The ASCA awarded the ASC $3,000 for the upcoming Carolina Chocolate Drops performance scheduled for Feb. 28. The ASC was awarded $5,650 for the upcoming Ailey II residency and performance March 28. Making their debut engagement at the ASC, the Carolina Chocolate Drops are artists renowned for delivering a modern take on a traditional sound. Their new recording, “Leaving Eden,” was produced by Nashville stalwart Buddy Miller, the go-to guy for artists ranging from Robert Plant to Emmylou Harris. On the recording and supporting tour, their new repertoire incorporates more blues, jazz and folk balladry alongside brilliantly rendered string-band tunes. The group is scheduled to perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28. ArtPlay will present a master class with CCD for music students in middle school through college earlier in the day, at 3 p.m., in the ASC’s Jemison Concert Hall.
Ailey II is universally recognized for merging the spirit and energy of the most talented young dancers with the passion and creative vision of today’s outstanding emerging choreographers. The company embodies Alvin Ailey’s pioneering mission to establish an extended cultural community that provides dance performances, training and community programs for all people. The ASC this season will present two weeklong residency programs with the Ailey organization that will culminate with a celebratory public performance at 8 p.m. Friday, March 28. During the residency, dancers from Ailey II and teaching artists from Ailey’s Arts In Education program will work with more than 150 students in our area, resulting in a student recital this spring. ArtPlay will present a free Meet the Artist school show with Ailey II earlier in the day, at 10 a.m., in the ASC’s Jemison Concert Hall.For more information about shows or to buy tickets, call the ASC at 205-975-2787 or visit www.AlysStephens.org.
The ASCA is the official state arts agency of Alabama. The council receives its support through an annual appropriation from the Alabama Legislature and funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. This public support enables the ASC to reach new audiences, foster community development, provide the highest-quality programming and demonstrate the importance of the arts as a component for quality of life in Alabama.