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The River Revisited

Thursday, March 7, 2024 5:00 PM–7:00PM

African American Museum
701 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA 19106

Timeline:

4:00- 5:00 p.m. – Private dance Masterclass hosted by Philadelphia Ballet
5:15 – 5:45 p.m. – Wine and Cheese Reception and Performance by Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts
6:00- 7:15 p.m. – Panel discussion

Join Philadelphia Ballet and AAMP for a special panel discussion in celebration of Alvin Ailey, an American Dance Icon, with Philadelphia Ballet Artistic Director Angel Corella, former Alvin Ailey Dancer Antonio Douthit-Boyd, former Associate Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey Chaya Masazumi, and music historian Guthrie Ramsey, Jr. The panel will be moderated by Sylvia Waters, former Artistic Director of Ailey II.

This panel previews the second time in Philadelphia Ballet’s history where Ailey’s iconic choreography will be performed in Dance Masterpieces at the Academy of Music, March 14-17. Learn about Ailey’s process and vision as well as renowned maestro, Duke Ellington, who created the score to Ailey’s The River.

Prior to the 6:00 panel, guests are welcome to join the 5:00 reception and enjoy a performance of Duke Ellington’s music by the Clef Club Ambassador’s Ensemble. Light refreshments will be served.

Guests are also invited to watch Antonio Douthit-Boyd teach local students a dance masterclass from 4:00-5:00pm.

Ballet patrons get 50% off tickets to this event with the code PHILABALLET

Angel Corella

The Ruth and A. Morris Williams, Jr. Artistic Director
Angel Corella is regarded as one of the finest dancers of his generation. His talent, passion, and technique have brought him worldwide acclaim and established him as one of the most recognizable names in dance. Angel was appointed artistic director of Philadelphia Ballet, formerly Pennsylvania Ballet, beginning with our 2014/2015 season.

Angel joined American Ballet Theatre in 1995 and quickly rose to the rank of principal dancer. Throughout his 17-year career with them, he excelled in a wide range of repertory, performing such iconic roles as Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, and the Nutcracker Prince in The Nutcracker. He has also appeared as a guest artist with the Royal Ballet in London, the Kirov Ballet in Russia, and New York City Ballet. As well, Angel has received numerous awards, including 1st prize in the National Ballet Competition in Spain (1991), the Prix Benois de la Danse (2000), and the National Award of Spain (2003). He has danced for Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Sophia of Spain, and for Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.

Angel’s onstage passion and talents have translated to his behind-the-scenes career as well. From 2008 to 2014, he served as director for his own company, the Barcelona Ballet (formerly the Corella Ballet), in his native Spain, where he is regarded as a national treasure. His was the first classical ballet company established in the country in 20 years. And while Angel retired from American Ballet Theater in June 2012, he continued to dance with his own company.

A passionate teacher and mentor to young professional dancers, Angel has taught at various summer programs as well as leading dance schools, including the Royal Ballet School in London. He now applies that same passion, verve, and balletic insight to the dancers of Philadelphia Ballet.

Angel’s onstage passion and talents have translated to his behind-the-scenes career as well. From 2008 to 2014, he served as director for his own company, the Barcelona Ballet (formerly the Corella Ballet), in his native Spain, where he is regarded as a national treasure. His was the first classical ballet company established in the country in 20 years. And while Angel retired from American Ballet Theater in June 2012, he continued to dance with his own company.

A passionate teacher and mentor to young professional dancers, Angel has taught at various summer programs as well as leading dance schools, including the Royal Ballet School in London. He now applies that same passion, verve, and balletic insight to the dancers of Philadelphia Ballet.

Antonio Douthit-Boyd

Antonio Douthit-Boyd joined Dance Theatre of Harlem Company in 2000 under the direction of Arthur Mitchell and appeared in featured roles choreographed by George Balanchine:

The Four Temperaments, Agon, and Serenade. He became a Soloist with the company in 2003.

Antonio joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 2004, where he danced as a principal artist for twelve years.

He has worked with world-renowned choreographers such as Alvin Ailey, Judith Jamison, Robert Battle, Wayne MacGregor, Jiri Kylian, and Paul Taylor. Featured roles include: Alvin Ailey’s “I Wanna Be Ready” (a solo from Revelation); “Polish Pieces” by Hans van Manen; “Firebird” by Maurice Bejart; and “Episodes,” “Bad Blood,” and “Urban Folk Dance” by Ulysses Dove. He has performed for President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama, Queen Elizabeth II, Michael Jackson, and a list of high-profile patrons of the arts.

Antonio is an ABT® Certified Teacher who has completed the ABT® Teacher Training Program for Pre-Primary–6/7 and Partnering through the ABT® National Training Curriculum.

He teaches ballet as a Professor of Practice in Dance at Washington University in St. Louis in the collaborative MFA program between the University and COCA. In 2021, Antonio and his husband Kirven Douthit-Boyd received the Excellence in the Arts Award from the Arts and Education Council in St. Louis.

