Welcome to Cuesheet, a performance guide published by the Education Department of the John F.Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C. This Cuesheet is designed to help you enjoy a mini-performance of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. This fan marks topics for discussion or activities you may want to do with other students, friends, or family. Washington PHOTO BY PAUL KOLNIK BY PAUL PHOTO Performing Arts Society Members of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Revelations “Dance is for everybody, it came from the people. It should always be given back to the people.” —Alvin Ailey Alvin Ailey and Company Ailey’s Dance Style orn in a small Texas town in 1931, Ailey’s dance style developed from B Alvin Ailey learned early about the careful observation of human sharp differences between blacks and movement. From these observations, whites. Decades later, when Ailey Ailey assembled movements which created his dance company in 1958, appealed to him to create dances African Americans were often excluded that were uniquely his own. from other dance companies. Ailey Three other choreographers—Lester knew many talented African-American Horton, Martha Graham, and Jack dancers, and he wanted to create Cole—had a particularly strong dances that would both show off their influence on Ailey. heritage—customs and talent and express their heritage. After beliefs handed down from Ailey’s death in 1989, Judith Jamison, • Lester Horton wanted his dancers earlier to later generations one of Ailey’s leading dancers, became to use as much space as possible the company’s director. Today, Jamison while turning, bending, and integrated—people of all continues Ailey’s commitment to jumping across large distances. races included bringing dance to all people. •Martha Graham’s dance technique is built on contraction and release— movements that extend the act of breathing. In a contraction, the dancer exhales and curves the spine; in a release, the dancer PHOTO BY DWIGHT CARTER PHOTO inhales and lifts the chest. • Jack Cole was a jazz choreographer known for his use of expressive hand movements. Jazz dancers move their hips more freely than PHOTO COURTESY OF ALVIN AILEY DANCE FOUNDATION ARCHIVES AILEY DANCE FOUNDATION OF ALVIN COURTESY PHOTO modern or ballet dancers. Alvin Ailey,Founder,wanted an Judith Jamison,Artistic Director, Watch That Move integrated company.“I didn’t want was considered too tall and During the performance, watch all the same bodies,or all the same athletic for classical ballet. color, in my company.” for movements that suggest the influence of each of these choreographers. Revelations Choreographer: Alvin Ailey Music: Traditional African-American Spirituals PHOTO BY PAUL KOLNIK BY PAUL PHOTO evelations is based on Alvin Ailey’s childhood memories of worshipping R In “Take Me to the Water,”the white parasol held by the dancer suggests relief from at his Baptist church in Texas. The dance the hot sun.The dancer must concentrate to keep the parasol upright,even as she premiered in 1960 and is considered performs difficult movements. Ailey’s masterwork. Some have called it a hymn to God and man. Expressing the intense emotions of spirituals, Blood Memory spirituals—songs that were Revelations is divided into three sections: developed among African Ailey described the memories “Pilgrim of Sorrow,” “Take Me to the Americans during slavery. that inspired Revelations as “blood Water,” and “Move, Members, Move.” They express religious memories” because they were so strong Each section includes several dances beliefs, teach, scold, or he felt they were part of his blood. Write representing different emotions communicate information a paragraph describing an experience experienced in Baptist worship. from your own life that is so important baptism—Christian ritual in In “Pilgrim of Sorrow,” the dancers you believe it will become a blood which water is used symbolically portray people who hope for salvation memory to you. to wash away sins in spite of life’s difficulties. Watch for the movements that suggest reaching toward heaven and being pulled back to earth. “Take Me to the Water” depicts Ailey’s own baptism, which took place KOLNIK BY PAUL PHOTO in a pond behind his church. Watch for movements suggesting rippling water. “Move, Members, Move” begins with a dance portraying three sinners’ desperate attempt to escape. In the final dance, a church congregation gathers to worship. Watch for movements that suggest gossiping conversations, discomfort on a hot day, and the hope of salvation. Briana Reed and Amos J.Machanic,Jr.perform in “Pilgrim of Sorrow.”The dancers' positions emphasize the weight of their bodies,suggesting the heavy burden of earthly problems. Resources You may want to… read: Ailey, Alvin and A. Peter Bailey. Revelations:The Autobiography of Alvin Ailey.Secaucus, NJ: Birch Lane Press, 1995. Dunning, Jennifer. Alvin Ailey: Using Elements Props Tell a Story A Life in Dance.New York,NY: DeCapo Press, 1998. of Theater In Revelations, the