Review: The struggle, the hopeless fury and the joy of life, all captured by Alvin Ailey Dance
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performs "Untitled America," by choreographer Kyle Abraham
The Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation presents dance performances, training and education, and community programs using the beauty and humanity of the African-American heritage and other cultures to unite people of all races, ages, and backgrounds. Untitled America, a haunting work that MacArthur “genius grant” winner and department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance professor Kyle Abraham developed over 2015 and 2016, shines a light on the impact of the prison system on African-American families.
Endurance, survival, getting through troubled times: The program that the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater presented at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Wednesday focused on crucial life lessons — some of them grim.
Along the way, solos by the tireless Jakel (red hair flying) and Matthew Rushing (with the sharpest transitions imaginable) grounded the piece in Ailey excellence. But for an uncompromising choreographic vision that also managed to be a powerful company showpiece, it was Kyle Abraham’s “Untitled America” that triumphed, first to last.
Even if you didn’t know that the work dealt with imprisonment — not only the lives of the prisoners but also those waiting for them on the outside — the sense of isolation, oppression, struggle and hopeless fury remained palpable. Music from a variety of sources and spoken documentary testimony supplemented the stark groupings and bursts of constricted action danced in either semi-darkness or searchlight glare. Lighting by Dan Scully became a full partner in Abraham’s vision, though the periodic raising and lowering of a scrim curtain seemed a pointless intrusion. Karen Young designed the deliberately shabby costumes.
Midway through Jeroboam Bozeman provided an unforgettable statement of unleashed violence and at the end Chalvar Monteiro supplied an incredibly supple depiction of despair. But balancing these downbeat contributions, Abraham allowed moments of deep connection to ennoble the participants and confirmed their unvanquished humanity. Abraham is increasingly celebrated these days for such offbeat, indelible dance dramas. His own company appears on the Broad Stage in Santa Monica on May 5 and 6.— Lewis Segal, Mar. 9, 2017
Read the full article at the Los Angeles Times website.
Read more about UCLA Arts professor and choreographer Kyle Abraham here.