with RSVP, 7:30 (available for forty-eight hours)
Why: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s virtual spring gala looks ahead with a public celebration of “Hope, Promise and the Future.” On June 24 at 7:30, the company, founded in 1958 and dedicated “to further the pioneering vision of the choreographer, dancer, and cultural leader Alvin Ailey by building an extended cultural community which provides dance performances, training and education, and community programs for all people,” will present a special program of dance and recognizing honorees. The evening features works by Ghrai DeVore-Stokes (Hope), Chalvar Monteiro (Promise), and Kanji Segawa (Future), filmed in such locations as Hudson Yards, St. Nicholas Park, and the Unisphere, in addition to artistic director Robert Battle’s For Four, set to Wynton Marsalis’s “Delfeayo’s Dilemma,” and Bird Lives!, a Charlie Parker tribute with Clifton Brown and students from the Ailey School. AAADT will also honor Secretary of the Smithsonian Lonnie G. Bunch III and the late congressman John L. Lewis, the latter with reflections from Congressman James E. Clyburn, excerpts from Jamar Roberts’s March on Washington Film Festival commission In Memory, and an appearance by former first lady Michelle Obama. “Over the past year, we’ve learned to focus on the opportunity of this moment, not the challenges, and the privilege of carrying on the legacy of Alvin Ailey that speaks to all of us,” Battle said in a statement. “Instilled in movement is a message of hope that helps us look towards the bright promise of our future together. We’re delighted to have this opportunity to share Ailey’s inspiring artistry in new dance films and honor a legend of the civil rights movement as we join in a virtual celebration with our community around the world.” The gala will be followed by a dance party with DJ M.O.S. and DJ Kiss. Admission is free with RSVP although donations will be accepted, and the presentation will be available on demand for forty-eight hours.