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Fusion
of dance, culture culminates in Alvin Ailey
show
Dance
• By embracing the past and moving
in the future of dance, the company does
not maintain its previous stature —
but moves to a new step of beauty. Photo
by Andrew Eccles
By
Sonya Smith
Online Forty-Niner
Editor-in-Chief
Fusing
African-American culture with American modern
dance, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
has added two new pieces to their repertoire
pushing the impeccable dancers to new heights
with new vibes.
While
maintaining the standard beauty of pieces
like "Revelations," the company
is debuting two new pieces on its United
States tour that are classic in embracing
African-American dance roots and contemporary
in adopting new styles of dance, namely
hip-hop.
The
opening night performance at the Segerstrom
Hall in Costa Mesa included performances
of "Love Stories," "Hidden
Rites" and "Revelations."
This blend of new with old not only leaves
the audience in awe of the extreme beauty
of dance, but connected with the African-American
culture weaved throughout the pieces.
The
concert opened with "Love Stories,"
one of the two new pieces by the company.
The other piece is David Parson's "Shining
Star," showing first on Feb. 5 set
to music by Earth, Wind & Fire.
"Love
Stories" opens the performance with
a solitary light and the voice of Stevie
Wonder, whose music is used for the piece,
singing, "If it be magic, then why
can't it be everlasting like the sun that
always shines." And shine the performers
did throughout this piece, bringing the
audience into their world where five-turn
pirouettes are effortless.
The
African beats intertwine with modern blues
and jazz just like the dancing mixes hip-hop
and modern dance. The influence of hip-hop
throughout the piece is a nice addition,
bringing the rhythm to life through the
dancers' hips and movement, thanks to Alvin
Ailey's Artistic Director Judith Jamison
collaborating with hip-hop pioneer Rennie
Harris and modern dancer Robert Battle.
The
dancers throughout the piece made the audience
question whether this was really a new piece,
because of the comfort they seemed to feel
with it. After watching the piece, budding
dancers in the audience feel inspired to
expand their horizons, and the audience
questions how the dancers can express the
music with their forms so well.
Out
of the group performing the piece, however,
one dancer's talent really shined. Rosalyn
Deshauteurs, who joined the company in 2000,
really shared with the audience the joy
she felt by dancing. Her polished passion
was evident through her smile and movement,
drawing the audience into her joyful world
of dance.
The
concert ended the night with their world-renowned
piece, "Revelations," that was
choreographed by Alvin Ailey in 1971 using
the blues, spirituals and gospels from Texas
as inspiration.
Watching
"Revelations" for the audience
and myself was like lacing up a pair of
old and worn tennis shoes — nothing
seems like it will ever fit and feel as
good.
The
show proved, however, that the Alvin Ailey
company does have a new pair of shoes that
fit pretty darn well in comparison with
its previous classics. By embracing the
past and moving in the future of dance,
the company does not maintain its previous
stature — but moves to a new step
of beauty.
The company performs at the Segerstrom Hall
through Sunday, Feb. 6. Tickets for student
rush are available between $10 and $20.
For more information, call (714) 556-2787,
or the TTY number, (714) 556-2746. For more
information about Alvin Ailey American Dance
Theater, go to www.alvinailey.org.
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