Alonzo King LINES Ballet coming to the Soraya

California-based dance company, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, makes its Soraya debut on February 21 with one of their most noteworthy creations set to the work of jazz prodigy Alice Coltrane. The performance, the final of the fifth annual Jazz at Naz festival, includes a second piece with music by jazz great and Soraya regular, Jason Moran.

From the press release:

Alonzo King is one of America’s most decorated choreographers, and his San Francisco-based company has stood at the forefront of bold work both on the West Coast and in their global touring for more than four decades. King has been captivated by jazz legend Alice Coltrane for much of his life, and his 2024 creation to her music is not his first. For this recent piece, he chose Coltrane’s 1971 album, Journey in Satchidananda. King was drawn to Coltrane for the marrying of East and West in her music, teachings, and life, something that resonates with King in his own work. The evening opens with Alonzo King’s The Collective Agreement, which he investigates the delicate balance between the individual and the community. With an innovative light installation by Jim Campbell.

About Alice Coltrane (1937–2007)

Alice Coltrane’s career can be seen as a journey from jazz prodigy to spiritual visionary, using music as a bridge between earthly improvisation and cosmic transcendence.

Alice Coltrane was an American jazz pianist, organist, harpist, composer, and spiritual leader. She began her career performing with prominent jazz musicians, including Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, whom she later married. After John Coltrane’s death in 1967, she led her own ensembles, blending jazz with classical, Indian, and spiritual influences, creating a deeply meditative, avant-garde sound. She also founded the Vedantic Center in California and became a spiritual teacher, integrating music and spirituality. Her work has been highly influential in jazz, world music, and contemporary spiritual music.