Choreographed by Alvin Ailey
Where Programme One flowed through an advancement of time, its rippled core of cultural integrity and shifts and embracement of traditions and forging new ones maintained a constant flow. Programme Two, also performed at the Festival Theatre as a part of this year’s International Festival, may depart from the trio of choreographers and finds a centralising force in Ailey who choreographed all three of these pieces with grace, dignity, and a stinging reminder of the loss of such tremendous talent, but the secure Ailey left for us.
Over forty years ago, Memoria was choreographed by Ailey, and now it exemplifies the entire programme. Featuring a posied performance of mourning that unfurls into a performance of celebration. Divided into twain parts, In Memory and In Celebration, in honour of Joyce Trisler. The wordless form of expression serves best here, as Ailey’s choreography transfers grief and emotion into the language of the body, all performers feeding it out directly to the audience, peaking to a gravitas with music from Keith Jarrett. An evolving performance, Sarah Daley-Perdomo’s grey-scale dress begins to flourish with rejuvenated life as they shift from sombre reverence and stoic, impressive movements, to being bathed in the palettes of life and vibrancy, surrounded by the next generation of performers, continuing the companies use of younger dancers from the local area.
Continuing the theme of respect and tribute to those Ailey worked with, The River heavily features a score from Duke Ellington, the pair having worked closely for some time, crafting a wide-reaching piece that allows audiences oodles of interpretation. More complex and intricate than Memoria, the building blocks and precision of ballet channel a fire that was more profound in Programme One with its jazz infusion. The River is a pleasure to watch however, as it crosses boundaries of the physical and spiritual, much of the choreography emulating the fluidity of the river rushing steadily, building into the torrents of the ocean – a channel of birth, life, death, and re-birth.
Concluding the same way that Programme One has, with Revelations, may initially seem disparaging for some, but the very fact the piece so marvellously ties together both Programmes serves only as a reminder of the once-in-a-generation skill and exemplary standards of contemporary movement. Both Programmes offer a diverse, though connecting branch of choreography, with spectacular movements and music synchronised to the pinnacle of their industries.
