Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre

• Synopsis
• Impressions
• Verdict

Synopsis

Programme

The perfomance had no underlying story as in a ballet but was divided into four distinct sequences each of which was designed to express some idea or emotion.

• Love Stories is designed as an expression of sheer joy. It starts slowly as a solo with Clifton Brown in tight shorts and vest stretching and excercising. Then more dancers are introduced and the tempo picks up with dancers in ones or pair joyously practising their moves. The main body of the piece is composed of very energetic street and club dancing hip-hop style moves, building to a finale ending with the artists facing the rear of the stage. The music for this segment was an arrangement of extracts drawn from the "Stevie Wonder at the close of the Century" collection.
• Vespers is a dance for six female dancers and twelve chairs, designed to express a mixture of contemplation and expression of religion through prayer. The chairs are arranged in a staggered line on the left side of the stage and a straight line on the right, the dancers seated in profile when not working across the stage in singles or pairs from one chair to its opposite. The music for this segment is 'Quorum' by contemporary composer Mikel Rouse.
• Solo is a dance for three male dancers, replacing each other on stage in sequence as in a series of individual movement monologues. A hint of humour is introduced into the transitions with the dancers behaving as in a competition to outperform each other. The music here is taken from Bach's Violin Suite.
• Revelations is a spiritual journey in a series of gospel songs harking back to the company's southern baptist roots, ending with the whole company in "Rocka my soul in the bosom of Abraham". There are two full programmes and one mini-programme included in the tour, all of which end with this piece, the only one in the company's current repertoire to have been choreographed by Ailey himself (who died in 1989).

Including intervals after the first and third segments, and a short curtain down pause after the second, the whole performance lasted a little over two hours.

Impressions

I went to see this production with the pre-conception that it was not really my style but wanting to 'give it a go'. Whereas it was overall an enjoyable evenings entertainment I cannot say it made me a convert, I'd still much rather spend my twenty-five quid on a traditional ballet.

The first segment, "Love Stories", I found to be very disjointed and unfulfilling. Whilst it adequately showcased the talents and abilities of the artists it failed to deliver any message. The particular arrangement of the music certainly did no favours to Stevie Wonder, being rather monotonous and repetitive. To quote another musical artist, Howard Jones, I was left at the first interval feeling "things can only get better" - thankfully, they did.

The second segment, "Vespers", was much better. Perhaps because its movements had more in common with classical dance I found this to be both far more enjoyable and far more emotive. The third segment "Solo" carried on the improvement, the dancers in their individual vignettes amply illustrating there talents and their belief in their abilities.

But the best was saved until last. "Revelations" was first performed over forty years ago so can hardly be termed fresh, but in terms of raw energy and emotion it still retains its impact and deserves its place as mainstay of the company's repertoire. In particular, the sequence "Fix me Jesus" was a moving and beautiful duet and the finale "Rocka my soul in the bosom of Abraham" sizzled with raw power.

Overall, this is a very talented company fully worthy of their reputation for technical excellence. Whilst recognising this, I found little to maintain my interest in the first segment but increasingly warmed to the production as the evening progressed. Furthermore, in fairness it must be said that judging by the applause of the audience, which was rapturous throughout, if I did not enjoy the entire performance 100% from start to finish I was cleary in the minority.

Verdict

A treat for lovers of modern dance, but overall no more than an interesting diversion for those with more classical tastes.