Alvin Ailey Director Robert Battle Stages a Homecoming With World Premieres

For Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater artistic director Robert Battle, this week marks a special return, not just to the Arsht Center, where his company performs annually, but also to the city where he grew up. “It’s more personal [performing in Miami]; it reminds me where I come from,” says Battle, a Liberty City native. “My mom [Dessie Williams] still lives in the same house. I used to dance on the marble floor of our front porch. The Arsht Center wasn’t far away.”