Movement, in all of its forms, is powerful. The fusion of the physical, political and spiritual forms came together during the Iowa City stop of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s 2025 national tour. Hancher Auditorium has shared its stage with the 67-year-old modern dance company since 1973, bringing a much-needed dose of global-inspired art and fanciful wonder to the region.
Tuesday night’s performance was nothing less than a landscape of music, sight and color. The world-renowned dance troupe supplied a mix of Ailey classics and newer modern works, sending its audience on a ride from the sensational to the spiritual.
The performance opened with an updated rendition of famed choreographer Ronald K. Brown’s Grace, an Afro Caribbean-inspired dance piece. Dancers exuded an exquisite flow in tandem with a soundtrack featuring Roy Davis Jr., Fela Kuti, and Jennifer Holliday. The troupe, donned in cascading red and white ribbons of fabric, created a stirring meditation that combined West African dance with classic Ailey moves with precision and innovation.
After a brief intermission, Many Angels — a newer piece choreographed by Lar Lubovitch — opened to a backdrop of literal heaven: the lithe dancers, wrapped in translucent bodysuits of dusty rose and soft grey, lay entangled with one another as Symphony No. 5 floated throughout the auditorium. Rising from the stage at an ethereal pace, the performers evolved into angels themselves, prancing with precision in a stream of pure beauty and light. It was equal parts airy acrobatics and celestial sprite as the soft bodies rose and fell with the classical piece.
Tears dotted the corners of my eyes in celebration of its magnificence, captivating my soul through the very end of the work. It was, by far, the highlight of the show for me.
No Ailey experience is complete without the famed choreographer’s 1960 signature masterpiece, Revelations. My first experience at an Ailey performance was back in the early ’90s during my 8th grade field trip to the Chicago Theater. Memories of that performance from three decades prior rose in me from the opening of the dancers, standing in a diamond and swathed in deep brown. The lyrics of “I Been ‘Buked” hit differently as I watched this time around with adult eyes: “…there’s trouble all over this world.”
The strength of the dancers’ bodies during “Fix Me, Jesus” mirrored the care and empathy needed to face the errs of this world. The mood shift to Wade in the Water is instant; there is hope, there is joy, there is reverence. Next up was the powerful solo of “I Wanna Be Ready,” an expression of both need and strength. The fan-dancing women bathed in yellow brought in another round of jubilance, guiding us through the “Rocka My Soul” finale that made the audience stand up in ear-shattering applause. Trust me when I tell you: the audience — the collective! —needed this 33-minute dance work from this talented group.
The encore struck at 9 p.m., leaving the auditorium in a joy-filled state. Movement in all of its forms were embodied during the show, proving why Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has been a mainstay on the Hancher roster for the past five decades. Truly timeless and eternally relevant, may we continue to have this artistry grace our stages for years to come.
