ALONZO KING LINES BALLET, "FIGURES OF SPEECH"

“One of the few bona fide visionaries in the ballet world today.” — San Francisco Chronicle Thirty-six years of outstanding, multi-disciplinary collaborations for the stage place Alonzo King LINES Ballet at the forefront of artistic innovation in ballet. While adhering to the classical form, the Company has collaborated with noted composers, musicians, and visual artists to create performances that alter the way we look at ballet today. In their return to the Modlin Center, Alonzo King LINES Ballet explores the power of lost languages in Figures of Speech. Over half the world’s nearly 7,000 languages are at risk of vanishing by the end of the century. Poet and activist Bob Holman is a leading advocate of linguistic preservation and revitalization in indigenous communities. His recorded collection of native peoples’ poetry and song informs the soundscape of this stunning evening-length ballet. Stay after the performance for a Q&A discussion with members of the Company. This performance is part of the Tucker-Boatwright Festival of Literature and the Arts. The presentation of Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Figures of Speech was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This performance is also funded in part by the Cultural Affairs Committee.