REVIEW: Alvin Ailey joins with City Center to celebrate milestones
Photo: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Piazzolla Caldera is the work of the late choreographer Paul Taylor. Photo courtesy of Paul Kolnik / Provided by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater with permission.
NEW YORK — Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, and its annual run of shows at New York City Center is highlighting some of the past achievements of the much-heralded company. However, on Tuesday, Dec. 11, the spotlight was shared by City Center itself, which is celebrating its own milestone: 75 years.
The two-hour performance began with an address to the audience by Ailey artistic director Robert Battle, who was joined on stage by a City Center executive to introduce a video showcasing the theater’s many events over the decades. The speeches were a nice appetizer for the thrilling talent to come.
The dance portion of the evening began with the late Paul Taylor’s Piazzolla Caldera, which first premiered in 1997 (Ailey jumped on the bandwagon in 2015). The piece was fun and upbeat, coupling tango with modern dance; however, it took a while for the company to find its simultaneous rhythm with the evocative score by Astor Piazzolla and Jerzy Peterburshsky. Pauses seemed a second or two too long, and some of the frenetic energy on stage could be unfocused.
Grounding the action was a dedication to Taylor’s moves, which were frequently circular and in unison. The company came together and acted like one body, one unit, but then blissfully would break apart with individual dancers performing different tango selections. There’s one move where two dancers would hold on to each other at the waist, one with his hands stretched to the sky and the other with his hands on the ground. They would then cartwheel their way across the stage, flipping their direction and orientation in a dizzying display of human capability.
Next came the true highlight: The Golden Section, choreographed by Twyla Tharp. The 1983 piece, which was reproduced in 2017, flew with verve and palpable vivacity. Much of the energy could be credited to David Byrne’s memorable music, which was a fitting companion to the high-flying moves on stage.
Tharp, who was recently represented in New York City with her minimalism retrospective at the Joyce, staged The Golden Section as a warped ode to freestyle working out. At one point, a female dancer is catapulted across the backs of the other performers, taking large, Neil-Armstrong-like steps from the back of the stage to the front.
Clifton Brown, who marveled in both The Golden Section and Revelations, was a highlight, commanding the audience’s rapt attention as he worked through Tharp’s complicated and effusive choreography.
The evening was capped off by the classic of all classics: Revelations, featuring Ailey’s original choreography. Although Hope Boykin was missed (a last-minute deletion from the program), the company did not disappoint in creating this memorable piece, which is simultaneously somber and uplifting.
Watching Revelations from the audience’s perspective is akin to seeing Plácido Domingo at the Metropolitan Opera or Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden. A dance appreciator has to experience it at least once in life (this reviewer is closing in on double digits for the number of times Revelations has been experienced).
Ailey’s dance captures the journey of African-Americans and includes scenes of utter beauty, heartbreak and joy. There is a definite gospel feel toward the end, no doubt influenced by Ailey’s own experiences at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Texas. However, Revelations is as much enamored with moving intimacy as it is with religious enthusiasm. For example, the opening moment, when the Ailey dancers move their arms like wings, is accomplished in fading light. The spirituals that play in the background help build the scene and seem to influence each of the dancer’s routines.
“I Been ‘Buked” bleeds into “Wade in the Water,” which gives way to “Sinner Man” and “You May Run On.” By the time “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham” blasts, and the company offers spirited moves that extend from their outstretched arms to their dancing feet, the audience has been through this remarkable journey and learned a bit about history, about beauty, about hurt, about struggle and about revelation.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater continues through Dec. 30 at New York City Center. Click here for more information and tickets.
