Opinion: A Night with Ailey II - Remembering My Love for Dance

5 mins read time

This week, I had the pleasure of experiencing Ailey II in action during their UK tour, marking my first encounter with "pure" contemporary dance in I don’t know, 4 years?! It’s interesting to note how my zest and passion for this form had properly dwindled for some time now. I have found myself disenchanted, perhaps bored, with the conventional approach to contemporary dance in the UK.

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Me with my friend, Sophina (poet Brwn girl in the Ring) before the show begun at the Hippodrome.

For a long while, my interests have pivoted towards innovative works—pieces that merge various forms, incorporate narratives, take creative risks, and explore the boundaries of what constitutes ‘contemporary’ dance. I am drawn to companies and artists who are not only innovative but also diverge from the mainstream, especially those that are underrepresented. I keenly support artists and companies that actively try and do something new and/or commit to inclusion - however that manifests and is relevant to their work (like working with young people, or disabled people, for example).

My enthusiasm for professional contemporary dance had been lost amidst a sea of outdated practices and expectations (and much more, but that’s another blog, and some of which I cover in a 2021 post about ‘Dynamism’). These included rigid perceptions about the 'ideal dancer' and their training, leading to my gradual disengagement from both international and domestic high-end dance companies. Over time, my zest for contemporary modern dance (in the “classical” sense - which is an interesting term because contemporary dance arose as a backlash to classical ballet - interesting to note that my view has evolved to think that traditional contemporary companies/works are now classical… how times change!). I’ve simply not been inclined to watch, support or engage in anything purely ‘contemporary’, rather engaging with hip hop theatre, which I have LOVED btw since about 2003 when I first went to Breakin’ Convetion at Sadlers Wells, that was captivating and compelling, especially hearing Jonzi D speak so deeply about it….

However, witnessing Ailey II on stage was a transformative experience (which I wasn’t ready for!), sparking a delightful trip down memory lane and reigniting my passion for dance. The company's performance was a striking reminder of the raw, captivating beauty of dance—the connection it fosters and the physicality it demands. Ailey II's exquisite showcase offered a glimpse of dance's unique potential, rekindling my appreciation and love for the art form, and me re-remembering that contemporary is great to watch after all.

The performance also prompted reflections on my personal dance journey, particularly my teenage years immersed in dance studies. Viewing Ailey’s iconic work 'Revelations' (crafted in 1960) live for the first time whisked me back to days spent in my school's dance studio, absorbing the masterpiece on VHS.

That evening, the auditorium brimmed with an indescribable energy and excitement, a tangible buzz permeating the air. Observing the audience's reactions, a diverse group of individuals collectively enchanted by the magic unfolding on stage, underscored dance’s unparalleled power to unite, resonate, uplift, and enliven.

This unexpected ode to dance, sparked by Ailey II's mesmerizing performance, has reinvigorated my faith in my professional path in the dance world. Despite the industry's dark sides that I have witnessed and worked with, I cannot ignore the way magnificent art can unexpectedly halt you in your tracks, rekindling lost inspiration and awe. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m over the “old school ways of doing”, outdated attitudes, perceptions that you must be X type of dancer with X technique, you must have trained at X vocational school etc. I’m committed to supporting the change in the dance world we all need to see here. Genuinely though, and as contradictory as it now sounds, if you have the opportunity, I wholeheartedly recommend catching an Ailey II performance during their ongoing tour. Better yet, support any dance performance, embrace your local artists, and perhaps take a chance on a show you wouldn’t typically attend. Take a gamble on booking a show. If it hadn’t have been for my poet friend Brwn Girl in the Ring, who suggested we go on a friend date, I wouldn’t have even known Ailey II was in Brum! See, totally disengaged. But there we are, sometimes you just have to say yes. And let it reinvigorate you. Saying 'yes' can open doors to rediscovery and rejuvenation.

And whilst I’m not totally reengaged - I still feel the same about the outdated attitudes and systemic barriers fully present in the dance industry, nothing has changed about my view in that regard (unless something seismic changes, maybe that’ll come in 20 years when the old guard move on?!), that evening with Ailey II was indeed a testament to that transformative power of dance.

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The Ailey II company on stage during their bows and encore, at Birmingham Hippodrome (click on image to go to their website).