Review: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: NEW WORKS, Sadler’s Wells
Photo credit: Paul Kolnik
New Works is an evening that demonstrates why Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater remains such a significant force in contemporary dance. Founded by Alvin Ailey in 1958, the company was created as a space for Black artists to express their experiences and heritage, while developing a repertory that could speak across cultures and generations. Now under the artistic direction of Alicia Graf Mack, the company continues to carry this legacy while opening itself to new choreographic voices.
The dancers demonstrate elite dance, showing not only extraordinary technique but embodying a spirit so strong it is almost overpowering. Across the four contemporary works, ending with the Ailey staple Revelations, signature Ailey style is captured while each choreographer brings a distinct individuality to the programme. This is an ensemble with a legacy carried in every move.
Blink of an Eye, by Medhi Walerski, opens the programme with strength. The strings of J.S. Bach echo with an anxiety through the movement as the dancers begin in a line before the work evolves into an ebb and flow, bodies oscillating on and off stage and literally sliding their way around the space. Satisfying stops mid-action interrupt the continuous movement, creating moments of suspension alongside striking synchronicity. There is a sense of risk here, the dancers putting their bodies on the line as the choreography constantly shifts between precision and release.
Jamar Roberts’ Song of the Anchorite is a quieter world. Performed by Yannick Lebrun, the solo becomes a moment of shared solitude, danced to Avishai Cohen’s intimate interpretation of Ravel’s Adagio assai from the Piano Concerto in G major. There is a serenity to the piece, but also a contained intensity.
Many Angels, by Lar Lubovitch, opens the second third and feels like stepping into another world. Against a heavenly backdrop and Mahler’s Adagietto, the dancers appear almost weightless, creating the impression of a dream rococo painting brought to life. The soft, exquisite costumes by Harriet Jung and Reid Bartelme and set design by Lar Lubovitch enhance this otherworldly quality. Samantha Figgins is particularly mesmerising, but that is not to take away from the other dancers: James Gilmer, Miranda Quinn, Xavier Mack and Jesse Obremski. Again, stops become important, as though someone has pressed pause on the image, allowing tableaux’s to pulse before they dissolve and reform.
Judith Jamison’s A Case of You, an excerpt from the 2005 Reminiscin’, is a duet performed by Caroline T. Dartey and Christopher Taylor. It is sexy and romantic. There is a tango-like quality to the relationship, with lifts and shifts of weight that connect the two dancers. It is beautifully performed to Diana Krall’s sultry rendition of Joni Mitchell’s A Case of You.
And then comes Revelations. The familiar opening chords are enough to change the atmosphere of the room. Alvin Ailey’s 1960 masterpiece vibrates with community. It is a welcoming moment, carrying faith, culture and togetherness through the bodies of the company. The spirituals and traditional music are not simply accompaniment; they are part of the emotional scaffolding of the work. From sorrow to celebration, the dancers move with an honesty and feeling that makes the work continue to resonate more than six decades after its creation.
This is a programme full of legacy and renewal. The four contemporary works demonstrate how far the company can stretch while Revelations reminds us of the foundation from which that exploration comes.
This is dance that is technically extraordinary while the dancers carry with them history, culture and a spirit that is felt in every movement.
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: Stephanie Osztreicher
