FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The internationally acclaimed Ailey II dance company will open the 2010-2011 season of West Virginia University at Parkersburg’s Distinguished Performance Series.

Curtain time is 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 21, in the College Activities Center.

Tickets are $10, adults; $5, students.  WVU Parkersburg students may purchase special advance tickets for themselves and one guest for $2 each in the college Business Office. All tickets at the door will be regular price.

A celebration of American dance, Ailey II's Parkersburg performance will include “Echoes” with choreography by Thang Dao; "The Corner," a 2010 work that blends contemporary hip hop movement and vernacular with post modern sensibility, and "Revelations," the company's signature piece which explores the cultural heritage of the African-American experience through religious music and dance. 

Known for its fast-paced and sophisticated performances, the Ailey II ensemble combines the spirit and energy of some of America’s brightest young dancers with the vision of leading and emerging choreographers.

Founded in 1974, Ailey II embodies Alvin Ailey’s pioneering mission to extend dance, training, and community outreach programs to all people. As The New York Times noted, “Ailey II can be counted on to deliver high-energy dancing made even more eclectic by the plush of youthful ambition.”  Selected by Artistic Director Sylvia Waters, the 12-member junior company acts as a bridge from the classroom to the stage.

Alvin Ailey founded the American Dance Theater in 1958.  Ailey’s artists have performed for an estimated 23 million people in 71 countries on six continents.   Ailey’s performances celebrate the human spirit through the African-American cultural experience and the American modern dance tradition. 

Other programs in WVU Parkersburg’s DP Series will include the staging of Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” presented by the Walnut Street Theatre, March 1, and the Dallas Brass performing “An American Musical Journey,” April 9.

Ailey II is presented with financial assistance from the American Masterpieces program of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation and West Virginia Division of Culture and History in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of American Genius, a major initiative to acquaint Americans with the best of their culture and artistic legacy, and the WV Higher Education Policy Commission and Council for Community and Technical College Education.

For additional information, contact:
Connie Dziagwa
WVU Parkersburg
Executive Director
Institutional Advancement
(304-424-8203 - Office)
E-mail