Stylistic features of Alvin Ailey

Stylistic features of Alvin Ailey

1. Styles

   • Jazz
   • Broadway
   • Modern
     • Horton
     • Graham
     • Dunham
   • Ballet
   • Social dance
   • Ballet bottom and horton top

2. Physical setting

   • Costume
     • Every dancer has a unqiue costume
       • Helps show character, setting time or era
         • Flowers- Jumpsuit helps show the 60s
   • Set
     • minimal and abstract
   • Props
     • Heavily used- often symbolic or helps show character
       • Wade in the water- Unberella shows the priest
   • Lighting
     • Tends to be used to show the time of day- Revelations and For birds- with love

3. Aural Setting

   • Mainly direct correlation or Music visualisation
     • Sometimes syncopation and counterpoint is used
   • Like to use gospel or blues/jazz music
     • This help show his childhood memories and heritage
   • Ailey liked to use Duke Ellington's music

4. Choreographic devices

   • Repetition of Motifs
   • Motif Development
   • Transitions- Cry
   • Use of Broadway Climaxes - sometimes used as fake cliamxs- Blue Suites

5. Choreographic process

   • Creates a section
     • Develops it to suits the dancer
   • Reforms the piece every time they are reperformed

6. Subject Matter

   • Blood memories
     • Childhood- texas- Blues suite
     • Faith- Revelations
   • African Heritage
   • Civil rights
     • Slavery- Cry
     • Not overally political