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Alvin Ailey Celebrates 50 Years of 'Revelations'

By Della Hasselle | November 30, 2010 7:44pm

By Della Hasselle

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MIDTOWN — The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will begin celebrating the 50th anniversary of what is reportedly the world's most widely-viewed modern dance piece, "Revelations," at their New York City Center season opening Wednesday.

The three-part modern ballet, which is performed to a score of traditional gospel spirituals and explores the spectrum of human emotion, will pay homage to its African-American roots with a series of special musical performances and guest performers.

Choreographed by the now-deceased director, Alvin Ailey, when he was 29, "Revelations" was inspired by childhood memories of the Mount Olive Baptist Church in Texas, and by the works of writers James Baldwin and Langston Hughes, according to company members.

This season, before each performance, a documentary short film directed by Emmy-award winner Judy Kinberg will explain the significance of the piece using performance footage of Alvin Ailey and interviews with the company's current director, Judith Jameson.

Grammy Award-winning group Sweet Honey in the Rock will also celebrate the "Revelations" musical roots with a live performance during the Dec. 1 opening night gala in City Center.

Also in commemoration of its 50th birthday, the piece will be performed by a cast of 50 dancers for the first time on Dec. 3, including members of Ailey II and junior dancers from the Alvin Ailey School.

After the performances, audience members will be able to share experiences via "Rediscovering Revelations," a blog on the Alvin Ailey website that features historical context, background and interactive features.

It was "sometimes sorrowful, sometimes jubilant, but always hopeful," Ailey once said about the piece, which was shown for the first time in 1960 at the 92nd St Y, later performed in 1968 at the Olympics Opening series, and has since been shown at the White House six times.

Although it's rooted in African-American history, Ailey also said that any audience member could relate to the context of the piece.

"The tune and texture of the spirituals speak to everybody," Ailey said before tour in 1962, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will perform at City Center, 131 West 55th St. between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, from Dec. 1, 2010 to Jan. 2, 2011.