Alvin Ailey's New Works Showcase Skill and Beauty

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's New Works program, presented at Sadler's Wells in London, offers a program that, while not explicitly cutting-edge or modishly contemporary, is deeply rooted in perennial artistic qualities. These enduring attributes include skill, craft, beauty, and humanity, which collectively underpin the company's sustained appeal. The artistic aim of the program is to explore themes that can ascend towards the sublime, extend outwards to encompass the world, or delve inwards towards the human heart. This approach suggests a commitment to a profound and multifaceted engagement with dance as an art form.

One notable piece within the program is Medhi Walerski’s Blink of an Eye, a work new to the Alvin Ailey company but originally created in 2011 for the Nederlands Dans Theater. This particular choreography leans towards transcendence, characterized by its spare, composed, and unbound movement. The dancers' physical expressions are intricately linked to Johann Sebastian Bach's music for solo violin, which serves as the auditory accompaniment. The eight dancers frequently arrange themselves into formations that resemble visual chords, initially appearing as a line and later transitioning into a circle. These formations then dissolve, allowing for the emergence of solos, duets, and trios. The movement's counterpointed lines are described as mirroring the music, with limbs extending like violin strings and torsos curving and coiling in a manner reminiscent of a violin's body. The phrasing of the dance is noted for its exactitude yet also its unfettered quality, resulting in a composition that is both rare and spacious in its beauty.

Beyond Blink of an Eye, the New Works program also features other pieces that contribute to its overall artistic statement. Lar Lubovitch’s Many Angels and Judith Jamison’s A Case of You are mentioned as integral components of the program, suggesting a diverse range of choreographic voices and styles. While specific details about these other works are not elaborated upon in the provided text, their inclusion indicates a curated selection designed to showcase the breadth of talent and thematic exploration within the Alvin Ailey repertoire. The review implies that these pieces, alongside Walerski's work, contribute to a "heavenly night" of dance, underscoring the program's success in achieving its artistic objectives and resonating with audiences through its emphasis on fundamental artistic values. The company's ability to consistently deliver performances that embody these qualities is central to its long-standing reputation in the dance world.