“I do have to keep stirring the pot as artistic director,” Battle said about the continued need to innovate. “I have to keep everyone on their toes, if you will. It’s very important especially for a company like ours that is majority African American. What Alvin Ailey was trying to say is that you can’t define us. We define ourselves. Imagination is key. And whatever you can imagine, you can achieve it regardless of what society thinks and says.”

And thus, one can see an expression of Black culture in every movement.

“We have a lot of versatility, from the hip hop to the works that are more semi-classical to works that use African dance to fusion,” Battle said. “That is one of the hallmarks of an Ailey dancer and an Ailey performance. It’s the versatility of the dances that we do and the dancers that I choose. And I think that keeps everything exciting because you don’t know what you are going to see next.”

When asked what is favorite Alvin Ailey productions has been, Battle hesitated before naming Lazarus.

“I commissioned it for the 60^th anniversary of the company,” Battle said. “I commissioned Rennie Harris, who is a street dance choreographer. I wanted him to do a two-act piece inspired by the life of Alvin Ailey. It was the first time that we ever did a two-act ballet, if you will. It is very interesting in terms of how it looks at the things that are a part of Alvin Ailey’s works, his choreography, looking at the civil rights movement, looking at lynching, looking at how we have continued to press forward. It also reflects the times that we are in now. I think that work has deep resonance when the audience sees it. And you get the sense that you aren’t just seeing a performance, you’re also learning about history as well. We entertain and educate.”

Alvin Ailey is just starting to perform live again after basically sheltering-in-place during the pandemic. And yet while they sheltered-in-place, that didn’t mean that they stood-in-place. They just used their imaginations to be transformed into the virtual world.

“We started doing things where the dancers were creating their own content and were putting that online,” Battle said. “We did something called Ailey All Access. Really we do so much more than people are aware of. We have classes in our building where hundreds of people come and take classes who are not in the company and are not really dancers really. But they come to study at Ailey. We have our arts and education programs too. We took all of that and we put it online. In that way, the company was able to continue to perform and engage our audience. And by going online with a lot of the work that we did, we reached a lot of new audiences that we probably wouldn’t have otherwise or maybe are not necessarily in the practice of going to see a performance in the theater. Because everyone was at home, sheltered in place, a lot of people took a look. Hopefully they will continue it and maybe come see a performance because of that digital landscape that we started.”

When Alvin Ailey comes to the Overture Center on Tuesday March 1^st, it will be a celebration of Battle's 10^th anniversary as artistic director primarily performing dances that he choreographed during his career. And in many ways, it will be an expression of Black history through the lens of Battles.

“Some of them I created in the 1990s up to during the pandemic, there is a work that I created during this time,” Battle said. “I think it spans my choreographic career. I mentioned one of the works called In/Side. It’s a solo to the music and the singing of Nina Simone. I’ve always loved her voice as so many people do. There’s also a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald. There’s a work that I choreographed called Ella, which is quite fun. And then I have always had an affection for opera, especially as a kid I saw a videotape of Leontyne Price singing. I had never heard anything like it. And so there is a duet that I have called Unfold. It’s a love duet, but it’s Leontyne Price’s voice that was really the inspiration. And there is another work called Love Story on the program. And that work is inspired by the singing and the music of Stevie Wonder, which is fun. I think people will find it accessible and joyful and jubilant, which is something that we need right now.

And then, as with all Alvin Ailey productions, it will end with a performance of their signature dance.

“And of course we close the program with Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece, Revelations which he created in 1960 and the company is known for,” Battle said. “That is one of the most important works in the world, I think, but certainly for the company. It’s a sweet spiritual that expresses the trials and tribulations of Black people in this country in terms of racism, segregation and the rest. But at the end, it is joyful. It is a message of hope. And so that work will close the program as it usually closes every program that we do.”

While the virtual world had its advantages, broadening their audience, nothing beats the real thing.

“We’re just happy to be back, alive and in person,” Battle said with a laugh. “It’s such a privilege that I think we should never take for granted anymore that we can come together in a theater and have a shared experience.”

And it is hoped that Madison will not take for granted the performance of the Alvin Ailey Dance Company on March 1^st.

For tickets, visit www.overture.org. At this time, everyone who enters Overture Center must wear a mask and must show proof of vaccination, including a booster if eligible, or a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 72 hours of entering along with a photo ID (children without a photo ID must be accompanied by a guardian). For more details, visit overture.org/health.