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A bright blue light shines on the stage as four members of the company holds the ends of a transparent cube, while one member poses in the center

Repertory

Holding Space

COMPANIES

CHOREOGRAPHER

RUN TIME

24 Minutes

WORLD PREMIERE

New York City Center, 2021

MUSIC

Tim Hecker

DÉCOR & COSTUMES

Jamar Roberts

LIGHTING

Brandon Stirling Baker

Against a backdrop of civil unrest and relentless threats to our natural environment, we continue to grapple with the reality of a world that seems to be crumbling beneath our feet. Holding Space examines the ways in which we are taking care. It asks: In what ways can we collectively accommodate one another to better traverse this new and unprecedented terrain? As a society, how can we do the transformative work of holding space at a time that feels both wrecked and malleable? 

Holding Space boldly envisions a new way of being. A vision that requires radical humility and the willingness to share the powerful gift of presence. The work itself functions as a container, a sacred space created to give shape to and hold the complex emotions of this moment. At its core, it is a work about healing and the quest for sustainable pathways towards wholeness. 

Behind-the-Scenes of Jamar Roberts' Holding Space

Holding Space by Jamar Roberts

Samantha Figgins posing with one leg in the air and both arms up and outwards

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Samantha Figgins in Holding Space by Jamar Roberts Photo by Paul Kolnik

Four members of the company surround a member of the company in a transparent box.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Holding Space by Jamar Roberts Photo by Paul Kolnik

Three members of the company standing still and watching another member posing with a leg in the air

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Holding Space by Jamar Roberts Photo by Paul Kolnik

Three rows of Company members. Each member is leaning the opposite direction of the member in front of them

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Holding Space by Jamar Roberts Photo by Paul Kolnik

Sponsors

The creation of Holding Space was supported by commissioning funds from New York City Center. Holding Space was supported by commissioning funds from Cal Performances at the University of California, Berkeley. Leadership support for the world premiere of Holding Space was provided by Pamela D. Zilly & John H. Schaefer. The world premiere of Holding Space was made possible with major support from Peter S. Croncota, Michele & Timothy Barakett, Crawford Parker, M.D., and Daria L. & Eric J. Wallach. Holding Space was made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.