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If you’ve only seen one modern dance work in your life, it’s most likely been Alvin Ailey’s Revelations. Choreographed in the midst of the civil rights movement, the work is a powerful ode to the resilience of the human spirit. It’s been performed thousands of times all over the globe — sometimes with curtain calls lasting up to 20 minutes because the audience won’t stop clapping.

Now, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) has a new piece that’s probably the closest any dance work has ever come to rivaling the soulful impact of Revelations. Rennie Harris’s Lazarus, choreographed in 2018, is a risky two-act work exploring Mr. Ailey’s life, civil rights and the idea of resurrection. With movement based in a Philadelphia street style called GQ and recognizable hip-hop steps like the Nae Nae and the Dab, The New York Times described the second act’s choreography as “something like heaven.”

The work is often programmed alongside Revelations in the same night, showcasing what this dance company does best: moving forward while also honoring the past.

As we look to the future, we can’t forget where we’ve come from. This is as true in dance as it is in life.

At AAADT, the man who helps make the past feel current is Masazumi Chaya. As associate artistic director, Chaya has maintained the company’s masterpieces for years, guiding dozens of Ailey dancers to find their own way into the historic works. Through his insightful coaching, he makes sure the choreography never loses its impact.

Many audience members have never heard his name. But if you’ve seen Revelations, you’ve seen his handiwork. He’s a secret behind-the-scenes ingredient that leads to 20-minute standing ovations.

Next week, Dance Magazine is giving him a Dance Magazine Award, one of the most prestigious honors in the dance field. It will be presented to him by none other than Ailey icon Judith Jamison (who herself was given a Dance Magazine Award in 1972). The 62nd Annual Dance Magazine Awards will take place on December 9, 2019 from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at Ailey Citigroup Theater (405 W 55th St., New York, NY 10019). The event is open to the public with tickets starting at $75, via DanceMediaFoundation.org.

Chaya’s fellow honorees this year include New York City Ballet principal dancer Sara Mearns, Pennsylvania Ballet artistic director Angel Corella, and postmodern dance mavens David Gordon and Valda Setterfield. Dance Magazine is also presenting a Chairman’s Award to Linda Shelton for her stewardship of The Joyce Theater, and giving Harkness Promise Awards (a $5,000 grant) to choreographers Bobbi Jene Smith and Caleb Teicher.

Although Chaya is stepping down from his current role next month, he’s devoting his time to a new mission: licensing Ailey’s masterpieces to other dance companies so the iconic choreography can extend its reach even further.

Mr. Ailey believed African-American cultural heritage to be one of America’s greatest treasures, calling it “sometimes sorrowful, sometimes jubilant, but always hopeful.” This is what he captured with Revelations, and what Rennie Harris brought back in a new way with Lazarus.

Although Mr. Ailey died due to AIDS-related complications in 1989, his spirit has never left the company, thanks to meticulous caretakers of his work, like Chaya. Mr. Ailey used dance to give the Black community a voice that it had been denied, and then leveraged that voice to look both back at our history and forward to what could be. AAADT continues pursuing that same mission today, taking loving care of its past and making bold strides toward the future.

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Frederic Seegal is the CEO of the Dance Magazine Awards.

Frederic Seegal

Writing since December 2019 · 1 story contributed