by Nahyr Galaz Ruiz
March 13, 2017
If you’re like me; a self-described
dance afficionado and supporter of the arts, you’ve most likely hear of Alvin
Ailey Dance Theater. In fact, you may
have caught the PBS special a few months ago.
I’ve had the fortune to have seen Alvin Ailey Dance Theater performance a
few times in recordings, a dance major often times my professors would play us
excerpts of certain performances to study a choreographic style, a particular approach
to theory, or an aesthetic. I also
recently watched the special with my four year old daughter and soaked in the
delight of her imitating the beautiful movement she saw on the screen. However, let me be clear; nothing, absolutely
nothing compares to seeing the splendor of the Alvin Ailey Dane Theater company
dancers live.
The curtain opened for the first
piece, “Deep” by Mauro
Bigonzetti. An array of dancers half-lit
in angular lighting, dressed in black dance shorts and sheer tops, begin to
move their torso, spine, and hips sensually; their movement quickly becomes a hypnotic
wave of undulating fluidity. As the
choreography progresses, each dancer’s fluid undulations are juxtaposed by
staccato gestures and sharp angular lines.
As male dancers enter the stage, they strike a Grecian arrow like pose
and each dancer’s right elbow begins to figure eight in the space immediately
before each female dancer’s core; the figure eight of their elbows affects the
other dancers’ bodies. The result is a
sensual painting of bodies with elbows; undulating cores, spines, and neck through
the top of their heads. The dancers’
bodies become increasingly connected without once touching and reach a climax
of fluidity and unity. Their bodies
surrender into a vigorous partnering section where all three couples
demonstrate equal strength, agility, virtuoso, luxurious lines, breath-taking
technical skill, and grace. The piece
progresses in showcasing each dancer’s gazelle-like agility; exhausting the
dichotomy between sensual fluidity, delicate grace, strong lines, fierce
height, and sharp gestures. The partnering
throughout the piece depicted a very clear equality of strength and ability on
both male and female dance partners; though the piece remained within the
traditional roles of male dancers doing most of the lifting, there were moments
when the choreography executed depended heavily on a female dancer’s ability to
support her partner’s weight- a refreshing and poignant visual aesthetic. “Deep”
manages to be visually striking throughout the length of the piece; not one
section is any less visually impressive than another. From the sharp gestures, to each dancer’s
long, linear, extensions, to the gorgeous partnering, to the last imagery of a
single dancer walking over the mass of the other’s bodies only to end in a
upper body curve, curved ‘angel-like’ arms, and high parallel releve, to the
effective simplicity of the costumes and the strategically chosen moments of
dramatic lighting; “Deep” is a visual
masterpiece.
After a
short intermission, the stage was set for the next piece, “Walking Mad,” by Johan Inger.
This work, which employs an incredibly versatile set piece; a wall that
folds, breaks, drops, stands, and almost feels like another performer onstage
is definitely a nod to the choreographic style that Inger brought to the
Nederlands Dans Theater. The piece, set
to Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero,” begins with a mysterious dancer dressed in a
trench coat and fedora who wanders onto the stage and into the curtain which
has not yet been raised; he peeks under the curtain and ‘lifts’ the
curtain. A woman is walking around the
stage picking up random articles of clothing that are thrown about the stage,
the previous dancer takes off his trench coat and hands it to her; presumably
to add to her pile; she ignores him and walks away. Suddenly the wall, which has lined the
upstage area, moves quickly from upstage to downstage; a force that pushes him
all the way downstage. A white rag
drapes over the top of the wall, a door opens; he walks through it and
disappears. As the piece continues, it
evolves from a comedic duet between a woman who is attempting to flirt with a
man, to a piece in which she’s caught by distorted reflection of herself. All the while the wall is climbed on and over,
sections of it are broken off and danced on top of, the whole thing drops and
is subsequently lifted, its folded, doors open within it; it becomes a breathing
entity within the choreography. The
piece effortlessly transitions from the hilariously absurd, to the gracefully
combative duet of a couple’s relationship, to a melancholic and bittersweet
piece about letting go. Alvin Ailey’s
interpretation of one of Inger’s most notable works is unique in that the Ailey
company made the purposeful and bold artistic choice to stop the music after
the party section. This allowed for the
following solo and duet to be absorbed in an almost complete silence; making
way for the movement and silence to fill the emotional spaces the audience
experienced. As the couple’s
relationship went from tentative and new, to aggressive and combative; the
music broke back into our senses in an equally jarring section of the melody as
was the struggle depicted onstage. “Walking Mad” brilliantly showcased the
multifaceted technical and stylistic aptitude of the Ailey company.
The last
piece in the program was one of Alvin Ailey’s most notable original works and a
true American masterpiece; “Revelations.” Comprised of three sections; Pilgrim of Sorrow, Take Me To The Water, and Move,
Members, Move, “Revelations” is a
deeply moving choreographic and artistic exploration into the joy, the sorrow,
the resilience, the give and the hope of the human spirit. Originally choreographed in 1960 by Alvin
Ailey and echoing Ailey’s own “blood memories,” of growing up in rural Texas, this
work has withstood the tests of time because it transcends cultures and
interweaves our shared humanity. Set to a
mélange of traditional gospel songs, song-sermons, and worship blues, each
section in “Revelations,” draws the
audience into a profoundly human experience.
The first section, Pilgrim of
Sorrow, moves in an almost reverence of grand port de bras, open torsos,
and suspended extensions juxtaposed by dynamic, hopeful and powerful
praise-like gestures. Take Me To The Water was a joyous
choreographic experience rich with vivid imagery, props, and beautiful
costumes. The powerful vocals and
soothing melodies in the music were augmented by the graceful, strong, emotive,
spiritually and emotionally transcending dancing onstage. The final piece, Move, Members, Move, opened with a powerhouse piece that demanded
strong technique as well as graceful physicality from the dancers. As the first
song reaches its whirlwind crescendo, the piece transitions to a wholly joyful,
hopeful, sassy and lively choreography reminiscent of Sunday worship of the
South in the depression era.
A powerful movement
reflection on the human condition; the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
continues to hold the position of a dance company that you simply must
experience.
