A TRUE SPRING FLING
Returning to new glory and restoring golden memories after many happy visits to Chicago, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater just unleashed an unprecedented two-week, three-program showcase, part of a 21-city tour by the evergreen troupe. Opening night at the beautiful Auditorium Theatre ignited three pieces as fresh as they are familiar and a fourth as exciting as anything that Robert Battle’s African-American troupe has ever transformed from notes to steps.
A young work by a young choreographer, Kyle Abraham, the first offering launched last year is an athletic tour-de-force, literally swinging to the galvanizing sounds of Dizzy Gillespie’s “A Night in Tunisia.” The ensemble, clad in muted but very complimentary colors, engages in labor-intensive bravura movement, anchored in Jacqueline Green’s lovely solo work. High energy, free-flowing and very fluid, the 10 dancers turned slinky and suave in an instant, propelled by the percussion-fueled score. If you didn’t know the music was recorded, you’d think the dancers created their own kicks and leaps on the spot. Jazzy abandon under tight control – it’s a paradox to savor.
A clever gloss on constraints and relief, the 1991 “Petite Mort” (a French euphemism for “sex”) features the women in rolling and detachable hoop skirts, while the untrammeled men are clad only in African-style loin clothes and carrying fencing foils. With ritualistic movement alternating with swift and stunning twists, Jiri Kylian’s choreography turned Mozart’s piano concertos into musical caches for buried passion and, inevitably, exuberant release.
The brief “Strange Humors,” Robert Battle’s 1998 duet for very fit dancers, grabs the sounds of strings and African drums (by John Mackey) and turns them into a passive-aggressive contest of rivalry in total tandem, another wonderful contradiction in an evening of complex dance dynamics.
Finally, and richly welcomed by the first-night crowd, Alvin Ailey’s 1960 signature piece “Revelations” – to be performed at each recital – delivers a Terpsichorean testament to ten still-stirring spirituals. This suite of spirituality ranges from the literal hell-raising of “Sinner Man” to the baptismal purification of “Wade in the Water,” with a parasol arcing over the action and ribbons suggesting the waters of the Jordan River while parishioners gleam in bright white. The final scene, hilariously busy with fluttering fans waved by gossipy church ladies, culminates in the contagious joy of “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham,” generously repeated in the curtain call.
“Take Me to the Water” indeed.
poster photo is of Alicia Graf Mack
all photos by Andrew Eccles
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Another Night, Petite Mort, Strange Humors, Revelations
Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University
scheduled to end on March 17, 2013
for tickets, call (800) 982-ARTS (2787) or visit http://www.ticketmaster.com/auditorium
There will be two student matinees on March 14 and 15 at 11 a.m., available to elementary through high school student groups of 10 or more. Group tickets are $12 and available by calling (312) 341-2357.
national tour continues through June 16, 2013
for cities and schedules, visit http://www.alvinailey.org/
for info on this and other Chicago Theater, visit http://www.TheatreinChicago.com
