Alvin Ailey Report

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Written Critique 2- Alvin Ailey Concert
On April 23, I saw the Alvin Ailey Dance Company perform at Jones Hall. They performed many pieces including Open Door, Vespers, The Hunt, and Revelations. These pieces all included more than one dance routine to different songs or pieces of music. While all of the pieces were amazing, I have to say that my favorite piece is Revelations. Revelations explores the sadness and joy of the human spirit through African-American, gospel inspired music to the styles of modern and jazz, deeply rooted and influenced by African-American culture. When Alvin Ailey choreographed this, I definitely believe that his main inspiration in his choreography derived from his faith and relationship with God. All of the pieces …show more content…

The dance Fix Me, Jesus was very moving and gave me chills. I think the purpose behind this piece was to convey how many people feel helpless or broken and that they are asking for Jesus to fix them and help them through the hard tribulations that they are facing. The style of dance is modern with some ballet influences. Throughout the dance there is a lot of isolated movements and repetition in the same movements over again. One movement that was isolated and repeated throughout the dance was the reaching of arms up to the ceiling. I believe that Alvin Ailey purposely used movements like these to further convey or confirm the spiritual message behind the movements and music. The lighting in this piece was very dim except for in the spot that the dancers were huddled close together where it was a warm yellow tone. The dancers all wore nude colored costumes to match the theme and lighting of the piece. This piece of Revelations probably moved me the most because of the raw emotion behind the lyrics and …show more content…

While it is hard to pick a favorite, I would like to discuss the dance Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham just because it is completely different from the two previous dances I have mentioned above. While Fix Me, Jesus and I Wanna Be Ready were very serious and slow, Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham was upbeat, lively, and joyous. I think the purpose behind this choreography is that the dancers are rejoicing in the Lord and giving thanks unto him. The style of this dance was somewhat hard to place but I would have to say that the choreography is jazz broadly influenced by African-American culture and music. The women in the dance wore long church type dresses with floppy hats with a fan as a prop while the men wore black dress pants and tuxedos. It is clear that the purpose behind this costuming is because they are in a church service. This routine had everyone dancing in their seats and received a standing ovation in which they performed again for the

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