In American Masterpieces, the internationally-lauded North Carolina Dance Theatre performs some of the best American choreography of the century. Included in the program are masterpieces by Alvin Ailey, George Balanchine and Twyla Tharp.

&39;Night Creature&39;

One of Alvin Ailey&squo;s classic works, &uot;Night Creature&uot; features sensual movements that evoke nocturnal characters. The dancers perform striking, jazzy movements that climax in a stunning finale. &uot;Night Creature&uot; is propelled by the exuberance of Duke Ellington&squo;s symphonic score. North Carolina Dance Theatre has been chosen as the first and only American company to perform &uot;Night Creature&uot; other than the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

&39;Who Cares?&39;

When George Balanchine created &uot;Who Cares?&uot; for the New York City Ballet in 1969, front and center was North Carolina Dance Theatre&squo;s own associate artistic director Patricia McBride, a former New York City Ballet principal dancer and international star of American ballet. &uot;Who Cares?&uot; has grown into a wildly popular Balanchine ballet, which is performed to over a dozen George Gershwin songs, including &dquo;I Got Rhythm,&dquo; &dquo;The Man I Love,&dquo; &dquo;Embraceable You&dquo; and &dquo;My One and Only.&dquo; The songs are not meant to evoke any particular era, but to portray an energy that is both broadly American and characteristic of Manhattan. &dquo;Fascinating Rhythm&dquo; and the pas de deux &dquo;The Man I Love&dquo; were both choreographed for Patricia McBride. She and her husband, New York City Ballet former principal dancer and current North Carolina Dance Theatre Artistic Director Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, performed &dquo;The Man I Love&dquo; with New York City Ballet

many times throughout the country.

Nine Sinatra Songs

Twyla Tharp&squo;s Tony-Award-winning talents are showcased in her classic &uot;Nine Sinatra Songs.&uot; This work presents a view of 1950s social dancing through the nostalgic and yet sharpened eyes of the 1980s. The timeless tunes of Ol&squo; Blue Eyes, paired with costumes designed by Oscar de la Renta, flash with the glamour of past and present ages. Each dancer in the work has a distinct personality, which fits well with the trademark diversity of North Carolina Dance Theatre&squo;s dancers. Dance Theatre&squo;s artistic director Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux met Twyla Tharp in the 1980s while they were both choreographing for Olympic Champion ice-skater John Curry.

NCDT is performing at the Tryon Fine Arts Center on Monday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m. Visit www.tryonarts.org or contact the box office at 828-859-8322 ext. 214 for more information and to purchase tickets.

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