Program Announced! Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, March 22-25
| Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns this March for 5 performances at the Boch Center Wang Theatre, and we’re excited to share details on this year’s program. This year features two Boston premieres, re-staged classics, and three works by Artistic Director Robert Battle — as well as Alvin Ailey's signature work, Revelations, set to close each program. No matter which date you choose, you're guaranteed an unforgettable experience! Learn more about the works the company will be performing.
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Watch the Video: REVELATIONS - The Legacies of Alvin Ailey and Boston's Elma Lewis
| In a turbulent 1968, Celebrity Series of Boston took a chance with a one-night engagement of a dynamic African-American dance company. Choreographer Alvin Ailey’s mission to reflect and promote African-American traditions and art-making took hold in Boston that night. Across town that year, Boston arts educator and social activist Elma Lewis founded the National Center of Afro-American Artists to enhance appreciation for black art forms and their practitioners. It remains the largest independent Black cultural arts institution in New England.
Last month, we celebrated these groundbreaking cultural leaders in a lively discussion with their friends, colleagues, and some of today’s artists inspired by their work. Thanks to everyone who joined us at John Hancock Hall for REVELATIONS: The Legacies of Alvin Ailey and Boston’s Elma Lewis.
Our partner WGBH was on-hand to capture the full discussion. View it now!
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Jeremy Denk and Stefan Jackiw Explore Charles Ives this Month | Pianist Jeremy Denk has long relished tackling the thorny works of American composer Charles Ives. He told The Boston Globe in 2010, “Ives wants to re-create the raw experience of music-making, something unfiltered, and beyond all your piano lessons; though writing fiendishly difficult piano music, he wants you to remember there is something more important than just ‘playing well’; while driving me crazy, he reminds me why I play the piano at all.”
He’ll remind us all of that lesson when he and violinist Stefan Jackiw partner for an incredible evening of music-making on January 26 at NEC’s Jordan Hall. Denk will expand on Ives with a spoken introduction before they perform Sonatas Nos. 1-4. They’ll be joined by the five singers of Hudson Shad, an all-male a cappella ensemble who will perform various hymns and songs before the performance of the sonata in which they are quoted.
Watch a short video from Jackiw to hear more about what to expect at this upcoming performance.
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Brazil's Electric Dance Company, Grupo Corpo, Returns to Boston, Jan. 26-28 | With its seductive movement, scintillating music, vibrant costuming, sets, and lighting, Grupo Corpo reflects the amazing diversity and rich color of Brazil. The company is renowned for its stunning physicality, dynamic ability, and rich visual finesse. This tremendously popular dance company returns to the Celebrity Series with two thrilling new works by Rodrigo Pederneiras, Suite Branca and Danca Sinfonica.
We'll be hosting an artist post-performance talk on Sunday, January 28, with Grupo Corpo choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras. This 20-minute talk, moderated by Peter DiMuro of The Dance Complex, will be held in front of the stage immediately following the Sunday afternoon performance. DiMuro shares his perspective on the company ahead of its Boston return.
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See our Favorite Moments from Dorchester & Roxbury Stringfests! | Thank you to everyone who joined us for two more standout Neighborhood Arts events: last month's Dorchester Stringfest and Roxbury Stringfest! Students from Bridge Boston & Conservatory Lab Charter Schools took the stage at the Salvation Army Kroc Center in Dorchester with Soul Yatra Trio, featuring Mike Block (cello), Sandeep Das (tabla), & Shaw Pong Liu (violin/erhu). At Hibernian Hall in Roxbury, Boston City-Wide String Orchestra and City Strings United joined the Castle of Our Skins string quartet. Explore a few of our favorite moments from the performances, and learn how you can help support events like these!
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Un, Deux, Trois ... 3 Reasons to See Compagnie Accrorap
| Founded by French choreographer Kader Attou, Compagnie Accrorap began as a collective of talented hip-hop dancers. Now traveling the world with 11 of the industry’s top male dancers, they’ll bring their high energy performances of The Roots to the Boch Shubert Theatre February 2-3, 2018. Don’t miss these 11 phenoms in their Boston debut!
Need a few reasons not to miss this show? We've got three right here!
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Video: Heart of the Holidays - A Global Celebration of Song
|  The winter holidays are a time to share the joy, cheer, and celebration of being together. They also offer up a unique opportunity to look at the stories we tell about ourselves, others around us, and the ways we choose to live.
Last month, Neighborhood Arts presented Heart of the Holidays: A Global Celebration of Song, featuring Guy Mendilow Ensemble and Boston City Singers, with narration by Regie Gibson and special guest Courtney Swain.
Unlike other holiday programs, this event didn’t focus on traditional holiday music. Instead, audiences were invited to immerse themselves in the essence of the season through a trove of tales of sparking light just when it’s darkest all around, of realizing abundance at the height of scarcity, and of how we triumph in hard times – as individuals and as a society, long ago and now.
And, because the best stories are those in which we also see ourselves, Guy Mendilow challenged attendees to ask a time-worn question: How can we too be a greater light, now of all times, when it’s most needed? Deep down, this is, after all, the heart of the holidays.
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Thank You to All Our Supporters! | Thank you to everyone who gave a gift in 2017! We are so grateful for your support and passion for making live performances a shared experience. As a non-profit, ticket sales only cover 55% of the costs of bringing live performances to Boston and sharing it with the Greater Boston community. If you’d like to learn more about what a gift supports or to make a gift, visit our website.
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