As one of the world’s most popular dance companies, last week the iconic Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returned to the UK to delight and impress audiences all over the country. Its visit is the first in over six years, presenting 10 works during six exhilarating programmes, including its crowd pleasing Revelations masterpiece.
With a mixed bag of a programme, the pieces selected demonstrate the sheer versatility of both the dancers as individuals and the company as a whole. From hip hop and house dance, some African, to ballet and technical contemporary, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater presented itself as hugely current, but with a resounding nod to the classics and its history.
Rennie Harris’ Exodus opened the evening with poignancy, but filled with stark energy. This gave way to club-type culture as the dancers showed a deliberate lack of rapport in the formations of the piece’s objectiveness. Ronald K. Brown gave the audience an irresistible blend of modern and African dance, the dancers performing each movement seamlessly and seemingly without effort. As they glided across the stage, their technique and passion was all too clear. After the Rain, a pas de deux to showcase just two of the dancers of the company that just can’t be faulted, premiered with Ailey in 2014. With choreography by Christopher Wheeldon it was a perfect prelude to Ailey’s Revelations. This enduring classic is a tribute to the many stages of African-American cultural heritage, performed each time with passion, vigour and style.
The company’s tour began with a two-week, four-programme season at Sadler’s Wells, London, and will conclude at Festival Theatre, Edinburgh on 19 October. The Autumn tour will see Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater visit 10 venues, presented by Dance Consortium.
Since 1958, Ailey’s performers have performed for over 25 million people in 71 countries, on a total of six continents. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater was founded in 1958, recognised by the US Congress as a vital American “Cultural Ambassador to the World” in its presentation of constantly high-quality work and performances. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Robert Battle (the Company’s third artistic leader in its 60 year history), Ailey’s performances celebrate the human spirit through the African-American cultural experience and the American modern dance tradition.