Revelations (Alvin Ailey)
Set to spirituals, gospel, and blues music and influenced by the choreographer's own Christian upbringing, it presents a vision of the historical African American experience from a church-inspired perspective.
While drawing on the modern-dance techniques of Lester Horton, who had been Ailey's mentor, Martha Graham and Doris Humphrey, the dancing is also influenced by the movement studies of Asadata Dafora, Katherine Dunham and Pearl Primus.
[3] Revelations has been presented at the White House on many occasions, including the presidential inaugurations of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, and it also formed part of the Opening Ceremonies for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
Upon finding his place in California at the Thomas Jefferson High School, Ailey became involved with glee club, poetry, and language.
At 18 years old, he was introduced by his good friend Carmen De Lavallade to dancer Lester Horton, who later became Ailey's dance mentor.
Ailey intended for the dance to be the second part of his larger, evening-length survey of African-American music which had been begun in 1958 with his work Blues Suite though this was never fully realized.
Sections were removed as the work evolved, and an extensive tour sponsored by the U.S. Department in 1962 forced Ailey to commit the music for Revelations to recording.
The contractions choreographed in the piece portray the strength that these people must exert to try to be free, however they are unable to reach that freedom, shown by the dancers falling to their knees.
Aside from falling to the knees, this section of dance has the most floor work and grounded movement, symbolising the low state of mind that the characters have.
[8] To the strains of "Wade in the Water," a devotional leader bearing a large umbrella baptizes a young couple at a river, represented by yards of billowing blue silk stretched across the stage.
Created by Ailey in collaborations with its original dancer James Truitte, the solo builds on exercises derived from the Horton modern dance technique.
Stretched across the stage with torsos proudly lifted, the dancers embody the joy of faith contained by complex stepping patterns performed in unison.
Loretta Abbott, Merle Derby, Joan Derby, Jay Fletcher, Thelma Hill, Gene Hobgood, Nathaniel Horne, Herman Howell, Minnie Marsall, Don Martin, Nancy Redi, Dorene Richardson, Juliet "Geri" Seignious, Ella Thompson, James Truitte and Myrna White.
