The Gospel truth

Oh, don’t you want to go To the Gospel feast That Promised Land Where all is peace?”

—Deep River

ALONZO KING LINES BALLET returns to the Center with a special evening of dance celebrating the company’s 40th anniversary. The program will feature Deep River, a new work by Alonzo King that combines Black spirituals with dance. The music is arranged by jazz pianist and MacArthur Fellow Jason Moran, with Grammy-winning vocalist Lisa Fischer, who will be onstage with the dancers, providing a live accompaniment. Fischer was a back-up singer with The Rolling Stones (that’s Lisa on “Gimme Shelter”) and has performed in the Center’s Jazz Series several times.

“Seeing how these Black Christian spirituals could meld so naturally with dance imagery that suggests influences from both yogic philosophy and Islam, is a striking reminder of the universality King has reclaimed for ballet,” says the San Francisco Chronicle. “King is one of the few bona fide visionaries in the ballet world today.”

Deep River is rich in themes of cultural collaboration, and King thinks nothing of mixing classical ballet with diverse traditions. The company’s vision statement says, in part, “LINES Ballet investigates deeply rooted affinities between Western and Eastern classical forms, elemental materials, the natural world and the human spirit. The artistic investigation… leads to what unites us as human beings.”

“The intention behind the work is to remind me, the artists, and the viewers that love is the ocean that we rose from, swim in, and will one day return to, and that love, if listened to and deeply cultured, can bring us to liberation,” King said to DBusiness.com. “As we look back on 40 years of work in the community, in ourselves, the programs, classes, and performances, both live and on film, we recognize that it is the same vision and belief that have carried us to this moment and will continue to carry this organization into the future,” says King.

Alonzo King LINES Ballet has collaborated with noted composers, musicians and visual artists from around the world to create performances that alter the way we look at ballet today. King’s unique artistic vision adheres to the classical form with a commitment to cultural collaborations which enthrall audiences and draw on diverse traditions with new expressive potential.

“The talent, the expertise and the intent of this stellar company is incomparable!” says Broadwayworld.com. “The technique of every member of the company, with every movement they make, will fill you with awe.” Beautiful and glorious on stage, this is a must-see performance for Center dance fans.

SEGERSTROM HALL

May 27 | Tickets start at $29