What: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre
Where: Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St.
When: Tuesday, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $124鈥�$199 in person at the Royal McPherson box office, online at and or by phone at 250-386-6121
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre will make its only Canadian stop in Victoria on Tuesday, with a program that includes everything from a piece set to a rapid-fire Ella Fitzgerald scat session to a 35-minute exploration of the effects mass incarceration has on families in the U.S.
It鈥檚 a typically adventurous offering from the company, which was founded in 1958 and remains one of the top arts and culture organizations in the world, having performed to an estimated 25 million people at theatres in 48 states and 71 countries on six continents. That legacy means a heavy burden for artistic director Robert Battle, who is tasked with carrying the company forward.
鈥淚t can be heavy, absolutely. And rightfully so,鈥� Battle, who was in Portland, Oregon, on Wednesday preparing for a performance. 鈥淭he company is more than just a dance company; the impact on the culture and the need to express the beauty of the people of colour in this country is part of the basis on why he started the company in the first place. That is part of the DNA of the company. I completely understand the responsibility of making sure that it continues.鈥�
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, whose namesake died in 1989, celebrates the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience, albeit not exclusively: Ailey believed in hiring artists based entirely on their artistic talent, not the colour of their skin. It was a belief carried over from his days under the tutelage of Lester Horton, a white dancer and choreographer who had created the first multi-racial dance company in the United States.
Ailey was known for his collaborations with the music of Duke Ellington, and his fondness for using traditional blues and gospel in his productions. Battle is keeping that tradition alive. The program the native Floridian is bringing to the Royal Theatre on Tuesday 鈥� tickets to which are almost sold out 鈥� consists of four pieces, all of which rely heavily on music. In addition to the aforementioned Ella and Untitled America are Mass (which Battle said was inspired by Verdi鈥檚 Requiem) and The Winter in Lisbon, which is choreographed around the music of Dizzy Gillespie.
The two-dancer duet to Fitzgerald鈥檚 Air Mail Special is a particularly proud moment for Battle, a longtime fan who conceived Ella as a tribute to the jazz icon.
鈥淗er sense of rhythmic nuance is incredible. It would be easy to only look at it as fun, and not see the genius in her music. The ability to improvise like that is uncanny. The dance echoes what I鈥檓 hearing. Often when I hear something delicious, like her scat singing, I want to share it with other people. This is a way of me expressing that, physicalizing that, so that other people might see it as opposed to just hearing it.鈥�
Though it runs only five minutes, Ella moves at a breathtaking clip.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like a good quote,鈥� Battle said. 鈥淎 good quote doesn鈥檛 need a whole lot of words. It鈥檚 the economy with the complexity that makes it amazing in and of itself.鈥�
Battle was appointed artistic director of the company in 2011, after several years of work alongside Ailey. Though the Juilliard School graduate is just the third person to head the company, Battle鈥檚 exposure to it dates back to when he was in elementary school in Liberty City, Florida. In what could only be considered a prophetic confluence of events, the performance he saw featured Revelations, an esteemed Ailey creation from 1960 that heavily involves African-
American spirituals and gospel music. It is what some consider to be the most popular ballet of the 20th century. Battle referred to it as 鈥渙ne of the most important masterpieces ever created.鈥�
鈥淚t was such an eye-opening and heart-opening and head-opening moment for me, seeing the culture celebrated in such a way, with dancers on the stage with such grace and power and beauty, but who also were a reflection of myself,鈥� Battle said. 鈥淚t was very powerful.鈥�
Battle has put his own stamp on Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, but he鈥檚 careful to not stray too far from both his and the company鈥檚 foundations. That said, new horizons are where he鈥檚 headed.
鈥淚n terms of pushing the boundaries, I love that. I started as pseudo musician, studying piano when I was a young boy. I sang in the church choir and was very much interested in opera, so my taste for different approaches to music is interesting to me. I like to have different cultural approaches expressed in the music people choose. And that can sometimes be challenging for the audience, but I think that鈥檚 important, too.鈥�
