The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater wraps up its Teatro Real engagement on 18 October, its first Madrid return in 24 years. The final programme includes four works, led by the celebrated Revelations.
Alvin Ailey founded the company in New York in 1958, during the civil rights movement. He wanted to expand opportunities for African American performers and present modern American dance as a language that could cross racial boundaries, as well as religious and national ones. The company’s 30 members have performed at Madrid’s Teatro Real from 14 to 18 October 2026, the troupe’s first return to the venue in 24 years. It later became a cultural ambassador for the United States.
Artistic director Alicia Graf Mack selected 10 works from a repertoire of nearly 300 for the Madrid engagement. The programme included historical works. Among the excerpts were Night Creature and Cry; A Song for You also appeared, alongside Revelations. The company’s musical style draws on classical traditions, gospel and jazz. It also incorporates blues and African American spiritual music.
The final programme brings together four pieces. Blink on an Eye is set to music by Johann Sebastian Bach. Maurice Ravel’s music accompanies Song of the Anchorite. Many Angels features the fourth movement of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. A Case of You is performed to a song by John Mitchell, interpreted by Diana Krall.
Revelations anchors the programme. Ailey created the work in 1960, dedicating it to African American cultural heritage and the human pursuit of hope and liberation. It moves from individual expression toward a collective finale. Light and joy mark that closing scene, while harmony and elegance shape its mood. The traditional music includes spirituals. Two of its songs are Pilgrim of Sorrow and Take Me to the Water. The piece combines modern dance with ballet and jazz.
Ailey also used Move, Members, Move in the piece. Described as the company’s best-known work, Revelations is also its most frequently performed. It remains in the touring repertoire and featured in Madrid. Artistic director Alicia Graf Mack has described the work as being passed down from generation to generation.
Born in Texas in 1931, Ailey grew up amid poverty and racial segregation. He invited dancers from different backgrounds into his vision of modern dance and humanity, rooted in the idea that dance should be accessible to everyone. He died in New York in 1989, aged 58. His honours included the Kennedy Center Honor. He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 2014 for his contributions to civil rights and dance.
Madrid’s dance calendar has also featured a separate event at Teatros del Canal: a protest before Batsheva Dance performed Sadeh21.
