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Five men in a row alternating between standing up and crouching down.

Repertory

Uptown

COMPANIES

CHOREOGRAPHER

WORLD PREMIERE

New York City Center, 2009

ASSISTANT TO CHOREOGRAPHERS

Renee Robinson and Samuel Deshauteurs

MUSIC

Various Artists; original composition by Ted Rosenthal

COSTUMES

Matthew Rushing with Jon Taylor and Dante Baylor

LIGHTING AND SCENIC DESIGN

Al Crawford

SCRIPT

Matthew Rushing and Gregor L. Gibson

DRAMATIC COACHING

Hope Clarke

SWING DANCE CONSULTANT

Clyde Wilder

Take a vibrant tour through the Harlem Renaissance era in all its boisterous, swinging glory. In Matthew Rushing’s elegant, glittering ballet, legends like Langston Hughes, W.E.B. DuBois, Zora Neale Hurston, Josephine Baker, and their contemporaries come alive to the music of Fats Waller, Nat King Cole, and more.

 

Five male performers stand in a row on stage, dressed in vintage-style clothing. The man on the left plays a guitar and wears a suit and hat. The others wear suspenders, vests, and hats, and they appear to be singing or shouting. The background is a gradient blue, and the stage is brightly lit.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Matthew Rushing's Uptown Photo by Paul Kolnik

Five male dancers perform on stage, dressed in vintage-style clothing. The central figure plays a guitar and wears a dark suit and hat. The others, in suspenders, vests, and hats, strike dynamic dance poses. The background is a gradient blue, and the stage is brightly lit.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Matthew Rushing's Uptown Photo by Paul Kolnik

Five men in vintage-style clothing are performing a lively dance on stage. Two dancers in the front wear suspenders and hats, one with a cap and the other with a bowler hat. A guitarist in a suit and hat is in the center background, and two more dancers in suits are on the sides. The background is a gradient blue, and the stage is well-lit.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Matthew Rushing's Uptown Photo by Paul Kolnik

Funders

This production of Uptown was supported by the Ailey New Works Fund and sponsored by Altria Group, Inc. Generous support was also received from The Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn & Nicolas Rohatyn New Works Endowment Fund, The Ellen Jewett & Richard L. Kauffman New Works Endowment Fund, and Cheryl Bergenfeld Katz.