Kanji Segawa News

Incredibly rich in detail --from staging to technical aspects-- and emboldened with Puccini’s soaring music and meticulous, intelligent direction by Francesca Zambello, Washington National Opera’s production of Turandot is a production for the ages. The entire creative team, the cast, the Washington National Opera Orchestra, the Washington National Opera Chorus, the Washington National Opera Children’s chorus and the Washington National Opera Corps Dancers have given us a Turandot that respects the glorious bones of this beloved Italian opera while adding a new ending that gives the opera a more mature and modern appeal.

What did our critic think of FIFTY YEARS SINCE ITS FOUNDING, AILEY II FINDS ITS SPOTLIGHT at The Joyce Theatre?

As the most widely seen modern dance work in the world, Alvin Ailey's Revelations has become part of the DNA of contemporary and popular dance, and it is a privilege to finally experience it on a live stage, alongside its more modern yet complementary 21st century cousins from Kyle Abraham and Robert Battle.

The 2022 Season performances by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at New York City Center are now on stage to the delight of metro area audiences.

Performing arts fans will have much to be thankful for this November as the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center presents an award-winning film, a tribute to the beloved melodies of The Carpenters, a thrilling evening of dance, two spell-binding one-act plays, and three celebrations of classical and orchestral music with the works of Rachmaninoff, Rameau, Mozart and two early chamber operas.

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s 2022 Season at the David H. Koch Theater of Lincoln Center was a joy to behold. After a three-year hiatus, the company once again presented performances from June 15th to June 19th.

Metropolitan Ballet will present a dazzling evening of dance, featuring 12 Met Alumni, returning from San Francisco Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Indianapolis Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Charlotte Ballet, and Philadelphia Ballet.

The season features premieres, favorites, and a “greatest hits” retrospective of Robert Battle’s choreography. Battle 10th Anniversary is a sample platter of current Artistic Director River Battle’s decade in that role. Like a master chef, the selections of his dance offerings spanning ten years are palatable and varied yet complimentary. 

The Ailey organization will resume Ailey All Access with a fall series of free programs from August 25 – November 17 in advance of the much-anticipated return to the New York City Center stage for live performances this December.

Last night the premiere of the Ailey Spring Gala uplifted viewers around the world during a free broadcast celebrating Hope, Promise and the Future with performances from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and gifted young dancers from The Ailey School.

In observance of Juneteenth, Ailey All Access will present a program of conversation and dance, speaking to the enduring power of the human spirit and extending Alvin Ailey’s legacy of artistic activism.

Presenting a special homage to our nation's capital, Washington, D.C., appearances will include guest of honor Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, Congressman James E. Clyburn and Former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama along with performances from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and gifted young dancers from The Ailey School.

The ABT Studio Company Spring Festival was filmed at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park in Tivoli, New York following the Studio Company’s spring bubbles in March and April 2021 at Kaatsbaan and the Silver Bay YMCA Conference & Family Retreat Center in Silver Bay, New York. All works were created, rehearsed, and filmed following strict COVID-19 health and safety protocols.  

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will continue to inspire audiences virtually with a spring series of free programs through Ailey All Access from March 17 – June 24.

The Ailey organization continues to reach out to inspire all people with Ailey All Access, a series of online offerings including free streaming of performances, dance and fitness classes, educational programs and original short films created by the Ailey dancers.a??

Sarah Mettin has been named Artistic Associate of Metropolitan Ballet Company in Jenkintown, PA.

It was humbling listening to audience members remark upon the beauty and pure joy of seeing a stage filled with artists of color, responding to a shared sense of knowing, especially Ailey's work, Cry, dedicated in the program to 'all Black women everywhere - especially our mothers.' The ability for audience members to feel seen in a 2,000 plus seat auditorium, by a nearly fifty-year-old work, is the platform Ailey gave his artists.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to Chicago March 6-10, commemorating the company's 60th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of its first performances at the Auditorium, its Chicago home. During these special engagements, Ailey gives Midwest premieres to Rennie Harris' Lazarus, the company's first ever two-act ballet; Wayne McGregor's Kairos; and Jessica Lang's EN. The company also performs the Timeless Ailey program, a curated selection of classic pieces by company founder and visionary Alvin Ailey.

The Auditorium Theatre announces programming for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's return to Chicago March 6-10, commemorating the company's 60th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of its first performances at the Auditorium, its Chicago home. During these special engagements, Ailey gives Midwest premieres to its first ever two-act ballet, Rennie Harris' Lazarus; Wayne McGregor's Kairos; and Jessica Lang's EN. The company also performs the Timeless Ailey program, a curated selection of classic pieces by company founder and visionary Alvin Ailey.

Performed at The Ailey Citigroup Theater in Ailey's home, The Joan Weill Center for Dance, Reveal featured nine original works choreographed and performed by members of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, with a special appearance by acclaimed Guest Artist and Rehearsal Director Matthew Rushing. Choreographers included Hope Boykin, Clifton Brown, Vernard Gilmore, Yannick Lebrun, Chalvar Monteiro, Jamar Roberts, and Kanji Segawa.