Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater- A review

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.