Guthrie Ramsey

A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr. is a music historian, pianist, composer, and Professor Emeritus of Music at the University of Pennsylvania.

A widely-published writer, he’s the author of Race Music: Black Cultures from Bebop to Hip-Hop (2003), and The Amazing Bud Powell: Black Genius, Jazz History and the Challenge of Bebop (2013).

Dr. Ramsey is co-author beside Samuel A. Floyd, Jr., with Melanie Zeck of The Transformation of Black Music: The Rhythms, the Songs and the Ships of the African Diaspora (2017) and editor of Rae Linda Brown, The Heart of a Woman: The Life and Music of Florence B. Price (2020). His books in progress include Who Hears Here?, a collection of essays, and the monograph Sound Proof: Black Music, Magic and Racial Intimacies, a history of African American music from the slave-era to the present. He was editor for the series Music of the African Diaspora at the University of California Press for ten years and founding editor of the blog Musiqology.com.

As a producer, label head, and leader of the band Dr. Guy’s Musiqology, Dr. Ramsey has released five recording projects and has performed at venues such as The Blue Note and Harlem Stage in New York, and the Annenberg Theater of the Performing Arts and Chris’ Jazz Café in Philadelphia, and other venues worldwide. His musical commissions include “Someone Is Listening,” written with poet Elizabeth Alexander, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the NAACP; he recently scored the prize-winning documentary Making Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South. His documentary Amazing: The Tests and Triumph of Bud Powell was a selection of the BlackStar Film Festival in 2015 and his multimedia performance piece Hide/Melt/Ghost made its New York debut at Harlem Stage in 2019. Ramsey hosts the Musiqology Podcast and Musiqology Rx is his community arts initiative that provides quality arts programming to under-served communities. He has written for and consulted with museums and galleries such as The Studio Museum in Harlem, The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Museum of Modern Art, and the Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, and was co-curator of the acclaimed exhibition Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment for the National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2010. Dr. Ramsey has lectured on music nationally and internationally.

Masazumi Chaya

Masazumi Chaya was born in Fukuoka, Japan, where he began his classical ballet training. Upon moving to New York in December 1970, he studied modern dance and performed with the Richard Englund Repertory Company. Mr. Chaya joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1972 and performed with the Company for 15 years. In 1988, he became the Company’s Rehearsal Director after serving as Assistant Rehearsal Director for two years. A master teacher, both on tour with the Company and in his native Japan, he served as choreographic assistant to Alvin Ailey and John Butler.

From 1991 to 2019, Mr. Chaya served as Associate Artistic Director of the Company. He continues to provide invaluable creative assistance in all facets of its operations.

Mr. Chaya has restaged numerous ballets, including Alvin Ailey’s Flowers for the State Ballet of Missouri (1990) and The River for the Royal Swedish Ballet (1993), Ballet Florida (1995), National Ballet of Prague (1995), Pennsylvania Ballet (1996), and Colorado Ballet (1998). He has also restaged The Mooche, Stack-Up, Episodes, Bad Blood, Hidden Rites, and Witness for the Company. At the beginning of his tenure as Associate Artistic Director, Mr. Chaya restaged Ailey’s For ‘Bird’ – With Love for a Dance in America program entitled Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Steps Ahead. In 2000, he restaged Ailey’s Night Creature for the Rome Opera House and The River for La Scala Ballet. In 2002 Mr. Chaya coordinated the Company’s appearance at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree-lighting ceremony, broadcast on NBC. In 2003, he restaged The River for North Carolina Dance Theatre and for Julio Bocca’s Ballet Argentina. Most recently, Mr. Chaya restaged Bad Blood, Blues Suite, Love Songs, Masekela Langage, Pas de Duke, and Vespers for the Company.

As a performer, Mr. Chaya appeared on Japanese television in both dramatic and musical productions. He wishes to recognize the artistic contribution and spirit of his late friend and fellow artist, Michihiko Oka.

Sylvia Waters

Sylvia Waters was personally selected by Alvin Ailey in 1974 as Artistic Director of Ailey II and led the company for 38 years. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Ms. Waters earned a B.S. in Dance prior to moving to Paris, where she appeared regularly on television. She toured in the European company of Black Nativity and worked with Michel Descombey, then director of the Paris Opera Ballet, as well as Milko Šparembleck. She also performed in Donald McKayle’s European production of Black New World and worked with Maurice Béjart’s company performing in Brussels and at the Summer Olympics in Mexico City.

In 1968, Ms. Waters joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and toured with the Company until assuming leadership of Ailey II. She has received honorary doctorates from the State University of New York at Oswego and The Juilliard School, and she has served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts. Ms. Waters is a recipient of the Legacy Award as part of the 20th Annual IABD Festival, Syracuse University’s Women of Distinction Award, a Dance Magazine Award, and a “Bessie” Award.

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