Ailey II performed at Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver, British Columbia on March 1-2, 2007. Here is a performance review.
I have always heard Alvin Ailey was an amazing dance company, and that seeing a performance of theirs would be an experience you would not forget and would always want to get more of. Over the 18 years I've been dancing, I have wondered why I have never seen an Ailey production. When my friend urged me to go see Ailey II in North Vancouver, British Columbia I was sold and ready to go!
I don't know about you, but every time I see a dance performance, it makes me want to dance and train harder than ever – to perhaps be as beautiful of a dancer as those I had seen on the big stage. With Ailey II, I had no idea how much that feeling would be intensified.
Ailey II is a sub-company of Alvin Ailey in New York City. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre hardly ever tours, so this chance to see Ailey II was a rarity, and a superb enjoyment. Their lines and extensions were beautiful and seemed to stretch far across the stage, and the music was innovatively interpreted as one would not see in a European classical ballet or dance performance. I had never seen anything like it before.
The audience was filled, and the theatre was packed with people who knew what to expect or, like me, had no idea what they were about to experience. From the young to the elderly, all different races and cultures came together to experience Ailey II and to stand on their feet in applause, awe and amusement.
While keeping with the original intent of Alvin Ailey, founder of the AAADT, whose dream was to create an integrated dance company that creates movement that can be enjoyed by all, Ailey II showed all of what Alvin Ailey stood for. The costuming did not try to deny the audience of the performers and their bodies, and they were complimentary to the performers' body types. In whites, dark clothing and bright colors (such as purple and yellow) the dancers' skins shone straight into the audience.
If ever you get the opportunity to see an Alvin Ailey production, I greatly urge you to take it. Please visit Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. for more information about the company.
