Alvin Ailey dance preformance

This blog is a little delayed as work on my policy analysis and keeping up with the readings has thouroughly consumed my last two weeks.  However, I wanted to blog about the amazing experience I got to have watching the Alvin Ailey  Dance Group at the Kennedy Center.

Let me start this off, I am not really a huge fan of dancing.  Dancing is fun (and I sure as don't do it well) but I haven't really enjoyed watching too many dance preformances.  I still remember watching the Nutcracker in 4th grade, and I kept waiting for the people to talk and dissapointed when they didn't.  Now that I am older I have a little more appriciation for the fine art of dancing but it is nothing that I would go out of my way to watch.  (Sorry if I have thouroughly offended anyone).  So how did I end up going to see the show?  One of the employees at my office sent around an email, he had bought a ticket for his daughter for the show, but she was sick and unable to attend and he was offering the ticket for free to the first person who emailed back.  I am ashamed to say I orginally ignored the email, figuring someone who would appriciate it more than I would respond.  Then I was speaking with one of the other employees, and she asked if I had seen the email, and said I should absolutely try an get the ticket.  It got me thinking, especially when she said "I am not usually into the whole dance thing, but I cried at the show it was so moving."  Well with a recommendation like that, how could I say no?  So, thankfully I decided to take the ticket.  I was not dissapointed.

The show was for 7:00 pm that night, and I usually get home around 5:45, so trying to get home and get ready involved more than a little sprinting, my kind neighbor Adam allowing me to have some of his pasta, and the eventual realization that despite my efforts I would have to take a cab there I made it to the show in time to get my ticket from Will Call and find my seat.  (Pictured to the right)

The first act was Ballet.  And even my inexpert eye was able to see the grace in their forms and the pure athleticism that it took to carry out there dance.  Not to mention the rythem, something I truly lack.  While beautiful, I must admit that it did not caputre my imagination the way I had hoped.  As I said, Ballet is not my favorite.  Then there was a short intermission where I got a chance to walk around the Kennedy Center.  It was beautiful and it made me doubly thankful that I had taken these tickets, if for no other reason that I got to see a landmark that I never would have seen otherwise.

Then began the second act.  This was a much more modern dance, and it did captivate my attention in the way that ballet had been unable to.  Watching the dance I do not know how the dancers were able to move so much for so long.  I wish I could imagine being in as good of shape physically as they were,  I could easily see their well defined muscles from the back of the second balcony. But, I will stop saying how in shape they were, lest I become redundant, but know that it astounded me each act.   The second act amazed me in its complexity as well, there were so many interesting and different things happening at once I did not know where to watch.  Normally I watch dance to see how in sync everyone is (most likely because I know I could never manage it), but they were never off, and if they did appear off, it immediately became clear how that was a transition into the next segment of their dance.  I was amazed.

The third act was comprised of two short parts.  The first was a one man dance which truly was able to combine dance his movements with the music to make the entire audience laugh.  It was the shortest of the four performances, but in no way forgettable.  The final part was a tribute to Alvin Ailey himself, who died of AIDS, and the last act was meant to portray both his life and eventual death.  His life through dancing and his death through the sorrow of the message portrayed.  While I did not cry, I had chills for most of the movement.  It was powerful soul music, asking for salvation, asking for the pain to be taken away, asking for  healing.  It truly made this an unforgettable experience.  If any reader has the chance to attend an Alvin Ailey dance performance, I would highly recommend it.  Even for those of you who usually aren't into dancing.

Cathy H