dancers use props to Pinkney, Andrea Davis. Alvin Ailey. here is good reason why Alvin Ailey help bring Ailey’s childhood memories New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children, 1993. T called his company “a dance theater.” to life. Watch for: Ailey was interested in how elements • Long sheets of blue and white watch: of theater—costumes, props, lighting, fabric stretched across the stage Four by Ailey.VHS. Director Thomas Grimm. Dance Horizons, 1986. and music—could be combined with to suggest water dance to communicate with an audience. listen to: •White parasols, wide-brimmed Alvin Ailey American Dance hats, and fans to imply the heat Theater. Revelations.V2 Records of Texas summers 63881-27036-2, 1998. • Stools used by the dancers go online: Alvin Ailey Web site: alvinailey.org PHOTO BY PAUL KOLNIK BY PAUL PHOTO to represent a seated church congregation How Lighting Stephen A. Schwarzman Creates Mood Chairman Michael M. Kaiser Revelations begins with a group of President dancers standing under a single spotlight Darrell M. Ayers on a darkened stage. Later, the dancers Vice President, Education move across a fully illuminated stage. For more information about After the performance, consider how the performing arts and arts The dancers in “Move, Members, Move”wear these and other lighting effects were education, visit our Web sites: colorful yellow costumes resembling the formal used to create different moods. kennedy-center.org/education clothing worn to church.Notice how the dancers artsedge.kennedy-center.org lean towards each other to suggest conversation. Moving to Music Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Costumes: Colors The dancers in Revelations move to the The performances and educational sound of African-American spirituals. activities of the Alvin Ailey Have Meanings Listen for these lines from the songs: American Dance Theater are a co-presentation of the John F. You will see that the color scheme for “There is trouble all over this world.” Kennedy Center for the Performing the costumes is different in each section Arts and the Washington Performing Arts Society. of Revelations. In “Pilgrim of Sorrow,” “Wade in the water.” the dancers wear earth-toned costumes; Cuesheet is funded in part through “Oh sinner man, where you the support of the U.S. Department in “Take Me to the Water,” the costumes gonna run to?” of Education, the Kennedy Center are white; and in “Move, Members, Corporate Fund, and the Morris and Move,” the dancers wear yellow. After After the performance, discuss how Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. the performance, discuss why Ailey the dancers’ movements related to Developed from a Cuesheet might have chosen these colors. Discuss these words. created by Lillie Stewart and Karen Selwyn how each color relates to the meaning Cuesheet Editor: Lisa Resnick of each section of the dance. Design: Simmons Design ©2004,The John F.Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts eady to See Getting R Choreography by Alvin Ailey Music by Duke Ellington “Night Creature” PHOTO BY ANDREW ECCLES ight Creature is a dance set to music by jazz pianist N Duke Ellington. Although the dance does not have a specific storyline with named characters, Night Creature was created by Mr. Ailey to explore the ritual of nightlife. The way the dancers move is intended to resemble animal movement and to communicate moods or ideas rather than tell stories. The choreography for Night Creature includes three different components of Ailey’s movement vocabulary. During the performance, watch for: Members of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater are seen here in a posed position from Night Creature. • slow jazz walks—an influence of modern dance Notice how both costumes and hand gestures contribute • boogie-woogie—an influence of social dancing to the appearance or feeling of stars at night. • arabesques—an influence of classical ballet. The Influence of Music Movement Vocabulary—the dance movements frequently seen in a choreographer’s works Often, the inspiration to create a dance comes directly from the music. Duke Ellington was quoted as saying the following about Jazz Walk—a low, sunken walk with feet and hips his inspiration to compose the music used in Night Creature: turned outward “Night creatures, unlike stars, do not come OUT at night—they come Boogie-Woogie—an upbeat style of blues music ON, each thinking that before the night is out he or she will be the star.” from the 1920s that became popular in social dancing Using the information you know about the dance, answer the Arabesque—A ballet position on one leg in which following questions: the dancer extends a raised leg backward while stretching one or both arms forward. • How does Duke Ellington’s quote help your understanding of the choreography? • If not animals, who are the “real” night creatures? fining De odern dance was developed in America nearly 100 years ago On Performance Day M as a reaction against the rules and structure of ballet.