Those lucky enough
to have tickets to Monday’s Alvin Ailey company dance performance are in for a stunning treat, writes Matthew J. Palm.
There are some lucky folks in Central Florida right now. That’s because they have tickets to Monday night’s Alvin Ailey Dance Theater performance at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
I saw the show Tuesday in Sarasota and, wow, it’s a stunner. The renowned company presents works that delight and thrill. Each has its own distinct vibe, but there is a crackling current of energy that runs throughout.
Monday’s performance at the Orlando arts center is sold out — which is bad news for those who hesitated in buying tickets, but good news for the future of dance in Central Florida. High interest in the art form should benefit local groups such as Orlando Ballet and Emotions Dance. In fact, the Dr. Phillips Center has scheduled a performance by modern-dance troupe Pilobolus next month.
But back to the Alvin Ailey company, now under the artistic leadership of Robert Battle — and what a treat the Orlando audience will have. A little history first: the troupe grew out of a 1958 performance in New York City. Ailey and other young, black dancers not only introduced audiences to dance but to elements of African-American culture.
Ailey, who grew up in Texas, used his heritage for inspiration, choreographing to the sounds of the blues, spirituals and gospel tunes. A year before his death in 1989, he received the Kennedy Center Honors; in 2014 he was awarded a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom.
His most popular and critically acclaimed work, “Revelations,” provides the finale of the current tour’s program. The three-part work tells a story of African-American strength and faith through distinct movements.
At the opening, the dancers are clad in neutral colors with the costumes and dance moves displaying a beautiful simplicity of line. Hands are lifted over heads, palms outstretched in supplication. The middle portion uses the symbolism of baptism or rebirth as aqua fabric strips represent water and torsos undulate in the motion of waves. In the final segment, dancers clad in bright yellow convey the freedom of a joyous church service with fluttering fans and uniform patterned dance moves.
Other pieces on the program create different moods — the exuberant “Winter in Lisbon,” choreographed by Billy Wilson; the rhythmic, stark “Deep,” a 2016 work by Mauro Bigonzetti.
Alvin Ailey Dance Theater performances have been seen by 25 million people through its constant touring, the company estimates. Now a lucky group of Central Floridians will join that number.