Alonzo King LINES Ballet - Deep River

Alonzo King LINES Ballet brings Deep River to the Winspear Opera House on Saturday, December 19, at 7:30 PM. It's one of King's most sought-after works, and it's a collaboration with two heavyweights: MacArthur Fellow composer Jason Moran and Grammy and Oscar winner Lisa Fischer, who provides the live vocals.

King has spent over 40 years in dance, and Deep River is built on the linear, mathematical, and geometrical principles he calls the East-West continuum. It took three years to create, and much of that work happened during the pandemic. King describes the piece as a love letter to a world writhing in pain, and it's easy to see why it would resonate right now. The work had its premiere at the Kennedy Center, where it marked the company's debut at the venue; See Chicago Dance called it a journey "from chaos and despair to revelation and deliverance."

Lisa Fischer is a good reason to go on her own. She's spent much of her career as a backing vocalist for some of the biggest names in music—Luther Vandross, the Rolling Stones, Sting, Tina Turner, and Nine Inch Nails—and she was featured in the 2013 Oscar-winning documentary 20 Feet From Stardom. Here, she's out front, her voice a central part of the performance rather than a supporting one.

It's a single evening of dance and live vocals at the Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora Street, Dallas, TX 75201, starting at 7:30 PM on December 19.