Ailey and An American in Paris Are Coming to Your TV
Alvin Ailey’s Revelations is the most widely-seen piece of modern dance ever. And it’s about to reach even more people.
As much as we love seeing live performance, the recent trend of showing dance on TV (and at the movies and through livestreams!) is widening accessibility in a big way. Just in the next few days, audiences will have the chance to see Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s full Lincoln Center at the Movies performance on PBS, and to go behind the scenes of the touring production of Christopher Wheeldon‘s An American in Paris.
Tonight, in addition to Ailey’s joyous, beloved Revelations, PBS will show three other signature works: Wayne McGregor’s jarring Chroma, Ronald K. Brown’s fervent Grace and artistic director Robert Battle’s virtuosic Takademe. It’s a dynamic, well-rounded sampler of what this superhuman company can do. You’ll also get to go behind the scenes, and hopefully meet some of our favorite dancers.
Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope in the Broadway production of An American in Paris. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
On Monday morning, switch gears and enter the world of Christopher Wheeldon’s romantic An American in Paris, now touring throughout the US. Lifetime’s “Broadway Balances America” series will talk to Wheeldon, who both directed and choreographed the award-winning musical, and the dancers who’ve taken over the lead roles for the tour. Former Miami City Ballet dancer Sara Esty is playing Lise, the role originated by Leanne Cope. Her identical twin, Leigh-Ann (also a former MCB dancer) is serving as her alternate. Garen Scribner, who previously danced with San Francisco Ballet and Nederlands Dans Theater, is stepping into Robert Fairchild’s shoes to play Jerry. They’ll be talking about everything from Wheeldon’s creative process to staying in shape for eight shows a week to touring with your twin.
Check your local listings to find out when to tune in.
