Review: Alvin Ailey Performance 12/9

On Thursday, December 9th, I had the privilege of watching Alvin Ailey’s performance of Anointed, The Prodigal Prince, as well as their signature piece, Revelations, performed at the New York City Center.

It is difficult to not be impressed by what Alvin Ailey presents. In their first piece, Anointed, there was such grace in the dancing between Linda Celeste Sims and Jamar Roberts. To further explore this grace, is the idea that one motion lead swiftly into another. This is also due to the choreographer’s, Christopher L. Huggins, expertise while the dancers execute the dance in a very aesthetically pleasing fashion. There were moments in which the female dancer would have to completely trust the male dancer. I am both impressed by the trust that is required to carry out these dance moves, but also by the talent and strength of both Linda Sims and Jamar Roberts required. One of the amazing things about dance is, as I mentioned earlier, grace. What is even more impressive is the amount of elegance Jamar expresses even when carrying Linda. The way he moves when carrying her makes it seem effortless, and I think that’s what marks a gifted dancer. One point in which I will keep referring back to besides the obvious talent and immense preparation of the company is facial expressions of the dancers. Luckily, I was able to get a very close seat to the stage which may have limited my view of the entire stage, but it also allowed me to see all the expressions of the dancers. Generally, when I think of dance, I focus more on the shoulders down. However, in this performance and in the later ones, it becomes crystal clear, the importance of the dancers facial emotion. I was amazed to see how much one expression could make me feel and the story that it could tell.

The Prodigal Prince was very interesting. I had a difficult time interpreting what the dance meant for majority of the dance and was left observing the ability of the dancers instead. This piece was very ritualistic and towards the beginning, there were some interesting male with male dances. One moment that really stuck out in which I had a slight clue about what was going on was when there was an eye projected on the screen as Hector Hyppolite, played by Kirven James Boyd, removes is clothing. This presented such an eerie hypnotic sensation. On the performance level, I found it interesting that John the Baptist, played by Clifton Brown, remained so emotionless. I think this was a very real and intellectual artistic choice.

I was absolutely amazed with the performance of Revelations. The costume designer did an amazing job, especially with the color, how it transitions from brown, which symbolizes dirt an sin, to white, which symbolizes holiness, during the baptism and his rebirth. I was very impressed with Matthew Rushing during part 2, “Take me to the Water”. Rushing’s interpretation of the dance was so incredibly fluid it seemed flawless. I have never seen dancing of this caliber and so consistently between most of the dancers. Also, in part 3, “Move, Members, Move”, there was a section during “Sinner Man” when each of the three guys took the stage and did a small “solo”. The choreography here was absolutely jaw dropping and for the men, Jermaine Terry, Daniel Harder and Samuel Lee Roberts, to dance with so much energy was incredible. Then, when they danced together, I was even more impressed with the brilliance of the choreography.

This performance was outstanding and I would suggest anyone to watch. The level of talent is incredible and I would definitely like to see another Alvin Ailey show. The dancers were fantastic, the costume designers were very creative and the lighting was fabulous. You will be amazed.