ASC 2004 - 2005 SEASON FEATURES MOVEMENT AND MAGIC

This season the Alys Stephens Center invites audiences to feed their hearts, minds and souls with the power and beauty of live performances. On the menu are extraordinary classical musicians, sidesplitting satire, fiery gospel music, rising stars, innovative children’s shows, powerful singers and songwriters, virtuoso guitarists, enlightening and timelessjazz, cool pop, contemporary and folk dance, amazing acrobats and
a tantalizing taste of Celtic roots music.

Indulge in the Arts, sponsored by NBC 13 and The Birmingham News/Birmingham Post-Herald, is an invitation to enjoy the delicious performances
celebrating the Alys Stephens Center’s eighth year. Over the past seven years, the Alys Stephens Center, Birmingham’s own world-class performing arts center located on the UAB campus, has welcomed more than
250,000 people each year for more than 300 events, bringing audiences a diverse mix of classical, pop, jazz, dance, world music, comedy and family entertainment. There’s a taste to fit everyone’s palate in the passionate, exciting world of the performing arts.

New this season is the exotic Patty McDonald Global Rhythm Series. Returning this season are the sizzling BellSouth Red Hot and Jazz Series and the sweet
ASC Kids Club Series, sponsored by Jane Stephens Comer, as well as the center’s established favorites: the Birmingham Music Club Classically Inclined
Series; the Protective Life Eclectic Palate Series; the Jemison Investment Contemporary Vibes Series; the Viva Health, a Member of the UAB Health
System, Movement and Magic Series; the Laser’s Edge Strings Attached Series; and the Gloria Narramore Moody Foundation Rising Star Series.

Also featured this year are two special events, the center’s annual Starlight Gala and a new event, the Alys Stephens Center’s Stars Fell On Alabama Talent Competition. Look for an announcement of authors and dates for a new series, Authors Take the Stage.

The series are designed as the perfect complement for the Alys Stephens Center’s four state-of-the-art venues: the Jemison Concert Hall, the Reynolds-Kirschbaum Recital Hall, the Morris K. Sirote Theatre and the Odess Theatre.

ASFA DEPARTMENT OF DANCE PRESENTS FALL PERFORMANCES

The Alabama School of Fine Arts Dance Department kicked off its fall dance season with three performances scheduled Oct. 29-31. The department presented the three-act Danish ballet Napoli by August Bournonville and The Spider’s Banquet, restaged by guest artist Fabrice Lemire. The department was proud to have Lemire work with students this fall.
Lemire was born in Paris and trained at the Paris Opera Ballet School. He has been a principal dancer and guest artist with numerous ballet, modern and opera companies in Europe, Asia, and North Africa. In the United States, he danced with the New York City Opera and the Oregon Ballet Theatre. As a choreographer, he has created works for the Oregon Ballet Theatre, Portland Opera, and The Champaign/Urbana Theatre Company, among many
others. He performed lead roles in classical and modern works by Balanchine, Petipa and others. As ballet master for Donald Byrd/The Group, the modern dance company in New York, he also worked as a choreographic assistant and rehearsal director for the Harlem Nutcracker. He made his acting debut in the film Unsettled Dreams. He now works as ballet master
for Les Ballets Jazz De Montreal, a modern dance company in Montreal.

ALABAMA BALLET PRESENTS ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATRE

One of the most acclaimed international ambassadors of American culture celebrating 45 years “Dance is an art of the spirit… no dance company confronts that reality as directly as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.” The Chicago Tribune. Southeastern audiences will have the opportunity to experience the magnificent Ailey in three performances at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center Concert Hall February 18-20, 2005. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
is dedicated to promoting the uniqueness of African-American cultural expression and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance heritage. This season the Company will bring its exciting and varied repertory to our stage. Under the artistic direction of Judith Jamison, AAADT numbers 30 of the
most talented and versatile dancers in the world. A typical season includes an international tour, a US tour to more than 20 cities and a five-week season in New York City. Seen by an estimated 19,000,000 fans in 48 states and 68 countries on six continents, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater continues to be a trailblazing
leader in concert dance whose “phenomenal popularity is unmatched by any other company in the world.” (Anna Kisselgoff, The New York Times).
 

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