This season honors legendary spiritual leader, composer, pianist, and harpist Alice Coltrane and the imaginative storytelling of composer Maurice Ravel through Alonzo King’s choreography.

King has been mesmerized by Coltrane’s music since he was a child—he choreographed one of his very first pieces to her work. He now returns to her body of work to create a ballet as part of “The Year of Alice,” a nationwide tribute to her legacy that includes performances and exhibits by LINES Ballet, Impulse! Records, and Hammer Museum, among others. “Her musical and spiritual journey helped define and shape a life and an entire musical genre,” says Grammy-nominated harpist and composer Brandee Younger. Coltrane’s iconic works include Journey In Satchidananda (one of Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest albums), A Monastic Trio, Universal Consciousness, Ptah, and the El Daoud.

The season will also feature King’s recent collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony. Here the dancers delve into the enchanting world of Ravel’s 1912 suite Ma mère l’Oye (Mother Goose), infusing the music with a new interpretation. “I’m not trying to recreate Mother Goose fairy tales,” says King. “My intention is to unearth the deeper allegorical meanings beneath the fairy tales and illustrate those with dance.”

More about LINES Ballet’s Fall Season →