Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

When I first moved to New York City I tried to soak up as much of the city culture that I could. I would sign up for all sorts of raffles and mailing lists in hopes of truly experiencing a historic NYC institution. My second birthday in the city was just that experience. I received in the mail a poster advert for Alvin Ailey that looked something like this:

Or this:

Or this:

And I thought that this was something I needed to see. So I got together a small group of friends for a show that just happened to be on my birthday (their season regularly coincides with my birthday, which to this day has been such a treat for me!). It was the first time for each of us to see Alvin Ailey and we had the privilege of seeing this routine.

http://www.nytimes.com/video/arts/dance/100000002944572/learning-to-fly.html?src=vidm

As well as their most well-known and performed piece, Revelations.

After the show concluded, my group of ladies bustled with excitement as to what we just saw. It was mesmerizing, inspiring, and breathtaking. The impeccably talented dancers were all very well-toned (we could tell even from way back in the audience) and moved gracefully across the stage. The pieces themselves were beautiful, sometimes devastating, and always thought-provoking. You could tell that there was such craft and attention to each and every detail.

The founder and namesake of the dance company brought black modern dancers into the spotlight in NYC back in the 1950’s. Revelations, a piece that incorporates African-American spirituals, gospel and blues, premiered in 1960 and has since become the most widely viewed modern dance piece in the world. Without the history and background of the group and the piece, Revelations is still wonderful. However, with this knowledge it is on another level.

Shortly after my first show I tried to soak up as much Alvin Ailey as possible, seeing Ailey II, going to performances at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and at Prospect Park. Never have I been disappointed. I do not see them every year for my birthday, but I just had the pleasure of attending a show where both Caught and Revelations were performed, taking me back to that very first show.