The Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation in collaboration with the Whitney Museum of American Art present Echoes of Ailey
Together with The Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, in collaboration with the Whitney Museum of American Art, we created a moving film tribute evoking legendary choreographer Alvin Ailey's "blood memories" and the enduring power of his legacy: Echoes of Ailey.
Shot in the rich and deep tones of 35mm film, this NOWNESS-featured piece was created to promote the groundbreaking Whitney exhibition Edges of Ailey.
The immersive exhibition is the first large-scale museum showcase honoring this visionary artist and choreographer's life, dances, and influences, featuring works by over eighty artists and revelatory archival material. These works interweave with an ambitious suite of performances in the museum's third-floor theater, including the Ailey organization in residence for one week each month during the exhibition.
The film brings key sequences from Alvin Ailey's archive to life, culminating in an uninterrupted sequence of "I've Been Buked," the opening movement of Ailey's legendary Revelations. It features Ailey II Artistic Director Emerita Sylvia Waters walking alongside performers from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, and The Ailey School. The narrative intertwines moving images of dancers performing Ailey's bold choreography with the museum's iconic paintings and sculptures within the Edges exhibition.
As two current Ailey School students explore the museum alongside Waters, the multigenerational impact of Ailey's work unfolds, showcasing a legacy carried on through his organization. Set to the track "Everything in Its Right Place" by the GRAMMY Award-winning band Radiohead, the dancers fluidly navigate these distinctive spaces in fresh and familiar ways, inviting the audience to witness a transformative moment where legacy and the future converge. The film serves as a testament to Ailey's work, envisioned through an abstract lens similar to his own, offering a new perspective and takeaway with each viewing.
