SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The Alonzo King Lines Ballet launched its fall season Thursday night at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco with a tribute to the trailblazing jazz musician Alice Coltrane.
Renowned for their innovative choreography and evocative performances, the company is set to deliver a show that intertwines movement and music in a celebration of Coltrane’s legacy.
With every graceful step and every stirring note, the dancers convey a powerful narrative. As they perfect the final elements of the premiere, the company’s founder and visionary choreographer, Alonzo King, encourages them to push their limits.
“Go for it. Make a big mistake that you experiment with what you’ve built all your life. You want to test it,” King said during a recent rehearsal.
King has long admired Alice Coltrane, one of jazz’s most influential figures, and this production serves as a tribute to her groundbreaking contributions. He shared with ABC7 News Anchor Julian Glover the profound personal significance of this work.
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“‘Alice’ was one of the first ballets that I ever choreographed to years ago. She has combined the east and the west in a devotional handshake that is based on Namaste, which is bowing to the god in each and every one,” King said.
Returning to Coltrane’s work has been a transformative experience for King.
“So to return to Journey into Satchidananda, which is one of the works, has been a beautiful experience, because I see it differently and deeper and hear it differently,” he said.
This exploration of Coltrane’s music demands that the dancers delve deeper into their own artistry.
Adji Cissoko, who has been a company member for over a decade, finds this production especially meaningful.
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“I feel like it’s less me just deciding everything. Through the music, it’s almost like it’s within me, and it’s guiding my movement, and it guides where I hold, how I play, how I interact with her,” she said.
In addition to the tribute to Alice Coltrane, the fall season also features King’s latest creation set to Maurice Ravel’s “Mother Goose,” performed in collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony. The combination of these two works promises to leave audiences in awe.
“When you see the audience, what do you hope they walk away with in their hearts when they leave their seats?” Glover asked King.
“I think you just said it. It’s aimed towards the heart and the mind. and so often it is subliminal. And so, if a hand is someplace, it’s connecting with a constellation. It’s going on forever and ever. And so, that kind of largeness is something that is mental, but you can see on stage,” King said.
The Alonzo King Lines Ballet fall season runs through Sunday at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
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