While the Apocalypse – Blog

Dancer turned director Ezra Hurwitz collaborates with Ailey II artistic director Francesca Harper, featuring movement as museum pieces against the Whitney Museum of American Art’s striking architecture for short film Echoes of Ailey. Commissioned to celebrate Edges of Ailey, the film accompanies the first large-scale exhibition on the life and enduring legacy of visionary artist and choreographer Alvin Ailey, currently on view at the Whitney.

Animating iconic images from Alvin Ailey’s 20th-century repertory, the film expands on the exhibition by constructing a visual narrative around his storytelling and influences. Set to Radiohead’s ‘Everything In Its Right Place’, dancers from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, and The Ailey School capture the emotional core of the company’s history – physically situating Ailey’s masterworks amongst the Whitney’s collection.

Turning to his archive, Hurwitz and Harper illuminate key sequences symbolic of Ailey’s profound legacy, closing on an uninterrupted sequence from ‘I’ve Been Buked’, the opening movement of Ailey’s legendary Revelations. As Ailey II Artistic Director Sylvia Waters explores the museum with Ailey School students Ava Alvarez and Robbie Whitehurst, Echoes of Ailey carries a watershed moment back to its own medium, capturing the multigenerational impact of Ailey’s work, continued by his organization.

Edges of Ailey is on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art until 9 February 2025 and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performs at New York City Center until January 5 2025

 Nowness RSS Leer más