ALVIN AILEY CONTINUES TO INSPIRE IN ATLANTA

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre with Artistic Director Robert Battle. Photo by Andrew Eccles

This past Saturday ATL Dance Source had the pleasure of attending Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performance at the fabulous Fox Theatre. The performance was nothing short of amazing. Although the company performs annually in Atlanta, it's always a new experience seeing the company live in concert.

A highlight of the night was the piece "Mass" choreographed by Ailey's Artistic Director, Robert Battle. The piece originally premiered in 2017, but the thought-provoking intrinsic piece brought a breath of fresh air to the stage. The movement evoked restrictive tension with the body almost mimicking monk like motions. An ongoing sequence of shuffling from left to right, to forward and backward swept across the stage with dark lighting with a few spotlights centered in the middle of the stage. The costuming was minimal in different warm shades with multiple stripes, crosses and parallel lines. The piece provoked altering emotions based on the perspective of personal inner reflection. Bravo Robert Battle on such an extraordinary piece!

In the light of ongoing devastation in the world, it's such a relief to see hope through the inspiration of movement. Thank you to the Alvin Ailey Ameican Dance Theater for continuing to inspire the world and for illustrating a source of hope in the beautiful performances presented year after year on stage.