Alvin Ailey and the Elegance of Movement – Essence

How much does Alvin Ailey owe? This burning query is at the heart of the Whitney Museum of Art’s latest exhibition, Curated by the museum’s senior curator Adrienne Edwards and presented in collaboration with the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, the exhibition delves into the boundless creativity of Ailey’s legendary life. Edwards says the film was nearly seven years in the making, and she decided not only to deal with the luminary’s holy steps, but in addition to take an in depth take a look at the man’s life. Ailey once remarked, “I desired to paint. I made watercolors. I desired to sculpt. I wrote poetry. I wanted to jot down an excellent American novel. Edwards uses this idea as a narrative framework to present a cultural custodian of unprecedented generosity.

The artworks are arranged thematically but follow a loose chronology, reimagining the stunted standards of the South’s manipulated history before transcending practices of black spirituality, migration, liberation, and love. From intimate letters, digital recordings, poems and archival footage, the series offers the most formative insight into Ailey’s inner life yet. Supported by over 80 stellar artists from throughout history – Jean Michel-Basquiat, Kara Walker, Elizabeth Catlett, Mickalene Thomas, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye and more – the exhibition uses Ailey’s spirit as a threshold to trace the evolution of Blackness through art world performances. What struck Edwards most was Ailey’s keen sense of visuality.

“If you look at the posters for the show, the way he writes about the dance, his choice of costumes and lighting, you can see that he was constantly thinking about his intended image creation, and that’s why I think he drew so much on the visual arts, as well as the way he literature also influences the narrative aspects of creating dance,” Edwards noted.

The space, incredibly opulent and draped in the most delicious shade of red, evokes the majesty of stage curtains, setting the stage for a belated celebration of Ailey’s legacy. One of the most intriguing and subtle themes of the series was Ailey’s mastery of style. Throughout his profession, he understood that costumes not only enhanced the visual aspect of dance, but in addition captured the audience’s imagination.

In “Revelations,” flashing in fragments on a multi-screen video installation drawn from archival footage, he used colours daring enough to withstand the weariness of life, with fluid silhouettes that mirrored the choreographer’s fluid movements. Taking a better take a look at performance materials and scripts, it’s striking how closely he connected his art with cinema. The bejeweled bodices and dazzling headpieces of “For Bird – With Love” compete with a gold-plated painting by Mickalene Thomas that’s as much a piece of art as the dances themselves. “I love the sketches and photos of the dancers performing at Studio 54 during the opening night,” Edwards says, highlighting the kind of precious history many of us had no idea Ailey was an element of.

It’s not possible to not be amazed by the elegance embodied in the costumes – an elegance that feels each modern and everlasting. We glimpse Cicely Tyson, a portrait of pastoral simplicity, dressed elegantly in creamy white, with gloves and a hat. In the glimpses of “Cry,” Judith Jamison’s heavenly white shirt, easy and sophisticated, stands as each a monument and a testament to the richness of the saying “less is more.” These designs follow the ballet core trend that continues to realize popularity, symbolizing how far Ailey’s work extends beyond the stage.

Why did it take so long for Alvin Ailey to develop into synonymous with American history around the world? Why is not his legacy treated as fastidiously as others? The exhibition corrects and corrects all historical omissions. “The archive is a mourning work. We have lost a queer elder, we have lost many of those who came before us, especially in the context of art. But it’s not about the story; it’s about the future,” Edwards emphasizes. “It’s a leftover that we can track, pick up and move to the next location.”

At the premiere, surrounded by intensely moisturized colours and thick perfumes, the atmosphere was stuffed with, as Ailey put it, “movements full of images.” A crowd full of every kind of beauties, wearing countless outfits appropriate to the stage of life: ballet shoes, hair tied in a decent, smooth bun, dresses so sumptuous and clinging, colourful coats washed in the same shade of memory of blood, all images whose origins reach back to the ends of the vast Ailey’s intelligence and infinite imagination.

it isn’t just an exhibition; it is a celebration of heritage. It also encourages us to reflect on our memories and shared stories. Edwards ensures that visitors not only take a look at Ailey’s work, but develop into immersed in it, imbued with the energy of every dance, every dream and every discipline.

An expression of life itself, a testament to the resilience, joy and indomitable will of the human spirit. The exhibition not only pays tribute to Ailey, but challenges us to reconsider the very structure of American cultural history and American consciousness.

Main image: Installation view of Edges of Ailey (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 25, 2024 – February 9, 2025). Left to right: Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Fly Trap, 2024; Purvis Young, Love Dance, 1991. Photo: Jason Lowrie/BFA.com. © BFA 2024