Berry Dreamin’

Ailey II's Xavier Logan and Meredith Brown in Chalvar Monteiro's Berry Dreamin. Photo by Nir Arieli
Please Credit Photo: Ailey II's Xavier Logan and Meredith Brown in Chalvar Monteiro's Berry Dreamin. Photo by Nir Arieli
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Chalvar Monteiro’s Berry Dreamin’ centers the music, personality, and soul-stirring lyricism of Chuck Berry, the father of rock 'n' roll. This works aims to reimagine the rich origin story for a star on the rise—the journey to adulthood and the moving target that is human connection against a day-dreamy, subconscious landscape that gives birth to our wildest dreams.

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Ailey II in Chalvar Monteiro's Berry Dreamin. Photo by Nir Arieli
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Ailey II in Chalvar Monteiro's Berry Dreamin. Photo by Nir Arieli
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Ailey II's Jada Ammons and Xavier Logan in Chalvar Monteiro's Berry Dreamin. Photo by Nir Arieli
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Ailey II's Jada Ammons, Xavier Logan, and company in Chalvar Monteiro's Berry Dreamin. Photo by Nir Arieli
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Ailey II in Chalvar Monteiro's Berry Dreamin. Photo by Nir Arieli
Ailey II in Chalvar Monteiro's Berry Dreamin. Photo by Nir Arieli
Ailey II's Jada Ammons and Xavier Logan in Chalvar Monteiro's Berry Dreamin. Photo by Nir Arieli
Ailey II's Jada Ammons, Xavier Logan, and company in Chalvar Monteiro's Berry Dreamin. Photo by Nir Arieli
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Featured News Releases

Ailey II, The Next Generation of Dance, 2025-2026 World Tour Led by Artistic Director Francesca Harper

NEW YORK — September 4, 2025 — Ailey II, the acclaimed second company to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, is inspiring audiences on a 39-city world tour now through April 11, 2026, with performances spanning from Kingston, Jamaica to Miami, Florida to Baltimore, Maryland. The 2025-2026 repertory features four compelling world premieres by emerging and established choreographers including former Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ailey II member Chalvar Monteiro, Rena Butler, Renée I. McDonald, and My’Kal Stromile.

Featured Press Coverage

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The St. Louis American - A Bridge of Dance, Sound and Black Creative Imagination

This year marks a century since the births of musical giants — including John Coltrane and the region’s own Miles Davis and Chuck Berry. And in a season where Dance St. Louis is celebrating its 60th anniversary, it feels fitting that the organization chose to honor St. Louis’ own Berry not with nostalgia, but with new creation. Ailey II’s St. Louis stop at the Touhill Performing Arts Center delivered a tribute engrained in legacy, but pulsing with the urgency of now. The centerpiece of the evening was Berry Dreamin’, a new work choreographed by Chalvar Monteiro and set to the unmistakable twang and fire of Chuck Berry’s catalog. The ballet, commissioned by Dance St. Louis as part of its milestone anniversary, unfolded like a stream of consciousness. It became a dreamscape where thoughts don’t arrive in straight lines but in bursts, loops, and flashes of color

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St. Louis Post - Dispatch - Dance St. Louis celebrates Chuck Berry’s 100th birthday with world premiere dance

When you think of dancing to Chuck Berry music, you may think duck walks or sock hops, but new choreography will have you seeing rock'n'roll originator and St. Louis native in a whole new light. This weekend, Ailey II will perform the world premiere of "Berry Dreamin,'" a contemporary work commissioned by Dance St. Louis for its 60th anniversary season to celebrate what would have been Chuck Berry's 100th birthday this year. Choreographed by Chalvar Monteiro, the piece draws on Berry's music and spirit while imagining a dreamlike world or memory, intimacy and human connection.

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Hartford Courant - Legendary African American Dance Company Returns to CT with Dances Featuring Chuck Berry and Beyond

Ailey II is a national treasure, one of just a handful of touring dance companies with the versatility, efficiency, malleability and bedrock creativity to work on a wide variety of stages and efficiently bring cutting-edge modern dance works to the masses. Many different Connecticut theaters have hosted Ailey II over the years, including the Westport Country Playhouse this past May. This week, Ailey II is bringing one of the several dance programs in its current repertoire to the Shubert Theatre in New Haven on Oct. 18.