Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Well into its fall/winter season, ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER excels in contemporary classics by Roberts and Abraham

• By drediman
• December 29, 2023
• No Comments

Late in its fall/winter season at New York City Center, I had the opportunity to catch a few more performances by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Despite its grueling schedule over the course of the last month or so, the company has nonetheless continued to inspire audiences with its soulful, extraordinarily athletic brand of dancing and the vastness and variety of its repertoire. Even if a tad of weariness has understandably crept into some of the performances, by and large the dancing has managed to maintain the excitement for which the company is renowned.

In recent years, it’s been exciting to see the company invest in and thrive in presenting new works, particularly those by two important choreographers – Kyle Abraham and former Alvin Ailey dancer Jamar Roberts. This season, dividends are being reaped by bringing back two of their contemporary classics, starting with Abraham’s smooth as silk Are You in Your Feelings?, one of the choreographer’s most accessible and seamless “mixed tape” works that’s become one of the company’s signature crowd-pleasers (this season, I simply could not take my eyes off of the astonishing Ashley Kaylynn in the work). Another highlight was the return of Roberts’ Ode – a gorgeous dedication to the victims and survivors of gun violence – this time fascinatingly shifting tones with an all-woman cast. Together with the thickly atmospheric In a Sentimental Mood, Roberts distinguishes himself as an artist with a richly nuanced sense of humanity.

My recent trips to City Center have also included my first exposure to new works like Amy Hall Garner’s CENTURY and Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish’s Me, Myself, and You. Set to the swinging songs by Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Rebirth Brass Band, the Garner piece exudes the exuberant theatricality of a Paul Taylor dance but fails to dig deeper than surface-level frivolity, at least upon first viewing (coincidentally, the company also performed Taylor’s pretty but forgettable DUET this season). As for the Roxas-Dobrish duet, it calls to mind a lesser version of Roberts’ aforementioned In a Sentimental Mood – both depict a relationship on the rocks from the woman’s perspective, but Mood seems the more theatrically alive of the two. Thankfully, the company thrived in spirited performances of a pair of Alvin Ailey classics, the stirring Cry and the intensely emotional Survivors (the latter is a co-creation with Mary Barnett).

RECOMMENDED

ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER
Dance
New York City Center
Approximately two hours (with two intermissions)
Through December 31