Constance Stamatiou cried when her mother made her audition for an N.C. Dance Theatre production of “The Nutcracker.” She was nine and felt more comfortable competing in jazz and dance. “The Nutcracker” was ballet, and Stamatiou was out of her element.

Watching the 25-year-old perform during “Revelations” with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater on Tuesday, it’s clear anything involving music and movement is Stamatiou’s element.

Stamatiou is a Charlotte native and a member of Alvin Ailey. The troupe performs here through Sunday and is staging three different programs. (Note: “Revelations” will not be performed each night.) Opening night drew a capacity crowd on Tuesday. The company performed a tribute to the Harlem Renaissance, “Dancing Spirit,” and “Revelations.”

The evening’s performance began with a slideshow of black and white featuring James Van Der Zee’s portraits of New Yorkers. Only images and Paul Robeson’s rich baritone singing “No More Auction Block for Me” filled the stage.

Like Van Der Zee’s work and Robeson’s song, the tribute to Harlem was equally joyful and reflective. “Welcome to Harlem” and “Rent Party” were toe-tapping dance routines. They were reminders that, despite the obstacles facing African Americans during that era, we still partied and we contributed music and dance to American culture.

“Great Minds” recalled the great intellectuals and writers. Vernard Gilmore performed an interpretive dance to a recording of a W.E.B. Dubois speech. A photograph of DuBois provided the backdrop. Then Brianna Reed performed to a recording of actress Ruby Dee reading Zora Neale Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”

The opening set was a tribute to our rich cultural past and to those who opened the door for a Constance Stamatiou to have the opportunity she has today.

Stamatiou danced in “Fix Me Jesus,” which is part of “Revelations.” She beautifully performed intricate falls as well as acts of balance and coordination with partner Amos Machanic. It required her to draw on the ballet training she might have missed had she not auditioned for “Nutcracker.”

She laughs when she thinks about the life she would’ve missed had her mother not pushed her.

“Clearly I was crying and not wanting to go,” Stamatiou recalled during a phone interview. “She made me go, and I’m so thankful she did.”

After performing in “The Nutcracker” Stamatiou did other performances with N.C. Dance Theater and took classes there. She attended the Northwest School of the Arts, where she faced another crossroads.

She studied ballet and gymnastics. Teacher Susan Thorsland wanted her to focus on dance, but another instructor wanted Stamatiou to pursue gymnastics. Stamatiou had a good physique for a dancer. Her jumps were strong, her technique was clean and good, Thorsland said. Plus, she liked dancing.

“There was a freedom in her movement that comes from enjoying it,” she said.

Stamatiou chose dance and never looked back. In 2002, she attended SUNY Purchase, a conservatory program for dance in upstate New York. The following year she attended a summer program at Alvin Ailey. She later joined the junior dance company, Alvin Ailey II, and then the main company in 2007.

“I just fell in love with Ailey,” she said. “Everyone wanted to be there.”

She wanted to be there as well. It is an amazing journey for the young woman who once cried about auditioning for a Christmas ballet.

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