Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is rolling back into Cal Performances' Zellerbach Hall at UC Berkeley April 7-12, packing in seven Bay Area premieres alongside a newly staged Judith Jamison duet and revivals of Alvin Ailey’s Revelations and Ronald K. Brown’s Grace. The weeklong residency, the company’s first Bay Area run under new artistic director Alicia Graf Mack, folds recent commissions into repertory staples across four rotating programs. Audiences can expect an evening-to-evening mix of intimate, narrative-driven pieces and the kind of big-room spiritual finales that have become Ailey calling cards.
“It feels like a very special homecoming to come back to Zellerbach,” Graf Mack said, calling the residency her curatorial debut after assuming the role in July 2025. As reported by SFGATE, she co-curated the run with associate artistic director Matthew Rushing and emphasized reconnecting the company with Bay Area audiences. Her appointment marks the fourth artistic-director era in the company’s history and sets the tone for a season that pairs new voices with Ailey’s living legacy.
What’s on stage
Cal Performances’ program features five 2025 works making Bay Area premieres: Jamar Roberts’ Song of the Anchorite, Matthew Neenan’s Difference Between, Maija García’s Jazz Island, Frederick Earl Mosley’s Embrace and The Holy Blues. They are joined by Medhi Walerski’s Blink of an Eye and a new production of Judith Jamison’s A Case of You. The four programs shuffle those premieres around Ailey’s signature Revelations and Ronald K. Brown’s Grace, setting up nightly conversations between past and present. According to Cal Performances, the lineup is designed to spotlight both the company’s stewardship of Ailey’s repertory and its commitment to contemporary choreographers.
New takes on Ailey’s legacy
Jamar Roberts’ Song of the Anchorite is framed as a contemporary response to Alvin Ailey’s Hermit Songs, set to an interpretation of a Ravel adagio that lends the work a spare, hymn-like tone. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Roberts drew on archival rehearsal footage and photographic materials to shape a piece that honors Ailey while nudging the company in new directions. That meditative, interior focus provides a quiet counterweight to the more exuberant, gospel-inflected works elsewhere on the bill.
Fredrick Earl Mosley’s Embrace, created by the Diversity of Dance founder and a 2025 Bessie Award recipient, uses familiar pop songs as the backdrop for a study of intimacy and connection. According to Cal Performances, the score pulls from artists including Stevie Wonder, Kate Bush, Ed Sheeran, Des’ree and Pink, and the presenter lists tickets for the run at roughly $42-$184, with student discounts and accessibility options available. Mosley’s contemporary musical choices land alongside choreography that leans more directly into Ailey’s gospel and blues lineage, adding extra texture across the programs.
Program C includes a fresh staging of Judith Jamison’s A Case of You, danced to Diana Krall’s rendition of the Joni Mitchell classic and crafted to spotlight sensuous partnering and tight musicality. As reported by SFGATE, Jamison, a towering figure in Ailey history and a mentor to generations inside the company, died in 2024, which gives this revival particular resonance for dancers and audiences alike. Company leaders describe the staging as both a tribute and a way to reintroduce Jamison’s choreography to newer viewers.
Education and community engagement are woven through the residency. The company and Cal Performances will present hour-long SchoolTime shows for Bay Area K-12 students that introduce Revelations and excerpts of Grace. The San Francisco Chronicle notes that the engagement ties into longstanding regional efforts such as the Berkeley/Oakland AileyCamp and also includes master classes and student-facing activities. Organizers say these daytime offerings are meant to lower barriers to live performance and help grow future audiences, not just future dancers.
When and how to see it
Performances run April 7-12 with multiple evening and matinee options, and repertory is rotated across four different programs throughout the week. According to the Alvin Ailey event page, tickets are available through the Cal Performances box office and the Ailey event listing, and castings and prices are subject to change. Check the company’s event page for the full schedule and ticketing details before you head to campus.
