The Music Center welcomes the return of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for five days of dance and learning from April 6-10 celebrating the decade-long leader­ship of its visionary artistic director Robert Battle.

The events are part of the 19th season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center. Ailey’s artists will perform a diverse reper­tory of premieres, new productions and Ailey classics after a two-year absence from the Music Center, its Southern California home.

Highlights include a “Battle 10th Anniversary” program; an all-Ailey program featuring “Blues Suite,” Ailey’s original masterpiece based on his “blood memories” of growing up in rural Texas; “Cry,” his beloved classic dedicated to “all Black women everywhere – especially our mothers”; and a new production of Battle’s “Reflections in D” from Ailey’s legendary collaboration with Duke Ellington. It also includes the return of hip hop innovator Rennie Harris’s acclaimed “Lazarus.”

Each performance will culminate in Ailey’s American masterpiece “Revelations,” which has inspired generations since 1960 through its powerful storytelling and soul-stir­ring spirituals. The company will also work with students and senior citizens to explore the choreogra­phy and history of “Revelations” during in-person residencies.

“Since Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s first appearance with Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center in 2004, the company’s performances in Los Angeles have been the most anticipated of every dance season,” said Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of the Music Center. “This year feels especially mean­ingful since it’s the company’s first post-pandemic appearance at the Music Center, and it marks a decade of artistic director Robert Battle’s leadership. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is truly a national treasure, and it is an honor to celebrate this milestone with per­formances that will uplift and con­nect audiences at a time we need it most.”

“Alvin Ailey’s vision opened the door for generations of artists to use dance to inspire, unite and enlight­en,” Battle added. “Despite the twists and turns on the road we have all traveled together, we continue to find new ways to share artistry that renews our spirit of courage, hope and joy. I am thrilled we are return­ing to the Music Center and deeply humbled to have led this seminal company for a decade, joined by incomparable dancers and choreog­raphers on a journey of discovery that extends from the powerful works of our founder to the impor­tant voices of today.”

Tickets for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performances start at $34. The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Music Center is located at 135 N. Grand Ave. For information, call (213) 972-0711 or visit musiccenter.org.