Untitled America (World Premiere – 2015)

Choreography by Kyle Abraham Music by Laura Mvula Costumes by Karen Young Lighting by Dan Scully

In the first installment of a three-part suite to be completed in 2016, MacArthur “Genius” Kyle Abraham, renowned for his avant-garde aesthetic and powerhouse athleticism, explores the lasting impact of incarceration in the prison system on individuals and families across generations. The first movement will be set to a contemporary sound score comprised of Laura Mvula's “Father, Father.” Fusing many facets of dance vocabulary, Abraham’s movement style is decidedly original and contains wealth of physical detail that resonates with the Ailey dancers’ trademark versatility.

“…a remarkable talent who mingles vocabularies and musics with profoundly affecting results…” -Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Gate – Feb. 20, 2015

“…Kyle Abraham is the biggest choreographic force coming out of and has taken a prominent place as a must-see choreographer on the New York scene…” -Jane Vranish, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Dec. 22, 2012

Kyle Abraham Choreographer and dancer Kyle Abraham began his training at the Civic Light Opera Academy and the Creative and Performing Arts High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He continued his dance studies in New York, receiving a BFA from SUNY Purchase and an MFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Mr. Abraham received the 2012 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award, which honors outstanding, visionary dance artists. Over the past few years, Abraham has received tremendous accolades and awards for his dancing and choreography including a 2010 Bessie Award for Outstanding Performance in Dance for his work in The Radio Show along with a 2010 Princess Grace Award for Choreography, a BUILD grant and an individual artist fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts, a Jerome Foundation Travel and Study Grant, a Pennsylvania Council for the Arts Fellowship and in 2009 was honored as one of Dance Magazine’s “25 To Watch.”

Abraham was heralded by OUT Magazine as one of the “best and brightest creative talents to emerge in New York City in the age of Obama.” Kyle Abraham has presented work with his company, Abraham.In.Motion (A/I/M), throughout the and abroad, most recently at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Danspace Project, Dance Theater Workshop, Bates Dance Festival, Harlem Stage, Fall for Dance Festival at , Montreal, , , and The Andy Warhol Museum in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA.

As a performer, Abraham has worked with acclaimed modern dance companies including Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane, Dance Company, David Dorfman Dance, Nathan Trice/Rituals, and The Kevin Wynn Collection. In addition to performing and developing new works for his company, Abraham.In.Motion, Abraham also teaches his unique approach to post-modern dance in various schools and studios throughout the United States. In 2011, Abraham was named the newest Resident Commissioned Artist under New York Live Arts. In 2013, he received the MacArthur “Genius” fellowship, awarded annually to talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction. Laura Mvula, a native of Birmingham, England who trained at the city's Conservatoire, arrived in late 2012 with a unique orchestral pop sound -- a mix of classic pop, jazz, and soul with creative and accessible twists -- that attracted accolades months before the release of her first album. After Mvula signed to RCA, she had an EP-length document issued in September 2012. The album Sing to the Moon arrived in March 2013 and peaked at number nine in the U.K., while one of its four singles -- "Green Garden" -- reached number 31 on the singles chart. That October, she won MOBO awards in the categories of Best Female Act and Best R&B or Soul Artist. Her next move wasn't a studio album, but a session of Sing to the Moon remakes recorded at Abbey Road Studios with the Netherlands' Metropole Orkest. That set was released in 2014.