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Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Ronald K. Brown’s ‘Grace’. Photo by Danica Paulos.

Repertory

Grace

COMPANIES

CHOREOGRAPHER

WORLD PREMIERE

New York City Center, 1999

ASSISTANTS TO CHOREOGRAPHER

Angelica Patterson, Telly Fowler

REHEARSAL ASSOCIATE FOR NEW PRODUCTION

Arcell Cabuag

MUSIC

Duke Ellington, Roy Davis, Fela Anikulapo Kuti

COSTUMES

Omotayo Wunmi Olaiya

ORIGINAL LIGHTING

William H. Grant III

LIGHTING FOR NEW PRODUCTION

Tsubasa Kamei

MUSICAL STYLE

Afrobeat, House, Jazz

RUN TIME

30 Minutes

Ronald K. Brown’s spellbinding Grace is a fervent tour-de-force depicting individuals on a journey to the promised land. Described by The New York Times as “astounding, something to be sensed as well as seen,” this spiritually charged work is a rapturous blend of modern dance and West African idioms.  As in many of Brown’s works, the movement alternates fluidly between extremes, with eruptions of power coupled with lightness. A serene solo for an angel-like figure in white gives way to fireball intensity as 12 dancers resembling contemporary warriors execute Brown’s whirling, pounding choreography—arms and legs slicing the air and fingers pointing to the sky. 
 
Brown’s varied music choices closely reflect the heart of the work, with the spiritual grounding of Duke Ellington’s “Come Sunday,” the contemporary yet timeless house music vibe of Peven Everett's “Gabriel,” and the West African and African American traditions of Fela Kuti’s Afropop beats. 
 

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Ronald K. Brown’s ‘Grace’. Photo by Danica Paulos.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Ronald K. Brown’s Grace Photo by Danica Paulos

Jacquelin Harris in Ronald K. Brown’s ‘Grace’. Photo by Danica Paulos.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Jacquelin Harris in Ronald K. Brown’s Grace Photo by Danica Paulos

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Coral Dolphin in Ronald K. Brown's 'Grace'. Photo by Paul Kolnik.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Coral Dolphin in Ronald K. Brown's Grace Photo by Paul Kolnik

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Ronald K. Brown's Grace. Photo by Paul Kolnik.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Ronald K. Brown's Grace Photo by Paul Kolnik

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Solomon Dumas in 'Grace'. Photo by Paul Kolnik.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Solomon Dumas in Ronald K. Brown’s Grace Photo by Paul Kolnik

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Ronald K. Brown’s ‘Grace’. Photo by Danica Paulos.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Ronald K. Brown’s Grace Photo by Danica Paulos

See It Live

Music Credits

“Come Sunday” by arrangement with G. Schirmer, Inc. publisher and copyright owner. Composed by Duke Ellington. Performed by Jimmy McPhail. "Gabriel" Performed by Peven Everett and Roy Davis Jr. Published by Studio Confessions (ASCAP) and Warner Chappell Music Ltd (PRS). Licensed exclusively from Large Music, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 1996. “Bless It” by Paul Johnson. Recorded at Undaground Therapy Music Studios Chicago, IL. “Rock Shock” written and produced by Roy Davis, Jr., published by Roy Davis, Jr. Music (ASCAP). Recorded at Undaground Therapy Music Studios, Chicago, IL. “Shakara” by Fela (Anikulapo) Kuti. Copyright Shanachie Entertainment Group. “Come Sunday” by arrangement with G. Schirmer, Inc. publisher and copyright owner. Composed by Duke Ellington. Performed by Jennifer Holliday. 

FUNDERS

This new production of Grace is supported by Maury & Joseph Bohan. 

The original production of Grace was made possible by Elizabeth Marsteller Gordon and Natasha Leibel Levine, M.D. & Harlan B. Levine, M.D. 

The creation of this work was made possible, in part, by AT&T, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and The Harkness Foundation for Dance.