For its 60th anniversary, Dance St. Louis decided to dig deeper than presenting a performance. The organization commissioned a moment.
That moment arrives April 10 and 11, when Ailey II returns to the Touhill Performing Arts Center with the St. Louis premiere of “Berry Dreamin’.” The new work is inspired by the life, music and cultural imprint of Chuck Berry as the world approaches the centennial of his birth. The visit isn’t merely a booking. It is a reunion. Dance St. Louis invited Ailey II to St. Louis for the company’s 50th anniversary two years ago. Now they are back to help Dance St. Louis celebrate 60 years.
“It feels full circle,” said Ailey II Artistic Director Francesca Harper. “There’s a real bond with St. Louis.”
In addition to Dance St. Louis bringing Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and second company Ailey II to St. Louis countless times over the past six decades, that bond extends to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack. Her husband Kirby Mack is a native St. Louisan. And one of her closest friends, former Ailey principal dancer Antonio Douthit-Boyd, is from St. Louis as well. Mack spent several years here during her graduate studies at Washington University and the region is home base for her family.
“She has a deep relationship with the St. Louis community,” Harper said. “She’s very excited that this commission could happen.”
Commissioned specifically for Dance St. Louis’ milestone season, “Berry Dreamin’” is choreographed by former Ailey dancer Chalvar Monteiro—an artist Harper had been watching long before this opportunity emerged. Monteiro immersed himself in Berry’s catalog and personal history, pairing iconic riffs with atmospheric contemporary sounds that stretch and sample his music. The result is a layered dreamscape.
“It really became a reimagining of his origin story,” Harper said. “You see the playfulness of his youth, but also those deeply introspective moments—the kind that shape an artist before the world ever knows their name.”
The work moves between joy and reflection, rhythm and interiority—capturing not just the legend, but the life. “We want the audience to feel the full scope of his journey,” Harper said. “Not just the music, but the essence of his artistry.”
That intention resonated with the people who knew Berry best. His son, Charles Berry II, said the family gave its blessing to Dance St. Louis and Ailey II without hesitation.
“It’s the highest honor,” Berry said. “They could have chosen anybody—Miles Davis, Tina Turner, anybody—but they chose my dad’s music and his legacy to help celebrate their 60th anniversary. That’s awe inspiring.”
His father’s influence on global music has long been cemented, but he admits the recognition hasn’t always felt as strong at home.
“In the United States—and even more specifically in St. Louis—for the longest, he wasn’t revered the way he should have been,” he said. “But internationally? He’s always been recognized.”
Now, as tributes emerge across genres—from symphonies to dance—the gap is closing. “We just want to keep my dad’s music alive,” Berry said. “And this is a way to do it that nobody’s ever seen before.”
In many ways, “Berry Dreamin’” is part of a larger artistic conversation—one that connects Berry to Ailey himself. Both men created work that transcended race while remaining deeply rooted in the Black experience. Both reshaped American culture. Both embodied what Harper described as a kind of “defiant idealism.”
That thread runs throughout the evening’s program, which also includes “Down the Rabbit Hole,” a tech‑inspired contemporary work, and concludes with Ailey’s iconic Revelations. “Berry Dreamin’” explores imagination and identity. “Revelations” turns the story of Black America into motion—where sorrow, resilience and joy all find their place onstage. “It’s a journey through the Black experience,” Harper said. “Sometimes sorrowful, sometimes jubilant—but always hopeful.”
Founded in 1974 as a bridge between training and professional careers, Ailey II showcases dancers at a pivotal moment—refined, hungry, and on the verge.
“You’re seeing them at the height of their development,” Harper said. “They’re about to go out into the world—but right now, they’re right here.”
And for two nights, “right here” means a stage in St. Louis—where a hometown legend’s story is reimagined through bodies in motion, and where six decades of Dance St. Louis’ commitment to the art form finds fresh expression.
The celebration begins before the curtain rises. At 6:30 p.m., audiences will be welcomed into the Touhill’s Terrace Lobby with live music from What the Chuck!, the tribute band led by Charles Berry II, his son and another grandson of Chuck Berry. A “Speaking of Dance” conversation with Ailey II, moderated by Dance St. Louis Artistic Director Michael Uthoff, will unfold alongside a visual art exhibit created by CVPA and Grand Center Arts Academy. Sumner High School will present a fashion tribute honoring the Ville native who changed the sound of the world.
“We’ll be in the foyer, doing it the way Chuck Berry music is supposed to be done,” Berry said. “With family, friends, and people who lived it.”
Dance St. Louis’ 60th anniversary season is a testament to endurance, evolution and community. Over six decades, the organization has brought more than 500 companies and 30,000 dancers to local stages—connecting St. Louis audiences to global artistry while uplifting the city’s own cultural legacy.
And now, with “Berry Dreamin’,” that legacy comes full circle.
Dance St. Louis’ presentation of Ailey II will take place April 10-11 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of University of Missouri-St. Louis. Pre-show programming begins at 6:30 p.m. and the program begins at 7:30 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.dancestlouis.org.
Living It content is produced with funding by the ARPA for the Arts grants program in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and the Community Development Administration.
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