By Walter Rutledge
The 2024 Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s (AAADT’s) New York City Center fall season presented four premieres by two former company members Hope Boykin and Jamal Roberts, master choreographer Lar Lubovitch, and AAADT Associate Artistic Director Matthew Rushing. Rushing’s Sacred Songs, an ensemble work with an interesting twist, is set to the music edited from the original version of Alvin Ailey’s and AAADT’s signature work Revelations. Sacred Songs it made its debut on December 20th, was the last of the four new works to premiere, and it was worth the wait.
First, the back story. At the 1960 premiere of Revelation, on January 31, 1960, at the 92nd Street YM-YWHA, the original version of the ballet had 10 sections, a live chorus and including two soloists. The work was over an hour long. As the work evolved over the next two years Ailey continued to edited material to sharpen his message. In 1962 as part of President John F. Kennedy’s International Program for Cultural Presentations the Ailey company embarked on intensive international tour. The three-month State Department sponsored tour included Ailey’s earliest works Been Here and Gone, Gillespiana, Hermit Songs and Revelations The tour required AAADT to use recorded music and Revelations was edited down to its present 36-minute configuration. (An interesting side note: Rushing used all the omitted music, and in the same order it had been originally presented).
Rushing’s well-crafted work opened with a bright space featuring ten stools seemingly randomly placed about the stage. Dancers entered and sat on the stools immediately bringing Ailey Revelations to mind. And that is where the similarities ended.
The opening section was a seated dance study of sorts reminiscing floor exercises in Graham and Horton techniques. Rushing cleverly developed the seated opening into focused movement phrases with reoccurring and develop themes. The dancers defiantly refused to leave the stools, and in one brilliant move (really an effective teaser) the dancers rose off the chairs building the audiences’ anticipation, only to sit back down and return to his now well-developed and exciting theme. The music reconfigured by Du’Bois A’Keen had a refreshing contemporary/praise and worship approach, which help buoy the work.
Throughout the ballet Rushing introduced an amalgam of movement styles and an impressive use many devices that showcased this emerging choreographer of merits prowess. What was most impressive was the ease that he used the device of levels to define not only space and create his visual perspective, but to assist in establishing the all too important focal point. One example Rushing presented a Juba/Ring Shout inspired section with various soloists individually dancing in the center of a circle of bodies. He subtly placed the downstage dancers in the seated or kneeling position so not to obstruct the primary action. This nuanced moment was among many that showcased Rushing understanding of the craft of choreography/dance making.
Yes, Choreography is a craft. No different from constructing a fine cabinet or perfecting culinary cuisine. As unglamorous as that may sound, when you remove the sinuous bodies, production elements and audience adulation the dance maker is just a carpenter and cook. The dance must have a strong, well-crafted structure and the right amount of esthetic flavor to create an intimate conversation, a shared experience, with those willing voyeurs seated in the dark.
Ailey had the unique gift of creating movement phrases which were in constant flux. It is clear he could think in three dimensions; a quality shared by architects, pilots, surgeons and visual artists. His choreography has its own breath, and it is never stagnant. He avoided the easy and uninteresting “go to” pattern of placing dancers in rows while attempting expansive movement in their own four-foot square Marley box (the death knell of many a journeymen dancemaker’s work). The choreographer’s pattern work, overall construction and musicality become most evident from the upper mezzanine seats. Ailey had a way of giving a dance its own breath and pulse which was always clearly defined from the balcony. Sacred Songs had captured that same quality- the truest compliment Rushing could have given to the company founder who still mentors through the work he has left us.
My one suggestion is for more extensive program notes. Since the sections were not listed the audience did not have a reference point to which section we were watching. To his credit Rushing presented so many complete statements it resulted in a few false ending applauses. This could have been remedied by listing the sections in the program so the audience can follow along.
Shout out to Chalvar Monteiro who has been burning up the City Center stage this season. It’s great to see an artiste’ come into his own. While Solomon Dumas endeared himself to the audience with his very personable stage persona. This evening Wednesday January 1st and Friday January 3 are that last two opportunities to experience the magic of Sacred Songs.
The Ailey season runs through Sunday January 5. For more information and to purchase tickets visit https://ailey.org/performance
O&A NYC Magazine wishes you all continued happiness in 2025
