- Welcome to American Black Journal.

I'm Stephen Henderson.

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is making a stop here in Detroit, March 14th through 16th as part of its US tour.

The performances at the Detroit Opera House will celebrate the life and legacy of the company's late artistic director, emerita, Judith Jamison.

It's also the 25th anniversary of the group's classic production called "Grace," which depicts individuals on a journey to the promised land.

Here are portions of a performance of "Grace," followed by my conversation with the choreographer, Ronald K. Brown.

♪ Clean look down at the sea ♪ My people through (funky music) (singer singing indistinctly) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (singers singing indistinctly) - Ronald Brown, welcome to "American Black Journal."

- Thank you so much.

It's my pleasure to join you.

- Yeah, yeah, so it's exciting, every year when Alvin Ailey comes here to the city of Detroit.

I first saw the company perform when I was six here in the 1970s at the music hall, and I've seen it many times since.

There is something about right now, though, the time that we're living in, the things that we're living through that makes me feel, I guess, more attached to and more inspired by the work that the company does.

Talk about why Alvin Ailey is important in 2025.

- I understand, because it's about hope and resilience, and we need that acknowledgement more than ever during this time.

- Yeah, yeah.

You guys are celebrating something pretty special this year.

Talk about Judith Jamison and the influence that she had over Alvin Ailey.

- Yes, so the 25th anniversary of "Grace" is quite amazing and when you create something, you don't know how long it's going to last and how relevant it will be.

But I'm so happy that Ms. Jamison gave me the opportunity to create my first piece on the company and we're able to bring grace back to the world again and say yes, even in the darkness of times, God gives us grace.

- Yeah.

Talk a little more for our viewers about "Grace," and what inspired you to create it and the message that it conveys.

- Yeah, so when Ms. Jamison asked me to create a piece of the company, the word grace came to my mind right away.

I had seen the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1972 on a school trip when I was in the second grade.

I went home and made a dance.

I started making up dances.

But I would've never imagined that that boy who made a dance would choreograph a piece on that company that inspired him.

And so, because Mr. Ailey loved Duke Ellington, I looked to Duke Ellington's sacred concerts and found all these versions of "Come Sunday."

God, please come down and see about your people.

And that is what "Grace" is.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- And Judith Jameson is the person who commissions you to do that.

That begins your work, right, with with Alvin Ailey.

- Yes, yes.

Yeah, so she became an incredible supporter of mine, incredible mentor, and went on to create seven pieces on the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

And so praise be to the first one, and actually a testament to that whole legacy of giving someone an opportunity to do something special.

- Yeah, yeah.

Both you and I first saw Alvin Ailey as children in the 70s.

I think that's kind of interesting.

But talk about, and you know, I can remember that first performance really clearly.

The impression it makes on young people, on children, the connection that it draws between, particularly I think African American children and American culture, is important.

Talk about what that looks like now, almost 50 years later.

- Duke Ellington, he has hundreds of versions of "Come Sunday."

I knew one version by Juniper Holiday, but then I found this version by Jimmy McFeo 1967, the only version sung by a man that I found.

And so that gave me the inspiration to make the God figure in the peace be a woman, and come down to earth with some angels who are around other people who are behaving and if they don't understand God's grace.

And it gives you an opportunity to talk to folks of all ages.

I had a wonderful conversation with my nephew.

He was having trouble in class once and the teacher told him, "If you snooze, you lose."

He called me and said, "Well, she's supposed to teach me.

How can she say that?"

And so we talked about, what does that mean.

Have you done your work?

So she can give you another chance, but you have to earn it.

- Yeah.

- And so we talking about grace and God's grace, and so he gives it to you just for being.

- Yeah.

- But you have to earn grace in life, too.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

Let's talk about the company and, I guess, kind of where it is in 2025, how well it's doing, the things that you guys have planned for the near future.

I know there's always a lot of innovation coming out of Alvin Ailey.

- Well, my company, Evidence, is on tour.

We're in Seattle now.

But the Ailey company is going around the world with "Grace," and another piece I put on the company, "Dancing Spirit."

And so, I'm so happy that Ailey and Evidence are sharing "Grace" around the world and I'm excited.

- Yeah.

What kind of feedback do you get from people who see it for the first time?

"Grace," I mean.

- I think people say often, it's a new Revelations.

Yeah, so.

- Wow.

That's pretty heavy.

- Yeah, and so that's a gigantic compliment and amazing feat.

- Yeah.

How often do you get to perform it?

- We get to do it, I think we'll do it maybe 10 times during our touring season this year.

- Yeah.

Yeah, and when you're doing it now, what does that feel like?

I mean, given that you created this thing and it's had this incredible life, what is it like to be inside of it, on a stage?

- You know, so when I created the piece, it gave my work a different exposure because Ailey tours around the world, and so interest in my work increased.

And so it is amazing to be able to share it on two different companies around the world.

Yeah.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay, Ronald Brown, it was really great to have you with us.

We look forward, of course, to Ailey being here in Detroit.

Thanks so much for joining us on "American Black Journal."

- Thanks for having me.