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The almighty power of contemporary dance is alive and kicking in Berkeley through April 28, after which the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will pack up their four, richly textured programs and hoof it to the next tour stop. Until then, it’s “get thee to the church of alpha men and women” in Zellerbach Hall. Feed your soul, feast your eyes and raise your inner flag (no matter how tattered) of patriotism. Artistic Director Robert Battle’s company sprang to life on American soil in 1958 and 55 hinge-bending, lateral-leaning, gravity-defying years later, the jubilee shows no signs of abating. Now in his sophomore year as director, Battle has held aloft the legacy he inherited with assurance. Blessed with selection by his predecessor, Judith Jamison, who led the company for 21 years after Alvin Ailey’s death in 1989, Tuesday night’s performance proved Battle has ushered in the next-generation Ailey dancer while remaining true to the company’s blood lines. Surprisingly, Another Night, a Bay Area premiere choreographed by the dance industry’s so-hot-you-can’t-touch-his-calendar Kyle Abraham, began the evening on a safe, seen-this-before note. Jacqueline Green’s opening solo — a whip-whirling, smoke-dispersing dervish — set the stage for the kind of dancing one expects […]
Clik here to view.
The almighty power of contemporary dance is alive and kicking in Berkeley through April 28, after which the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will pack up their four, richly textured programs and hoof it to the next tour stop. Until then, it’s “get thee to the church of alpha men and women” in Zellerbach Hall. Feed your soul, feast your eyes and raise your inner flag (no matter how tattered) of patriotism. Artistic Director Robert Battle’s company sprang to life on American soil in 1958 and 55 hinge-bending, lateral-leaning, gravity-defying years later, the jubilee shows no signs of abating. Now in his sophomore year as director, Battle has held aloft the legacy he inherited with assurance. Blessed with selection by his predecessor, Judith Jamison, who led the company for 21 years after Alvin Ailey’s death in 1989, Tuesday night’s performance proved Battle has ushered in the next-generation Ailey dancer while remaining true to the company’s blood lines. Surprisingly, Another Night, a Bay Area premiere choreographed by the dance industry’s so-hot-you-can’t-touch-his-calendar Kyle Abraham, began the evening on a safe, seen-this-before note. Jacqueline Green’s opening solo — a whip-whirling, smoke-dispersing dervish — set the stage for the kind of dancing one expects […]
