Bermuda Festival Review: Alvin Ailey
[Bermuda Festival Review - written by Alan C. Smith]
The junior company of the legendary Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre delivered dependably on the opening night of Ailey II. While I was not personally blown away, and I gathered by audience reaction and comments I was not alone in this, there was impressive passion, athleticism and flawless technique on show.
My first exposure to the Bermuda Festival of the Performing Arts was Alvin Ailey some years ago. As a 16 year old young man I was blown away by the endless possibilities in art and the magnificence of the human body; what can be accomplished with discipline.
On January 23rd, I wondered if, with the proliferation of Youtube and shows on TV like So You Think You Can Dance, if it were now more difficult to be astounded by a dance performance. I must admit that I had wanted to relive some of the wonder of my first encounter with the world famous company.
Don’t get me wrong; there were some wow moments in each piece, like the exquisite passages featuring group lifts in the ethereal first piece, Echoes, choreographed by Thang Dao, which was at turns sombre and meditative with eruptions of euphoria throughout.
The music, composed mostly of stringed instruments was moving and the movement was devised of ballet, modern and lyrical elements. As much as I enjoyed the impassioned and near flawless execution I could not help feeling that, probably because of So You Think You Can Dance, that the oft repeated arm extending from the face gesture motif felt overly familiar. It appears to be a signature move of lyrical.
The second piece, The Calling, choreographed by Jessica Lang, featured an ingeniously effective costume/prop. The dancer performed in a dress with a skirt that extended for feet on the ground. She performed mostly in one spot moving her arms and upper body. The length of the skirt added to the illusion of her towering at some points and shrinking at others. There were moments in the piece when she turned and wound her bottom half into the fabric causing the portion of the shirt that draped the floor to shrink and gather decoratively, suggesting pleats. Minimalist and deceptively simplistic, the piece was also memorable.
What followed was my favourite piece and even if I did not feel exactly transported I smiled the whole time. The Hunt, featuring the male dancers, was choreographed by Robert Battle, and although it was created in 2001 it felt the most modern. Lit alternatively in red and green and natural the throbbing percussive music, with shouted and chanted male vocalization, was rousing and energized.
The black-skirted, shirtless dancers evoked kung-fu warriors, Japanese animation and video games. The athletic, jumping and kicking, twirling and spinning felt tribal and primal, ancient and post-modern, African and Asian. The sometimes frantic movement suggested bloodlust, rage, abandon and ritual. Some of the more sinuous movement appeared to embrace androgyny and the unifying of the masculine and feminine.
The applause after the Hunt was deservedly explosive. The piece is enthralling.
The final piece, Shards, choreographed by Donald Bryd, was a wonderful showcase for the impeccable technique of the dancers. Arabesques, pirouettes, jumps, intricate lifts and spins, cannoned steps and solos were all employed and impressively executed. That said, from the initially promising silhouetted opening of the piece, which featured the dancers standing in a tight globe-like formation, to the end I personally did not care for it.
Once the dancers were illuminated they opened their arms in a praise posture and looked at the sky. After that there was quite a bit of looking at the sky. There were also pointed meaningful looks at each other as they strutted across the stage. The music was strident and synthesized in 80’s style otherworldly. The costumes, “regular clothes”, were dated and unflattering. I realize that the piece was choreographed in 1988 but I cannot imagine that I would have liked the costumes even then.
The flared style of the females’ skirts did add to the character of the repeated pelvic rolls but not enough to excuse them for me. I found the piece, despite the excellent dancing, ponderous and interminable and I do not like choreography that has dancers looking at the sky. It really bothers me for some reason. I kept feeling the piece should have been called “There is Something in the Sky Making Me Dance”.
My personal qualms aside, even though Shards is a great showcase for the abilities of all of the dancers it feels too long, screechy and indulgent to be the closing piece.
Overall Ailey II was a good experience. I was glad that I went.
- Alan C. Smith
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