Last Wednesday's performance of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre was a tour de force of elegance, beauty and grace. A huge fan of the dance theater, I've attended many of their shows over the years, but this week's performance at downtown Los Angeles' Music Center was extraordinary. Maybe it was because this was their first appearance at the Music Center since the torch was passed from Judith Jamison to the new Artistic Director, Robert Battle. Maybe it was because my friend and I had great seats in the orchestra section, a few feet away from celebrities such as actress Dihanne Carroll and her beau. Nonetheless, Robert Battle made his mark on the theater's legacy. The dance troupe thoroughly entertained and wowed the packed house with new choreography, Grace and Minus 16, and the traditional Revelations.
The dancers rocked the house with Grace, a rhythmic, pulsating, soul stirring choreography by award winning choreographer, Ronald K. Brown. Choreographed by one of the world's preeminent contemporary choreographers, Ohad Naharin, Minus 16 featured dancers trapped in gray business suits twisting and turning to free themselves from corporate bonds. Towards the end, they free themselves by kicking their shoes off, disrobing and gyrating across the stage in their underwear.
The show ended with my favorite Alvin Ailey choreography, Revelations. As the dancers performed ballet and modern dance through three movements; Pilgrim of Sorrow, Take me to the Water, and Move Members Move, they evoked memories of the African American struggle from slavery to religious and spiritual awakening.
This week's performance certainly proved that Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is an American treasure and one of the premier dance companies of the world.
