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Members of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre ensemble display their versatility. Stock photo by Dario Calmese.<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n\n By WOODY WEINGARTEN<\/strong><\/p>\n Spirituality, grace, energy.<\/p>\n Those elements have since 1958 been trademarks of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre but never more so than now.<\/p>\n The company\u2019s entire three-part Program C, which Cal Performances staged last week at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, leaned more heavily on spirituality than usual \u2014 but in no way to the detriment of the other two components.<\/p>\n The program ended with \u201cRevelations,\u2019 the glorious signature piece that closes so many Ailey shows and is, of course, based on a series of Negro spirituals. But \u201cSacred Songs\u201d (the emotional, sometimes frenzied opener) and \u201cMany Angels\u201d (danced lusciously with traditional dance movements to the solemn music of Gustav Mahler) both also provided a sense of connection to something greater than ordinary men and women.<\/p>\n In the first and third parts particularly, the dancers were so limber, so fluid, that it appeared they might be minus some bones.<\/p>\n And never did theatergoers need be sure their interpretation of the wonderment on stage (including verbal injections of Jesus, the Lord, and Elijah) were correct; it was sufficient to appreciate the seemingly flawless skill of the performers,<\/p>\n The audience was so enthusiastic it frequently interjected bursts of loud applause topped off with spasmodic cheering.<\/p>\n \u201cSacred Songs,\u201d a Bay Area premiere whose diverse elements were a cornucopia of energy, fluttering wrists and fingers, and a reaching up to the heavens, featured several scenes so riveting they appeared to last only seconds before a blackout.<\/p>\n Its music \u2014 by DuBois AKeen \u2014 ranged from extreme softness in \u201cBe Still\u201d to frenzied jazz; garments were rapidly switched from jeans and mesh tops for men to pristine, loose-fitting white for both sexes, but their muted impact was immediately overshadowed by the wild energy, unadulterated smoothness, and synchronicity of the dancers\u2019 movements.<\/p>\n Its choreography by Mathew Rushing ensured the whole stage was used superlatively \u2014 so well, in fact, it was impossible for human eyes to take it all in at once. Quickly changing focus from one dancer to another became a necessity, as if one were watching a three-ring circus filled with ballet pros.<\/p>\n One segment of the piece opened with a dancer\u2019s hands moving as if she were playing bongo drums \u2014 so realistically you could almost see the instrument that wasn\u2019t there.<\/p>\n \u201cMany Angels,\u201d also a Bay Area premiere, began with dancers on the floor in front of a noteworthy backdrop of clouds with light streaming through them. Both music and dance were a sharp contrast in tone to the rest of the performance. Choreography by Lars Lubovich, who also was responsible for the scenic design, flowed as smoothly as angels\u2019 wings might flap in a celestial breeze.<\/p>\n This segment drew polite clapping and commentary about its soft, pale beauty as opposed to the unbridled tribute-yelling earned by \u201cRevelations,\u201d which brought applause from repeat viewers before<\/em> the curtain rose.<\/p>\n \u201cRevelations,\u201d a 1960 creation choreographed by Ailey himself and colorfully costumed by Ves Harper, was so spirited that what felt like a third of the audience applauded rhythmically in unison to several of its 10 parts, A multitude of ballet-lovers leapt to their feet to sway and clap during the last one, \u201cRocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham,\u201d which showcased the entire company.<\/p>\n Raucous applause and shouts of joy reverberated earlier when Xavier Mack finished his solo, \u201cI Wanna Be Ready.\u201d<\/p>\n And ultimately the crowd gave an expected standing ovation as the concert concluded, hints of joyous music still resounding in the acoustically superb auditorium.<\/p>\n Dance will be featured in two upcoming shows at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, through Cal Performances: from a Brazilian troupe, Grupo Corpo, which blends classical ballet with folk and popular dance, April 25 and 26, and the Mark Morris Dance Group\u2019s tribute to the Beatles\u2019 \u201cSgt. Pepper\u2019s Lonely Hearts Club Band,\u201d May 9-11. Info: 510-642-9988 or https:\/\/calperformances.org<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Sherwood \u201cWoody\u201d Weingarten, a longtime member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theater Critics Circle and the author of four books, can be contacted by email at voodee@sbcglobal.net<\/a> or on his websites, <\/em>https:\/\/woodyweingarten.com<\/a><\/em> and https:\/\/vitalitypress.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By WOODY WEINGARTEN Spirituality, grace, energy. Those elements have since 1958 been trademarks of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre but never more so than now. The company\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":4.5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-108850","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-woody-weingarten"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"