Review: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Legacy, Sadler’s Wells ★★★★½

Review: Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theater, Legacy, Sadler's Wells ★★★★½

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is 68 years old and its signature piece, Revelations, was developed in 1960. 1960 was the year of the Greensboro sit in and is when Elvis Presley recorded Are You Lonesome Tonight. To Kill a Mockingbird was published. By any measure, these are now historical events and yet the works seen here by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater still feel fresh and current.

Its current tour at Sadler’s Wells has two separate programmes. New Work is made up of works by contemporary choreographers and Legacy is filled with classic repertoire. Each ends with Revelations, regarded as the most widely seen modern dance piece in the world and described by current Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Alicia Graf Mack, as the reason everyone who has been part of the company wanted to join.

Night Creature (excerpts, music by Duke Ellington, choreography Alvin Ailey 1974)

The Legacy programme opens with Night Creature and we are first introduced to what makes this company different from others. The dancers bring real precision and coordination to Duke Ellington’s score, technical ballet skills clearly at work underneath the jazz. But a wider vocabulary is used and we see a clear isolation of body parts creating right angles and geometric shapes. Different tableaux shapes are formed in positions around the stage and this piece transitions from ensemble work to explosive partnered dancing. It has a flirtatious, late night party feel.

A Song for You (excerpt from Love Songs, music by Leon Russell, choreography Alvin Ailey 1972)

Starting with a dramatic downward scale, Yannick Lebrun begins his solo in a single circle spot with a massive shadow stretched across the stage that we watch dancing in tandem with him. As he moves through this romantic but powerful piece, the lighting transitions till there are many circles and one travelling spot, his shadow shrinks with heartbreak.

Cry (excerpt, music by Chuck Griffin, choreography Alvin Ailey 1971)

This is the third, and joyous, part of the piece Ailey choreographed for his mother and to all black women. It is a lively, vocal piece and Constance Stamatiou performs in a long flowing skirt which she uses to shape and flap in a manner resembling flamenco as she escapes the spot to save her child.

Night creature, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater — Night creature
Image credit: Glyn Stanley_3495

Cry, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater — Cry
Image credit: Paul Kolnik

Grace, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater — Grace,
Image credit: Danica Paulos

Grace (1999, new production 2024, music by various artists, choreography Ronald K. Brown)

Starting in darkness, and moving through stark colours and movements. This is a repetitive and mesmeric group piece.

Revelations (1960, traditional, choreography Alvin Ailey)

This is the company’s radiant centrepiece. Revelations transports us via gospel music right into the heart of faith. We see the love of God and the fear of God writ large. We are witnesses not just to what is on stage but to all the audiences down the years who have been equally moved by the transcendent power of this piece. It transforms the audience into a shared community. As the curtain fell, the woman in front of me said, “I want to see that all again”. Her prayer was answered with a reprise of Rock-a My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham to which the Sadler’s Wells crowd clapped and danced. We were so full of joy and excitement that I saw two pensioners dance down the stairs to the bus stop!

The stated mission of the dance company is to demonstrate the beauty and richness of the world. There was certainly rich beauty in the pieces performed in their Legacy programme tonight.

Booking details: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater perform at Sadler’s Wells until September 19th.

[Thank you to Sadler’s Wells who provided a gifted ticket in exchange for an honest review.]