A group of dancers in colorful costumes pose with arms extended upward in a dynamic formation on stage. The background is dark with subtle yellow light spots, enhancing the vibrant energy of the performance.

Repertory

Night Creature

CHOREOGRAPHER

RUN TIME

17 Minutes

WORLD PREMIERE

Ailey II: “Ailey Celebrates Ellington” CBS Special, 1974

ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER PREMIERE

New York City Center, 1975

MUSIC

Duke Ellington (“Night Creature”) Used by arrangement with G. Schirmer, Inc., publisher and copyright owner

ORIGINAL COSTUMES

Jane Greenwood

REVIVAL COSTUMES

Barbara Forbes; Fabric painting by Parsons-Meares Ltd.

LIGHTING

Chenault Spence

RESTAGING

Masazumi Chaya for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

MUSICAL STYLE

Jazz

Alvin Ailey’s Night Creature is a bubbly champagne cocktail of a dance, a perfect fusion of Mr. Ailey’s buoyant choreography and Duke Ellington’s sparkling music. At once wistful and sassy, it beckons viewers into a nocturnal world populated by jazz babies and night owls.

Ellington said that “night creatures, unlike stars, do not come OUT at night—they come ON, each thinking that, before the night is out, he or she will be the star.” This large ensemble work is full of such stars—strutting, leaping, and slinking through a variety of dance idioms as they flaunt and flirt with each other and the audience. They hold their hands like paws, as if they’re cats on the prowl, then slide seamlessly into balletic allegro jumps, Martha Graham-like contractions, and Lester Horton layouts. It’s the definitive dance homage to the exuberance of The Duke’s sophisticated symphonic work.

Learn about the creation of the costumes featured in Night Creature on the Ailey Blog

See it Live

Music Credits

“Night Creature” used by arrangement with G. Schirmer, Inc., publisher and copyright owner.

Funders

This production was made possible, in part, by a grant from the Ford Foundation and with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.