new arts appreciation
this past thurday evening, i had the fortunate occurence of attending a performance by the alvin ailey dance theatre. one of my dear friends had an extra ticket and thought to invite lil' ol' me. it is funny how things turn out... another friend had cancelled on my to free my evening up, and i had tentatively cancelled on my roommate in lieu of the previous offer...
regardless, i jumped at the opportunity to attend the performance. the program we saw was entitled AILEY CLASSICS, which is "a full program of works by Alvin Ailey, revealing the dicersity of style and subject matter that has made Mr. Ailey a mahor contributor to the world of dance; the ballets span the length of Mr. Ailey's long and prolific career."
the first segment of the program... i was inundated with colors and movement. it seemed to be ballet of a more traditional sense. i was like... "ok, this is cool." but i wasn't yet a fan or super enthralled... still was like, guess there's a reason i never went with moms and sister before. i don't really get the technical aspects... yadda yadda yadda...
the next segment, i actually started to become a fan. you actually felt like the dancers interacted with the audience. it was a litte more uptempo. it was entitled NIGHT CREATURE, and it was a celebrarion of The Duke. first of all, the genre of music is one of my favorites... that combined with a visually stimulating composition... sounds like a win win for me!
REVELATIONS was the last segment of the evening; and it is my understanding that it is one of ailey's most famous works... it began with a soul stirring dance to i been 'buked an ol' spiritual that i'm very familiar with. as you watch the dance, you slightly take a trip into history. not to sound like a cliche...
all in all, there is definitely a new appreciation for modern/african dance. i believe that there are distinctive differences between traditional ballet, and what i witnessed. for that i am truly grateful. i went in for the cultural aspect of the evening, and i came out a little more cultured and knowledgeable... i spoke with my sister about it as well... she spent many years in traditional ballet... my myth that ballerinas had no rhythm was DEFINITELY thrown out the window... as a matter of fact, i have a new appreciation for dance, and the female dancers...
a new lifelong fan...
nn
regardless, i jumped at the opportunity to attend the performance. the program we saw was entitled AILEY CLASSICS, which is "a full program of works by Alvin Ailey, revealing the dicersity of style and subject matter that has made Mr. Ailey a mahor contributor to the world of dance; the ballets span the length of Mr. Ailey's long and prolific career."
the first segment of the program... i was inundated with colors and movement. it seemed to be ballet of a more traditional sense. i was like... "ok, this is cool." but i wasn't yet a fan or super enthralled... still was like, guess there's a reason i never went with moms and sister before. i don't really get the technical aspects... yadda yadda yadda...
the next segment, i actually started to become a fan. you actually felt like the dancers interacted with the audience. it was a litte more uptempo. it was entitled NIGHT CREATURE, and it was a celebrarion of The Duke. first of all, the genre of music is one of my favorites... that combined with a visually stimulating composition... sounds like a win win for me!
the next segment, that made me a fan is FOR "BIRD" --WITHLOVE from all of us forever touched by his magic. once again, the genre of music was one of my favorites. the costumes were hot too! actually reminiscent of another time.. in a speakeasy or something. HIDDEN RITES was another one that i enjoyed... it was a man and woman, but their interaction was more along the lines of a story than just dancing... you kinda get a feel for what ailey was trying to convey.
"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." -- The Duke (Ellington, that is)
REVELATIONS was the last segment of the evening; and it is my understanding that it is one of ailey's most famous works... it began with a soul stirring dance to i been 'buked an ol' spiritual that i'm very familiar with. as you watch the dance, you slightly take a trip into history. not to sound like a cliche...
all in all, there is definitely a new appreciation for modern/african dance. i believe that there are distinctive differences between traditional ballet, and what i witnessed. for that i am truly grateful. i went in for the cultural aspect of the evening, and i came out a little more cultured and knowledgeable... i spoke with my sister about it as well... she spent many years in traditional ballet... my myth that ballerinas had no rhythm was DEFINITELY thrown out the window... as a matter of fact, i have a new appreciation for dance, and the female dancers...
a new lifelong fan...
nn
posted by natty nerd at 4:35 PM
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