SZA, Spike Lee and Tonya Lee will serve as honorary chairs for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s opening night gala on December 2 at New York City Center. The centerpiece of the evening is Power of Love, a world premiere dance tribute to Luther Vandross choreographed by Jamar Roberts. The one-night-only performance features“Never Too Much,”“Here and Now,”“Dance With My Father”and“A House Is Not a Home,”arriving just weeks after Vandross’s Rock&Roll Hall of Fame induction on November 14.
For SZA, the honor is personal. In her words, she and her mother attend Alvin Ailey every year for Mother’s Day, and Revelations has informed both of their lives. She added that she loves Luther and is honored to be part of something so integral to Black expression and creativity. The gala also includes an excerpt of Judith Jamison’s Emmy-winning tribute Hymn, returning after almost fifteen years.
The Ailey holiday season runs five weeks through January 3, 2027. Gala proceeds benefit the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, supporting new works and student scholarships. With music, film and dance royalty in one room, this is shaping up to be one of the season’s biggest nights in New York.
Which Luther Vandross classic would you most want to see performed as a dance piece?
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Local Lawton
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