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Although the Ailey company’s hugely popular annual Berkeley residency cannot take place in 2021, here the international dance sensation offers a stunning video program to remind us of the power, beauty, and resilience of live performance. Under the leadership of Robert Battle, the Ailey company continues to dazzle, exploring classic and contemporary repertoire that boldly takes on the defining issues of the day while celebrating movement in all its expressive forms.

The centerpiece of this Cal Performances at Home exclusive presentation is the world premiere of a newly commissioned work by Jamar Roberts, the company’s resident choreographer. Roberts has been widely praised for creating visceral, subtle works that engage artfully with contemporary issues such as gun violence, and most recently, with the devastating effect the pandemic and police misconduct have had on Black bodies and Black lives. He has said, “I’m very concerned with beauty…with these situations that are hard to speak about, I always try to make a point that there’s something beautiful that sits side by side with it.

This special program will also feature screenings of rare archival footage from the company’s storied repertoire.