SACRED SPACES

Few works in modern dance have shaped American cultural life like Mr. Ailey’s Revelations. Set to spirituals and gospel music, the landmark work has moved audiences around the world since 1960 and remains one of the most celebrated works in modern dance history. In Sacred Spaces, Matthew Rushing and Du’Bois A’Keen revisit that artistic legacy through a new interdisciplinary collaboration. Building on Sacred Places: Decoding the Spiritual, developed during the artists’ residency at Duke Divinity School in spring 2026, Sacred Spaces grew from Rushing’s original vision to explore the spirituals that were removed from Revelations when the ballet was shortened for touring. Through an expanded interdisciplinary collaboration with A’Keen, the work has evolved into an original artistic offering that stands firmly on its own. Blending dance, live music, voice, and visual art, Sacred Spaces explores memory, community, ritual, and cultural inheritance. Performed by musicians, vocalists, dancers, and visual artists from across the Triangle, the work honors the enduring influence of spirituals and sacred music while imagining new ways of gathering, remembering, and making meaning together.

Few works in modern dance have shaped American cultural life like Mr. Ailey’s Revelations. Set to spirituals and gospel music, the landmark work has moved audiences around the world since 1960 and remains one of the most celebrated works in modern dance history.

In Sacred Spaces, Matthew Rushing and Du’Bois A’Keen revisit that artistic legacy through a new interdisciplinary collaboration.

Building on Sacred Places: Decoding the Spiritual, developed during the artists’ residency at Duke Divinity School in spring 2026, Sacred Spaces grew from Rushing’s original vision to explore the spirituals that were removed from Revelations when the ballet was shortened for touring. Through an expanded interdisciplinary collaboration with A’Keen, the work has evolved into an original artistic offering that stands firmly on its own.

Blending dance, live music, voice, and visual art, Sacred Spaces explores memory, community, ritual, and cultural inheritance. Performed by musicians, vocalists, dancers, and visual artists from across the Triangle, the work honors the enduring influence of spirituals and sacred music while imagining new ways of gathering, remembering, and making meaning together.