Love stories

Love Stories, Judith Jamison’s dynamic collaboration with Hip Hop pioneer Rennie Harris and modern dance maverick Robert Battle, embodies the spirit of Sankofa, a principle introduced by the Akan people of Ghana. The mythic bird that flies forward while looking backward reminds us that we don’t know where we are going unless we know where we have been.

This inspiration serves as the foundation for this extraordinary ballet that celebrates the legacy of Alvin Ailey and the opening of The Joan Weill Center for Dance, AILEY’s first permanent home.

The choreographers and dancers pay tribute to Mr. Ailey, who believed “that the dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people.” Seamlessly integrating their unique styles, the three choreographers convey a collective message using movements influenced by the Philly bop, Lindy hop, hip hop, and eclectic modern dance techniques to honor the past, celebrate the present, and reach forward into the future. Set to the music of the legendary Stevie Wonder, the ballet resonates with the juxtaposition of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s history and the influence of African American social dances. “There is a history of African Americans making up dances,” says Ms. Jamison. “People invented ways of moving when dancing at home. It was a very social thing to dance in the house and Alvin brought a lot of these social dances to the stage and theatricalized them in pieces like Blues Suite.”