Despite Judith Jamison’s final season as artistic director, the charged energy in the performances at the Alvin Ailey theater show brimmed with vigor. Beginning with the world premiere of Chris Huggins’ Anointed, the audience was ready to interpret the language of dance and the message in each piece.
Anointed stood out from other dances due to the quality and emphasis of individuality of the dancers, particularly the one clad in white. This piece was a tribute to Alvin Ailey and his company, following the story of the three artistic directors of the company, Ailey, Jamison, and now Robert Battle. The story and feel of the dance is successful delivered, the audience can understand for the most part the sensuality and togetherness of the dancers as the relationship between master and apprentice. Although the basic feeling and image is portrayed, the music in the dance is a tad too simplistic and lacking in excitement. A dance that demonstrates the changing of the tides of artistic development should be followed with powerful music that incites excitement, pride, and maybe even a tinge of angst due to the uncertainty of the future. The choreography and commandment of the dancers was excellent however, and the lighting blended well with the suits they wore.
The Prodigal Prince was the most problematic piece of the night. Dealing with the life of Haitian painter Hector Hyppolitte, the piece is inspired by his vision of the Voudoan Goddess Erzulie and St. John the Baptist. The dance begins with three actors, probably Hector and the figures perceived to be the Voudoan goddess and St. John. In a matter of moments however, more and more dancers are introduced, and one is left trying to catch up with the visuals and scenes at every corner of the stage. Harmony here is hard to discern and the dances seemed driven, hectic and a little tense, almost involuntary at times. The complexity of some the dances is understandable, and there is a part where dancers wearing the same orange skirt-like costume must run and leap across stage in the same manner, but not all did. The leaps were not all timed the same way and the running jump-starts were too noticeably different.
“ Despite Ailey’s financial and popular success, Ailey has labored under the perception from critics that its repertory is thin and artistically shallow, with a reliance on the great warhorse, “Revelations,” Alvin Ailey’s major work. “ (Walkin, N.Y. Times) This headline review on the new York Times may seem a little too harsh, but the article is correct in stating that Revelations anchored the show. From the very beginning, the music springs the dancers into action, and the energy is transferred from the music to the dancers to the audience. Alvin Ailey choreographed the piece and it is heavily influenced by his childhood in the South—the gospel music, the adults at church, his memories of his baptism. Each story carefully weaves movement, music, and ideas into an exciting presentation. During the song piece, Wade Into Water , the dancers skillfully undulate like the waves recreated with blue curtains behind them. Sinner Man delivers the frantic fear of a man running from his sins as a red screen of flames appears on the background while the music crescendos.
Live music would have definitely greatened the Alvin Ailey theater experience even more but it was nonetheless quite an experience. The dancers clearly performed at an immensely high level and even though some parts of the pieces (with exception of Revelations ) were not to my liking, I did see the tremendous talent and hard work put in by the dancers. Hopefully the new appointed director Robert Battle continues the work and Alvin Ailey. Following tradition is crucial for the company, but sparking creativity and originality at a right balance could make The New York Times content with the dance performances and would make Ailey proud of his successors’ work.
Works Cited:
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/28/ailey-company-names-new-director/
