Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Wows at NJPAC

Y. Lebrun, P. Coker, X. Mack, and R. Maurice in Alvin Ailey's For 'Bird' - With Love. Photo by Dario Calmese.

As usual, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) audience was buzzing with excitement and especially so because not only was it Mother’s Day, it was also a much-anticipated performance of the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, featuring new works by guest choreographers, as well as Ailey’s dearly beloved Revelations.

Ailey’s unique approach to dance was often guided by his desire to include the underrepresented black and queer community in professional dance. This very large pool of often untapped talent had limited exposure in the mainly segregated dance companies of that time.

During his career, Ailey created 80 original ballets, many touching on the subjects dear to him. His fearless approach to visually exposing those subjects in dance form gained him a worldwide fan base. Although he died at the age of 58 in 1989 – much too young and with so much still to say – he left indelible marks on not only the dance world but the entire field of performance art.

The first number of the evening, Me, Myself and You, is a stunning pas de deux performed to music by Duke Ellington. Created in 2023 by former Ailey dancer, Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish, the short piece is a dreamlike duet of lost love.

The curtain opens on a bare stage except for what turns out to be a full-length tri-mirror. A solo female dancer, initially dressed in a flowing full-length gown, begins her dance after divesting herself of the restrictive garment.

A male dancer then joins her on stage, and they begin a series of the intricate, athletic moves that Ailey and his disciples are well-known for. The intimate positions reach a passionate intensity, all as the mirror image reflects back at the woman until the male departs the stage and she is left alone, the mirror reflecting her sadness and loss. The dance ends as she turns her back on the mirror and faces the future alone but hopeful. 

The second number, Solo, takes a completely different turn. This new piece was choreographed by Hans van Manen, a prolific creator of more than 150 ballets with a very specific “minimalistic” character. Solo is a misnomer since there are three male dancers, each dancing individually, but they do come together at certain points in the ballet.

The music by Johann Sebastian Bach explodes with strident tonal repetitions to encourage the dancers to perform often humorous, frenetic moves in time to the beat. The arm flailing and comedic gestures delighted the audience, and the three dancers received multiple curtain calls to ecstatic cheering.

After a short intermission, the dramatic dance, Survivors, choreographed in 1986 by Alvin Ailey and Mary Barnett, tells the heartwrenching story of Nelson and Winnie Mandela and their struggles for their peace movement played out to dissonant music by Max Roach and Peter Phillips.

The opening, in which both Nelson and Winnie inch forward followed by their loyal followers, indicates the years of struggle and defiance that finally culminated in Nelson’s incarceration. A hanging construct representing jail bars is center stage as Mandela expresses his anguish in dance. The music builds to a high intensity until Mandela is joined by his wife, and the pounding drums slow down the movement until the bars descend and he is behind them.

Then, the wailing begins as his followers grasp the loss of their leader. The followers leave the stage, and Winnie and Nelson begin a passionate pas de deux separated by the jail bars as the vocals graduate from wailing to screaming until the now-militarized followers return to the stage, indicating changes to come.

The final ballet of the evening was Alvin Ailey’s masterwork, Revelations. Choreographed in 1960, it has received rave reviews by millions of adoring fans all over the world. Revelations is a series of individual dances set to gospel songs, holy blues, and some of the best-loved African American spirituals, taking the audience on a rollercoaster ride ranging from deep grief to ecstatic joy.

The opening number performed by the male members of the company reminds me of a huge primordial bird taking flight in anticipation of things to come … and come they do. It moves from Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel to Fix Me, Jesus to a colorful rendition of Take Me To The Water to the magnificently moving solo performance of I Wanna Be Ready to the rocking Sinner Man until finally, the full company, dressed in antibellum costumes dancing to Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham, brings the audience to its feet. The curtain closed to thunderous applause.

Editor’s Note: The program notes describe each number without naming the specific performers. All members of the company are individually listed in the program, but specific dances are not indicated. When Ailey began his company in 1958, he could never have envisioned the huge impact it, and he, would have. His incredible courage opened a world of opportunity to marginalized minorities and in so doing, has gifted all of us with the abundant fruits of their talent and creativity.

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Barbara Angelakis is one of the founders of LuxuryWeb Magazineand its Senior Travel Writer. She travels the four corners of the world with a thirst for knowledge and a twinkle in her eye, seeking out the history of people and places and sharing her experiences. She specializes in culture and history along with luxury destinations, hotels/resorts/cruises/spas, and most recently Jewish Heritage, exploring the historical connection between Jews and their host countries. She has been recognized for outstanding coverage as “Journalist of the Year” by the Tanzania Tourist Board and is the recipient of the MTA Malta Tourism Press Award, the first American to receive this honor. For the past 25 years, Barbara has written extensively for LuxuryWeb Magazine, and her work can also be found at The Jerusalem Post, Jewish Link, Epoch Times,and Vision Times.

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