ALVIN AILEY (1931-1989) dancer, director, choreographer and activist, brought African- American experience to the modern dance stage. He wanted dance to be accessible and he created his company in 1958 specifically for black Americans who wanted a career in dance.
There are four separate programmes of mixed bills, nine works in all, over a two-week period. I saw Contemporary Voices which included works by Alvin Ailey, Robert Battle (who became artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in July 2011) and Kyle Abraham.
The dance vocabulary in each is so very different. The company, a fine ensemble of 32 dancers, is notable for their virtuosity, technical brilliance, sinewy flexibility and sheer energy.
The programme opens with Are You in Your Feelings by Kyle Abraham, a celebration of Black culture and Black music to a medley of recorded songs: soul, hip-hop and R&B. There are several intimate relationships going on at the same time. It is the colour of the costumes and the constantly changing lighting which make the distinctive choreography such a pleasure to watch.
Two delightful short comic pieces by Robert Battle follow. In For Four four male dancers, high-spirited, self-regarding, cheeky, jaunty, dance to a jazzy score with exhibitionistic swagger. Unfold is an erotic love duet, danced and mimed to “Depuis Le Jour”, an aria from Gustave Charpentier’s Louise, recorded by Leontyne Price. The duet is hilariously, absurdly melodramatic. Ashley Mayeux and Jeroboam Bozeman, surreally statuesque one moment, crawl all over the floor and each other the next.
Revelations, Alvin Ailey’s 1960 masterpiece and signature work, is performed by the company at the close to every show. Choreographed when he was only 29, it is a cultural landmark, inspired by the services he attended at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Texas and based on memoirs of his impoverished childhood.
Deeply religious, intensely felt, full of reverent grace and spiritual elation, it evokes the emotional and physical drama of African-American experience. It represents the faith, beauty and the resilience of the human spirit. The songs are traditional: spiritual, gospel and holy blues.
The final section is a joyous parade. The men in their waistcoats and the women in their beautiful pastel dresses and hats and their fans and umbrellas are stylishly elegant. Revelations is such a knock-out that there is a built-in encore to the exhilarating Rocking My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham.
I had a wonderful evening. I strongly recommend you see Alvin Ailey’s Dance Theater.
To learn more about Robert Tanitch and his reviews, click here to go to his website. 
