LINES Ballet in Costa Mesa

Join Alonzo King LINES Ballet in Costa Mesa, CA performing at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Grounded on more than 40 years of thought-provoking dance, master choreographer Alonzo King’s unique artistic vision honors and advances the classical form—the linear, mathematical, and geometrical principles deeply rooted in the East-West continuum.

This winter, the company 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, Detroit Jazz Festival, Hammer Museum, and The New York Historical Society. “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, and Ptah, the El Daoud.

The performance will also feature Alonzo King’s recent collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony. Here the LINES Ballet 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.”

Photography: Alonzo King LINES Ballet |  © Chris Hardy