Skip to content
A man holds a woman laying across his upper back

Repertory

The Lark Ascending

COMPANIES

CHOREOGRAPHER

WORLD PREMIERE

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: New York City Center, 1972

AILEY II PREMIERE

RESTAGING

Ailey II: Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish

MUSIC

Ralph Vaughan Williams ("The Lark Ascending" Romance for Violin and Orchestra)

COSTUMES

Bea Feitler

LIGHTING

Chenault Spence

RUN TIME

15 Minutes

The Lark Ascending is a lyrical and romantic dance choreographed in 1972 by Alvin Ailey to Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Romance for Violin and Orchestra.” As in many of his works, Mr. Ailey seamlessly fuses ballet and modern vocabularies to display the dancers’ technical abilities in both disciplines. The strength, lyricism, and lightness of the dancers’ movements have entranced audiences for years, making The Lark Ascending an enduring and important work in Mr. Ailey’s repertory.

Ailey II in The Lark Ascending

A man stands behind a woman who is bending to the side with her leg up in the air.

Ailey II's Rachel Yoo and Travon M. Williams in Alvin Ailey's The Lark Ascending Photo by Danica Paulos

A dancer is on stage in a dress in arabesque

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Sarah Daley-Perdomo in Alvin Ailey's The Lark Ascending Photo by Paul Kolnik

Two dancers on stage. The man is standing with his arms outstretched and the woman is draped over his shoulders.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Sarah Daley-Perdomo and Yannick Lebrun in Alvin Ailey's The Lark Ascending Photo by Paul Kolnik