Ailey Picture-Perfect Season - Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre - Brief Article

Dance Magazine, March, 2000 by Julie Lemberger

For several years, Brooklyn photographer Julie Lemberger has observed and documented the performances of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and its school. This winter Dance Magazine asked her to tell as well as show her observations of the company's New York City Center season.

FOR THEIR last season of the twentieth century the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater premiered three new works at City Center December 1-January 2, 2000 and revived a few pieces from their repertory. The company is in rare form this year. All the dancers are fabulous technically, but they shine most brilliantly when they are enjoying what they're doing.

It seems their favorite new work is Ron Brown's Grace. It is Brown's vocabulary of movement, which combines traditional African dance with hip-hop and ballet, that appeals to their capabilities as dancers and sensibilities as people. This really gives life to the choreography. Especially notable in Grace were the soloists: Asha Thomas, who has an earthy sensuality, and Renee Robinson, who opened the piece and owned the stage with her large presence. These two were dressed in white, as were the two men who didn't have solos but were standouts simply because of their costumes. The rest of the dancers, four men and four women, were dressed in red for the first half of the piece. By the end everyone had changed into white costumes, perhaps passing into a state of grace.

Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, founder of Urban Bush Women, set her first work on the company. The piece, [C.sup.#] Street--[B.sup.[flat]] Avenue, began with two sexy couples undulating in pools of light. The couples break apart, seemingly as a break in relationships between men and women. "I live in music," says recorded poetry, and a group of fifteen dancers in brightly colored costumes run on and off stage. The improvisational aspect of the jazz music is killed while the dancers flit to and fro to every note of music. It seems that Zollar lost her intention for the piece and just filled the space with great dancers dancing, in a less-successful section of capoeira, street, and African dance. One solo for a new company member, Cheryl Ann Rowley, revealed her soul and force in a profound way.

Danger Run, the new work by veteran choreographer Donald McKayle--whose dance career the program notes as beginning in 1948--is similar to the other new works on African-American themes. The piece spans the African experience in America from slavery into the early times of freedom. McKayle, who is a current artistic mentor of the Jose Limon Company, refers to traditional African dance, but uses American modern dance vocabulary to illustrate his perspective. Like Brown's work, this piece begins with Robinson in white at center stage, only this time she wears an African- styled wig with beads hanging before her face. With a wave of her arms, a backdrop is revealed, showing a painting of the slave experience in America. Robinson's sad solo gives way to solos for a group of men, including Uri Sands in a red costume that flares as he twirls, followed by a too-long duet by Robinson and Sands. In the most intriguing section the entire cast dances a repetitive, monotonous combination of movements creating a feverish drive into collapse on the floor, representing perhaps the monotony of daily life. The dancers were faithful to the intention of the work, but I don't think they enjoyed it very much.

What they did enjoy was Bill T. Jones's reworked (1983) Fever Swamp. The original piece was set for six men; this version is for five men and one woman (Smallwood in the first cast and Macuy Bolles in the second). This high-energy, light-hearted, youthful piece sure looked fun, especially for the 19-year-old Clifton Brown, whose raison d'etre was being fulfilled, perhaps, on the spot. Smallwood held her own, looking like the one girl on an all-boy's Little League team.

John Butler's (1956)After Eden was danced by Linda-Denise Evans and Matthew Rushing. This piece, which was very slow going, seemed a little out of range for the dancers both technically and dramatically.

Judith Jamison's (1990) Time Forgotten was three minutes of stunning, fast-paced passion and fury danced by Linda Caceres and Brown.

Jamison's (1984) Divining, a work for ten men with a solo showing the fine extension and line of Matthew Rushing, also had African themes.

The time of twentieth century dance is over. There are superb dancers out there and Ailey has some of the best. It will be interesting to see what the twenty-first century holds for them.