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Dancers performing Alvin Ailey's Masekela Langage, clad in bold costumes and striking a powerful pose onstage.

Repertory

Masekela Langage

COMPANIES

CHOREOGRAPHER

WORLD PREMIERE

Connecticut College, New London, 1969

RESTAGING

Masazumi Chaya

MUSIC

Hugh Masekela

SCENIC DESIGN

William Hammond

COSTUMES

A. Christina Giannini

LIGHTING

Chenault Spence

RUN TIME

  • 32 minutes

In a searing piece set to the music of renowned South African trumpeter and composer Hugh Masekela, Alvin Ailey drew parallels between the era of South African apartheid and the race-induced violence of 1960s Chicago, delving into universal themes that are just as relevant today. As Masekela’s driving music propels the dancers through a string of theatrical tableaus, the commanding choreography conveys passivity, militancy, despair, and defiance anywhere, at any time.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Alvin Ailey's Masekela Langage

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Alvin Ailey's Masekela Langage Photo by Paul Kolnik

Dancers performing Alvin Ailey's Masekela Langage, clad in bold costumes and striking a powerful pose onstage.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Alvin Ailey's Masekela Langage Photo by Paul Kolnik

A female dancer stands in arabesque, balancing on one leg with the other extended behind her and one arm reaching up into the air.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Constance Stamatiou and members of the Company in Alvin Ailey's Masekela Langage Photo by Paul Kolnik

Music Credits

“Morolo” composed by Hugh Masekela. Rights administered by Sony / ATV Music Publishing LLC.

FUNDERS

Masekela Langage was originally commissioned by Connecticut College American Dance Festival with additional funds provided by the Ford Foundation.

Hero Credit: Photo by Paul Kolnik