Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: two vibrant, dynamic programmes

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Ailey's Revelations

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Kyle Abraham's Are You in Your Feelings?

James Gilmer in Alvin Ailey's The River

Chalvar Monteiro and Ashley Green in Kyle Abraham's Are You in Your Feelings?

Constance Stamatiou in Alvin Ailey's Cry

By Graham Watts, 08 September 2023

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“I was mesmerised by the silence of the dancers’ graceful movement, landing from jumps without sound”

Reviewed at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London on 7 September 2023

The River (Ailey Classics) (Alvin Ailey)

Pas de Duke (Alvin Ailey)

Cry (Alvin Ailey)

Revelations (Alvin Ailey)

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Robert Battle, Director

Jacquelin Harris, Dancer

Patrick Coker, Dancer

Constance Stamatiou, Dancer

Ashley Mayeux, Dancer

Jeroboam Bozeman, Dancer

Ailey II dancers shine in ambitious mixed bill at the Joyce Theater

Carla Escoda, 18th March

In their penultimate stop on a US tour, Ailey's second company produced exceptional performances in an Ailey classic and four handsome new works.

****1

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Atlanta: simply spellbinding

Rebecca Ehrhardt, 15th February

At the start of an ambitious cross-country tour, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is transcendent at Atlanta's historic Fox Theatre.

*****

AAADT at New York City Center: a deliriously happy audience

Ivy Lin, 4th December

Alvin Ailey American Dancer Theater is in magnificent form for its New York City Center season. Never overselling, simply moving magically.

*****

Alvin Ailey Gala is fun but somewhat unadventurous

Ivy Lin, 4th December

There is no modern dance troupe as likeable as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Their dancers are warm, exciting and beautiful to watch and they never fail to please audiences.

****1

Circling Ailey

Carla Escoda, 20th November

A superb, though brief, performance by the Ailey II troupe, puzzlingly marooned in a theater away from a fabulous collection of art that situates Alvin Ailey in the American cultural landscape.

***11

Ailey 2: collective talent that augurs well for the future of dance

Graham Watts, 6th October

The next generation of dance in a varied and entertaining mixed programme.

****1

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Graham Watts

Graham Watts is a freelance dance writer and critic writing regularly for Dancing Times, Dance Europe, Danza Europa, and many more publications. He regularly writes features for Sadler’s Wells, London Coliseum and La Scala. Chairman of the Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle in the United Kingdom and of the UK National Dance Awards he has interviewed many of the greatest names in dance including Maya Plisetskaya, Vladimir Vasiliev, Boris Eifman, Alexei Ratmansky, Andris Liepa, Sir Peter Wright, David Bintley and Dame Gillian Lynne. When not involved in dance Graham is a keen fencer, and has captained the British Sabre team.