To say that I was excited to go to the last night of the Fall for Dance Festival would be an understatement. In reality I was ecstatic, especially for the Alvin Ailey performance of “Revelations” (a piece that I’ve only read about until now). I was familiar with Ailey’s work, having previously seen “Episodes”, “Blue Suites”, and “Memoria”. But “Revelations”, along with the other performances of the night, was like nothing I had ever seen before.
The night started with The Australian Ballet’s “Le Spectre de la Rose”. It was a lovely pas de deux, filled with strong leg extensions and great partnering work. Although the woman’s eyes were downcast as if she was dreaming about her flower, I could see the trusting bond between her and her partner every time they went into a lift. But the star of the routine was the male playing the flower. This might be because he had more solo work than her, but every time he went into a series of turns and leaps my eyes were drawn. He had great stage presence, and his ever-present smile made him enjoyable to watch.
The next dance, “Snow” performed by Sang Jijia, is hard to write about due to my seat in the theater. Half of his performance was obscured because I was sitting near the outermost-right of the balcony. But what I did get to see was great; Jijia’s sharp moves and flexed feet were in contrast to the softly falling snow serving as his backdrop. He managed to utilize every part of the space given to him, including the stage floor. I also found the lines his feet would make in the snow a great accompanying visual to his performance.
Diana Vishneva’s performance of “The Dying Swan” was as sad as it was beautiful. While her feet were in quick successive motion to bring her around the stage, her arms were as slow as if she were underwater. And her face was devastating; even after performance her expression was melancholy. I was impressed by her dancing, but melancholy due to the tone of her performance.
But I was quickly cheered by the emergence of the bright costumes and spiritual music that was “Revelations”. While I won’t talk about any of the individual pieces within the performance, I will say that each one was just as astounding as the last. The amount of strength, precision, balance, and stage presence each of the Ailey dancers (male AND female) possessed was remarkable, and the music that accompanied them reflected it. They played well to the audience; by the last number, half of the venue was on their feet clapping along to the music. It was a great performance to end the night. I felt uplifted and moved, and I look forward to attending one of their shows in the future.
