Up Close With Ailey Dancers in Rehearsal
The New York Times presents a 360° view of Alvin Ailey dancers preparing for the New York premiere of the final installment of World Arts and Cultures/Dance Professor Kyle Abraham’s “Untitled America,” a trilogy about the effect the prison system has on African-American families.
Untitled America, a haunting work that MacArthur Genius Grant winner Kyle Abraham developed over 2015 and 2016, shines a light on the impact of the prison system on African-American families.
When a first movement of the ballet debuted at NY City Center in December 2015, Dance Magazine wrote: "Kudos to Ailey – and Abraham – for keeping the revelations relevant." When a second section was performed at Lincoln Center in June 2016, The New York Times declared, "Mr. Abraham's [dance] vocabulary, with its rich mix of street and studio suggesting a body at war with itself, is potent and explosive and wonderfully of the moment."
Now completed, Abraham's large-ensemble work is set to a soundscape of soul, ambient, percussive, and electronic music mixed with spoken word narration by former prisoners.
Read more about the Alvin Ailey dance company and Abraham's work on the Alvin Ailey website.