World-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Ailey II performs on Sunday, March 21 at 3pm and Monday, March 22 at 10 am (school field trip performance). In 1974, legendary dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey created the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble from the most promising scholarship students in his namesake school. Today, as Ailey II, the troupe has become one of the most popular dance companies in the country. Combining the ideals of African-American cultural expression and the American modern dance tradition, Ailey II is known for merging the spirit and energy of the country's best young dance talent with the passion and creative vision of today's most outstanding emerging choreographers. Aley II's Mahaiwe program will include Echoes (Thang Dao), Essence (Christopher Huggins), Proximity (Carlos dos Santos, Jr.), and Divining (Judith Jamison).

Sunday Program includes: Echoes Essence Proximity Divining

Monday Education Matinee: Echoes (Solo Section) Divining (Solo Section) Proximity (2nd Section) Revelations

http://www.alvinailey.org/
www.alvinailey.org

Paul Taylor Dance Company returns to the Mahaiwe over Memorial Day weekend to celebrate Paul Taylor's 80th birthday with two performances. The programs include Mr. Taylor's two newest dances, Also Playing and Brief Encounters. On Saturday, May 29 at 8pm, the program features the satiric Public Domain, the erotic Brief Encounters, and Taylor's red-hot look at the culture of tango, Piazzolla Caldera. On Sunday, May 30 at 3pm, the program includes the blissful Brandenburgs, the comic Vaudeville tribute Also Playing, and Piazzolla Caldera. The New York Times says, "There is no other choreographer today whose imaginative range looks so large or so multilayered."

http://www.ptdc.org
Click here for more on Paul Taylor Dance Company!

Film and stage actor Gary Soldati hosts a magical evening of choral music with special guest artists including soprano Cardinale Montano, The Miriam Shapiro String Quartet, trumpeter Allan Dean, and flautist Tari Wheeler. Accompanists, Lee Dixon and Nancy King.

Berkshire Children's Chorus, founded in 1990, is comprised of students from Berkshire and surrounding counties who are interested in working on the finest treble choir music available. The repertoire of the chorus is not replicated in the schools, making it possible to expand the children?s horizons to more classical and challenging musical experiences. Students must audition and are selected regardless of their ability to pay tuition.

BCC has sung with the Berkshire Choral Festival and has joined the Berkshire Opera Company for productions of Wozzeck and Carmen. In 1998 BCC was accepted to sing in the Third Tuscany International Children?s Chorus Festival in Italy. The chorus sang at Carnegie Hall in April 2001 and again in June 2006. In the summer of 2004, BCC traveled to England for the International Children?s Choir Festival in Canterbury, England. In January 2007, BCC was honored to be invited to perform at the inauguration ceremonies for the newly elected Massachusetts governor, Deval Patrick, in both Boston and Pittsfield, MA.

The chorus has also produced five CDs of their concerts and in 2009 the BCC starred in An Impulse to Soar: A Journey in Song. This documentary DVD followed the chorus as it rehearsed for various performances, including a performance at Carnegie Hall under the direction of John Rutter and Dr. Janet Galvin.

Buy a friend or family member a Mahaiwe gift certificate -- for tickets to a specific event which you choose, or a specific dollar amount so they can choose themselves!

-- And if you purchase a gift membership in Friends of the Mahaiwe, the recipient will enjoy ticket discounts and member benefits all year long -- while you enjoy knowing that you are a patron of the arts!

Call the Mahaiwe Box Office: 413-528-0100