Summer Nights at the Daum – May

The Daum Museum of Contemporary Art at State Fair Community College will present four special evening events and extended hours on the fourth Thursday of May through August. Hours will be 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on May 24, June 28, July 26, and Aug. 23. Events will begin at 6 p.m. and are free to the public.

For the first Summer Nights event at 6 p.m. May 24, the Daum Museum will host Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey (KCFAA) in a production of Setting the Stage in the Stauffacher Theatre, on the Sedalia campus.

Setting the Stage is a multimedia celebration of African-American dance woven into the broader tapestry of American history. The program highlights the legacies of pioneering African-American choreographers who helped advance modern dance, artists like Alvin Ailey and Katherine Dunham. Tyrone Aiken, KCFAA chief artistic officer, developed and choreographed the production.

KCFAA is the second home of New York’s Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. KCFAA furthers Alvin Ailey’s vision of making dance accessible to all people by presenting an Alvin Ailey dance company every year and by providing arts education programming to the Kansas City community. KCFAA uses the art of dance as a vehicle to improve knowledge, increase self-esteem, enhance critical thinking skills, and encourage positive role models and smart life choices.

Alvin Ailey (1931-1989) was an American choreographer and activist who is credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20^th century concert dance. His New York City-based dance group, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, founded in 1958, continues Ailey’s vision by performing important works from the past and commissioning new additions to its repertoire. Alvin Ailey first brought his dance company to perform in Kansas City in 1968. Such was the response of the Kansas City community to his company’s work that Ailey, contemplating making a second home for his dance theatre in Los Angeles, decided to make it in Kansas City instead. KCFAA was founded in 1984.

For more information, call (660) 530-5888 or visit www.daummuseum.org.