By Barbara Smith
Contributing Writer
It is fitting that one of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre’s signature pieces is entitled “Grace,” because grace in motion absolutely defines this internationally renowned dance company’s work. Recognized by the U.S. Congress as a vital “Cultural Ambassador to the World,” the company has, for over 50 years, celebrated the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience through theatrically appealing and accessible modern dance styles.
The company’s exclusive Southern California engagement at Costa Mesa’s Segerstrom Center for the Arts March 27 – 30 brought a gorgeous collection of classics along with some exciting new works. Led by artistic director Robert Battle, the engagement featured two programs, including the West Coast premiere of three works: Chroma, D-Man in the Waters (Part I) and LIFT. The Saturday afternoon program showcased LIFT as well as the much beloved Ailey masterpieces The River and Grace.
The show opened with The River, originally choreographed in 1970 by Ailey and restaged by Masazumi Chaya. Scored by jazz master Duke Ellington (“…of birth…of the well spring of life…of reaffirmation…of the heavenly anticipation of rebirth…”), this beautiful full company work moves through the life process itself in 8 episodes, from “Spring” to “Meander,” then “Giggling Rapids,” “Lake,” “Falls,” “Vortex,” “Riba” (Mainstream), and finally to “Twin Cities.” With both classical and modern influences, it is at times exuberant and joyful, then gentle and liquid. The dancers, costumed in pale blue and white, flowed with balletic grace and supple muscularity.
Jacqueline Green and Yannick Lebrun were especially captivating in “Twin Cities.”
Next was the dance theatre’s new work LIFT by much sought-after Canadian choreographer Aszure Barton, a bold and explosive showcase of spectacular lifts and leaps. African drums, some quirky thigh-slaps and jumps gave the piece a kind of raw energy. The percussive score, composed by Curtis Macdonald, bubbled over with a palpable vitality and heart, showcasing the dancers’ rhythmic passion and prowess.
The show closed with Ronald K. Brown’s radiant “Grace,” reprised from 1999. It is one of the most popular works in the Ailey repertory in its mesmerizing portrayal of people on a journey to the promised land. In a recent interview, choreographer Brown recalled that in 1996, then-Ailey Artistic Director Judith Jamison asked him to choreograph for the 1999 season. Brown relates that he was overwhelmed with a sense of grace; hence, the title for this piece. With silken costumes, the dancers moved with fluid grace in a captivating enactment of redemption. The music becomes its own character with Duke Ellington’s “Come Sunday,” in two different versions in the beginning and at the end, encompassing a story about a community that has fallen from grace and the angels who come to redeem. This number, which featured the breathtakingly graceful and charismatic guest artist Matthew Rushing, who began his dance career as a student in Los Angeles, held the audience rapt throughout.
As part of their Southern California visit, the Ailey Dance Theatre, in conjunction with the Segerstrom Theatre Center, offered a special bus-in performance for 2800 students, grades 3-12. The one-hour performance was moderated by one of the Ailey dancers and provided a marvelous opportunity for Southern California youngsters to expand their exposure to the exquisite art form of dance.
