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The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater recently made its Arkansas
debut performance in Fayetteville. And it seems the pre-performance
buzz around town was well-deserved.
The media and performing arts community has hailed the Ailey
Company as the foremost ambassadors of modern American culture
and likely the best all-around modern dance company in America.
The response from attending area residents was largely uniform
with that opinion, and of each city it stops in through its
tour across the U.S.
As I searched for media coverage on the Internet from cities
the company toured in, I could find only articles containing
the most enthusiastic praise and support. This will be another
one of those articles.
I had the privilege of seeing Ailey perform on Valentine’s
Day for the company’s second and final performance in town.
All 30 dancers of the predominately African-American company
were on this tour.
While performances in each city varied, one work was constant.
“Revelations,” Ailey’s signature work, was choreographed in
1960, just two years after Ailey founded the company in New
York.
In Fayetteville, the company additionally performed “Revelations,”
“Episodes” (1989), “Pas De Duke” (1976) and “Night Creature”
(1974).
Ailey choreographed all dances before his death 1989, aside
from “Episodes,” which was choreographed by Ulysses Dove the
same year. After Ailey’s death, Judith Jameson, the company’s
star dancer, took over artistic direction at Ailey’s request.
“Night
Creature” began the show – and what a beginning it was. The
music was one of the most energetic performances of jazz I’ve
ever seen.
The energy exerted from the dancers was immediately felt.
It wasn’t just movements on that stage, it was music traveling
through souls and coming out as an expression of the music
like no other.
I was inspired. The dancers looked like they were having so
much fun. When they smiled – which they mostly were – it made
me smile. And when they made a silly movement or an overdone,
theatrical expression, the crowd laughed.
By the end of the piece, I felt confident the remaining show
would be something I wasn’t embarrassed to drag my boyfriend
to on Valentine’s Day. And he seemed to enjoy it as much as
I did.
“Pas
De Duke” was a couple dance accompanied by music from the
same man (Duke Ellington) as in “Night Creature.” The piece
was originally created for “Ailey Celebrates Ellington” in
1976. Although the dance had the same jazzy feeling as the
first dance, it had a stronger 70s influence.
Nine company members performed “Episodes.” This dance was
more steady and unchanging than the others were. There was
no peak moment or ending climax. At first, that aspect bothered
me, but my boyfriend pointed out that a steady dance allows
more exploration of how many different things you can do with
the same music. He thought this was a good thing, and after
that rationale, I agreed.
But if there was anything to make me doubt Ailey’s reputation
of excellence, “Revelations” put them to rest. It is Ailey’s
most acclaimed work of his lifetime, and best saved for last.
A representation of blues, spirituality and gospel heritage
of southern blacks during the depression, the piece proved
highly emotional for crowd members.
The dance featured well-known songs of the era such as “I
Been `Buked,” Didn’t My Lord Deliver,” “Wade in the Water”
and “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham.” And the costumes
couldn’t have been better – the women wore southern bell church
wear with floppy, crumpled hats of the 1940s. Men wore trousers
with suspenders over white shirts.
There were so many strong emotional levels in this piece,
with the beginning representative of struggle, poverty and
sorrow, and making a transition to religious rejoice.
After seeing this work, it was clear to me why it remains
Ailey’s most significant cultural masterpiece. The crowd loved
it, I loved it – I couldn’t find anyone who didn’t love it.
By the end, people couldn’t stay seated and were standing,
clapping and shakin’ it in the name of Ailey. There was apparently
enough excitement to warrant an encore performance of “Rocka
My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham,” the most energetic dance
I’ve every seen.
The finale left me with nothing but good thoughts and the
chorus of “Rocka …” playing in my head. The evening was wonderful
spending it watching Ailey, and I believe I owe and thanks
to the company, and to the Walton Arts Center for bringing
them to Fayetteville.
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