As the curtain opened, a young girl seated in the front row literally jumped out of her seat. The pounding bass introduced a whirling entourage of dancers clad in magenta velvet, smiling and alive with electric vitality.
Until this Saturday's performance by the dance company Ailey II, the walls of Shriver Hall had hardly ever contained such energy. Alvin Ailey, who founded one of one of the most influential American dance groups in 1958, created this junior troupe of elite scholarship students from the Ailey School. Ailey is no longer living, but under the direction of Sylvia Waters, his modern dance legacy lives on with sensual and exhilarating choreography. Each of the dancers makes it obvious, as they move to the pounding jazz and pop fusion of the four-act repertoire, that dancing is life.
The program began with "Aspects of a Vibe," choreographed by Darrell Grand Moultrie. Modern dance with tribal underpinnings set the bar for the evening, as the dancers began exploding into organic forms, their hands and faces bursting with energy. Repetitions of motions gave the piece a tribal feel as the dancers alternated between united dances and passionate solos.
The performance was accompanied by an eclectic mix of musical genres, from jazz to pop to American oldies, and finally to futuristic electronic beats. Pointed toes quickly changed into awkwardly flattened feet encircling their figures, creating shapes in the air. Within the first act, jazz morphed seamlessly into a chaotic, electronic space-age atmosphere. The virtual orchestra repeated, "We are a part of those concerned with jazz" in an eerie voice while the dancers moved with strong and unique attitudes. At this point the dancers ceased to be dancers - they seemed to be actors living in choreographed worlds.
"A Mourners Bench," the second act of the program, was a marked contrast to the high-energy program opener. It consisted only of a bench and a solitary dancer: a strong male figure illuminated by white light, seemingly cast from the heavens. The soloist slithered on the bench, and he and the bench became one organic form. Religious hymnal chanting played as the dancer posed as a crucifix on the middle of the bench. He faced the audience with a tortured look on his face. This act was far too long and slow-paced despite the genuine sense of spirituality conveyed. It interrupted the otherwise uplifting feeling of the evening, and the performance would have been better off without it.
Hands were the focal point of the third act, entitled "Prayer in Discord." Dancers in green leaf-adorned costumes used trembling exaggerated hand motions to show their "salvation in music," a phrase that was repeated in the background music. Whirls of color collided as dancers found their own rhythm, seemingly unaware of what the others were doing. This whirlwind of color was abruptly replaced by complete darkness. The group moved stage right while a male moved stage left, where his motions were cast onto the wall as a giant menacing shadow. He bent in unusual ways, and each serpentine motion was conveyed in the form of the looming black shadow. All the while, he dripped sweat from physical and emotional exhaustion.
The final act, "Ailey Highlights," is the ultimate combination of dance and musical genres. Divided into six sub-acts, the audiece was exposed to six very different worlds. Beginning with an all-male scene, in which the dancers were garbed in Western clothing and combined modern dance with traditional Western dancing. Next, the women, robed in scanty night gowns, moved expressively, in free form, completely uninhibited. A ballet-inspired sequence followed, without ballet slippers. Instead, the dancers' skillful movements proved that modern dancers are the most versatile and talented of dancers. Another quick transition was made to a short tribal sequence in which bodies pulsated to the chaotic beat of a xylophone, creating a frantic atmosphere.
The next and most powerful sequence was that of a male and female whose motions were so in tune with the other's that they became one form their distinct attitudes were easily distinguished just by watching their faces. They seemed to converse and bicker with one another. At times their exaggerated facial expressions were humorous, adding yet another element to the performance. At one point, a female crawled on top of a male as he lied in prostrate on the ground. She molded her body into each crevice of his. The intimacy of their relationship was stunning.
The fast-paced swing-dance finale, performed by dancers in hot pink and orange, was compelling. Their fluid movements soon become robotic and staccato. Hands raised above their heads, the dancers celebrated their art form.
This constant sense of celebration and dedication throughout are what keep the audience so interested. To see a performance by Ailey II is not just to see a dance performance-it is to see dancers really living and loving it right before your eyes.
