Ailey and Ellington
Can there be a more inspired combination than choreography by Alvin Ailey and music by Duke Ellington? We recently had the pleasure of seeing Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at City Center in a program featuring "Night Creatures," "Pas de Duke," and The River-all with music by Ellington. With The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, under the musical direction of Jon Faddis, accompanying, a veritable feast was assured. The Ailey, under Judith Jamison's artistic direction, is at City Center until Jan. 2. In this, its 41st season, the company is in splendid form.
Alvin Ailey so cleverly fused jazz forms with classical ballet in "Night Creatures" (from Ailey Celebrates Ellington, 1974) that it's almost impossible to see where one leaves off and the other begins. He really possessed the knack of blending flawlessly. His superbly trained dancers led by Dwana Adiaha Smallwood, Richard Witter, and Bernard Gaddis were outstanding.
Duke Ellington said of this composition that "Night Creatures, unlike stars, do not come out at night. They come on, each thinking that before the night is out he or she will be the star." I would state without hesitation that all of the dancers involved at the Dec. 4 performance were of star quality.
Judith Jamison and Mikhail Baryshnikov were the first to perform "Pas de Duke," at a Lincoln Center gala in 1976. That the pair created a sensation could hardly be considered news. However, the two dancers who performed this contemporary dance translation of a classical pas de deux-Linda-Denise Evans and Matthew Rushing-were, in their ingenuity, equally effective.
Alvin Ailey created The River in 1970 for American Ballet Theatre. The work has been restaged by the Ailey Company's associate artistic director, Masazumi Chaya. Since ABT performed this on pointe and the Ailey Company performs barefoot, changes were obviously essential. However, the potency of the ballet has not been affected in the least. The River still maintains its startling inventiveness. Throughout we are constantly aware of the blessings that water brings to the world. Ailey described his work as "along the river of life." I have always believed that spiritually it could share honors with Ailey's supreme masterpiece Revelations.
We were particularly smitten with River's "Falls" section, in which Edward Franklin, Richard Witter, Guillermo Asca, and Matthew Rushing literally cascaded in startling grand jet s. Wonderful too were Linda Cáceres in the fierce "Vortex," and Troy O'Neil Powell with his skittish humor as the mischievous "Riba (Mainstream)," who misdirects all the streams only to have them turn around and disappear while his astonished countenance seems to register, "Where did they get to?" Renee Robinson and Uri Sands, leading the company in "Twin Cities," performed the hymn-like conclusion as a paen due to choreographer and composer.
Many of the Ailey programs conclude with the vital Revelations, and this one was no exception. No matter how many times we witness this creation filled with spiritual radiance, performed to traditional songs, the demand to see it repeatedly never abates. Little wonder that it was voted the most popular choreography conceived in our era in a recent Dance Magazine survey.
We experienced glorious vibrations in witnessing Kristofer Storey, Venus Hall, and Asha Thomas in "Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel"; Solange Sandy Groves and Bernard Gaddis in "Fix Me, Jesus"; Jeffrey Gerodias in "I Wanna Be Ready"; Glenn A. Sims, Vernard J. Gilmore, and Askia Swift in "Sinner Man"; and, of course, the entire company in "Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham."
Film Review: In the Moment
The film "Wallowitch & Ross: This Moment," seen in preview recently, is a documentary featuring performances, interviews, and comments by friends and fellow performers relating to the team of John Wallowitch and Bertram Ross. Composer-lyricist-pianist Wallowitch and ex-Martha Graham dancer Bertram Ross have been performing their song programs in nightclubs here and abroad since the mid-1980s. They recently received a Back Stage Bistro Award.
Both men discuss episodes from their lives with admirably relaxed candor in between their songs as they reveal aspects of their private and public lives. They have been companions for 30 years.
Wallowitch has composed more than 1,000 songs, some of which have been recorded by such prominent singers as Margaret Whiting, Tony Bennett, Blossom Dearie, and Karen Akers.
Ross danced with Martha Graham from 1950 to 1973. Previous to joining Graham he had danced with the Dudley, Maslow Bales Trio. He has also taught at the Graham School, The Neighborhood Playhouse, Ballet Hispanico, and, lately, for Mary Anthony. He was an extraordinarily gifted dancer-choreographer and one of the handsomest dancers of our time. He is seen here in short sequences with Graham in her "Appalachian Spring," "Clytemnestra," and "Night Journey," which had us wishing that these could have been extended. There are also snaches of Ross teaching class for Mary Anthony and Deborah Zall, with comments by both ladies.
Septuagenerians Ross and Wallowitch have charmed audiences everywhere with their natural talents and communicable verve.
The film, directed by Richard Morris, opened Dec. 10 for a limited engagement, at Cinema Village, 22 E. 12th St., between Fifth Avenue and University Place, NYC. It is also scheduled to play at the Lumiere Theatre in San Francisco, Feb. 4-10.
Peridance Ensemble Dances for Life
Peridance Ensemble, a New York-based modern ballet company, will be presenting a season benefiting local child-abuse and AIDS-related charities. The limited engagement marks the company's 15th anniversary, and will feature newly created ballets by guest artists Fabrice Harrault, Ruthlyn Solomon (White Oak), Michael Cusumano (ABT), and ballerina Eva Evdokimova.
Performances: Thurs.-Sat., Dec. 16-18, at 8 pm; matinees on Sat. and Sun., Dec. 18 and 19, at 3 pm. Venue: Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College. Tickets: $25-$40; discounts for students and seniors; call (212) 772-4444. Opening Night Gala tickets: $100, including a post-performance party, Thurs., Dec. 16. Call Peridance Center, (212) 505-0888, for gala information or to Sponsor-A-Child to attend the children's matinee. q
ADF's International Fest
The American Dance Festival is soliciting entries in three categories for juried public screenings for its fifth-annual Dancing for the Camera International Festival of Film and Video Dance. The event will be held July 7-9, as a part of the ADF's 2000 season on the campus of Duke University in Durham, N.C. The categories are:
Choreography for the Camera-original work made specifically for the video-film medium, or a staged work re-made for the camera (not a documentation of a performance).
Documentary-productions which include interviews or other educational elements in addition to choreography.
Experimental/Digital Technologies-work that extends the boundaries of the medium and can exist only in the realm of video, film, or new technologies.
The deadline for submissions is Wed., Jan. 19, at 6 pm, at ADF's New York office. For applications contact American Dance Festival, Dancing for the Camera, 1697 B'way, Rm. 900, New York, NY 10019. Questions: Heidi Kinney, (212) 586-1925.
More From ADF
The American Dance Festival honors Trisha Brown, Mark Morris, Mark Dendy, Doug Varone, Ann Carlson, and Jane Comfort with the third-annual Doris Duke Awards for New York for modern-dance choreographers.
Recipients of the award-the only one of its kind in the field of modern dance-are given cash prizes at three different levels. Trisha Brown and Mark Morris will each receive $100,000; Mark Dendy and Doug Varone will each receive $40,000; and Ann Carlson and Jane Comfort will each receive $15,000.
The ADF has been based on the campus of Duke University since 1978. The 2000 ADF season is scheduled for June 8-July 22. Information: (919) 684-6402; www.AmericanDanceFestival.org.