Revelations in New York

The title of this post refers to the glorious ballet "Revelations," created by Alvin Ailey, and first performed fifty years ago at the 92nd St. Y in New York.

A couple of days after the NYC blizzard, my daughters and I dodged the super-slushy intersections to see the Alvin Ailey company at City Center.

I've seen AA a number of times, both in Canada and in the States, but never "at home" in New York.  And it was my daughters' first opportunity. 

The opening dance was a premiere, with a haunting score by Moby.  Then there was a blistering solo, which explored aspects of femininity, followed by a powerful trio of male dancers.

As usual, the show closed with "Revelations," but this time with a brief contextualizing film, which included footage of Alvin Ailey performing in the baptismal section of the ballet.

It was inmpossible to sit in our seats for the Revelations encore and we loved the sense of community that formed, as every audience member clearly felt the same way.