Welcome to Cuesheet,
a performance guide
published by the
Education Department
of the John F. Kennedy
Center for the
Performing Arts,
Washington, D.C.
This Cuesheet is
designed to help
you enjoy a
mini-performance
of Alvin Ailey American
Dance Theater.
This fan marks
topics for
discussion or activities
you may want to do
with other students,
PHOTO BY PAUL KOLNIK
friends, or family.
Washington
Performing Arts
Society
Members of Alvin Ailey
American Dance Theater
in Revelations
“Dance is for everybody, it came from the people.
It should always be given back to the people.”
—Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey
and Company
B
heritage—customs and
beliefs handed down from
earlier to later generations
integrated—people of all
PHOTO COURTESY OF ALVIN AILEY DANCE FOUNDATION ARCHIVES
PHOTO BY DWIGHT CARTER
races included
orn in a small Texas town in 1931,
Alvin Ailey learned early about the
sharp differences between blacks and
whites. Decades later, when Ailey
created his dance company in 1958,
African Americans were often excluded
from other dance companies. Ailey
knew many talented African-American
dancers, and he wanted to create
dances that would both show off their
talent and express their heritage. After
Ailey’s death in 1989, Judith Jamison,
one of Ailey’s leading dancers, became
the company’s director. Today, Jamison
continues Ailey’s commitment to
bringing dance to all people.
Ailey’s Dance Style
Ailey’s dance style developed from
careful observation of human
movement. From these observations,
Ailey assembled movements which
appealed to him to create dances
that were uniquely his own.
Three other choreographers—Lester
Horton, Martha Graham, and Jack
Cole—had a particularly strong
influence on Ailey.
• Lester Horton wanted his dancers
to use as much space as possible
while turning, bending, and
jumping across large distances.
• Martha Graham’s dance technique
is built on contraction and release—
movements that extend the act of
breathing. In a contraction, the
dancer exhales and curves the
spine; in a release, the dancer
inhales and lifts the chest.
• Jack Cole was a jazz choreographer
known for his use of expressive
hand movements. Jazz dancers
move their hips more freely than
modern or ballet dancers.
Alvin Ailey, Founder, wanted an
integrated company.“I didn’t want
all the same bodies, or all the same
color, in my company.”
Judith Jamison, Artistic Director,
was considered too tall and
athletic for classical ballet.
Watch That Move
During the performance, watch
for movements that suggest
the influence of each of these
choreographers.
Music: Traditional
African-American Spirituals
R
evelations is based on Alvin Ailey’s
childhood memories of worshipping
at his Baptist church in Texas. The dance
premiered in 1960 and is considered
Ailey’s masterwork. Some have called
it a hymn to God and man. Expressing
the intense emotions of spirituals,
Revelations is divided into three sections:
“Pilgrim of Sorrow,” “Take Me to the
Water,” and “Move, Members, Move.”
Each section includes several dances
representing different emotions
experienced in Baptist worship.
In “Pilgrim of Sorrow,” the dancers
portray people who hope for salvation
in spite of life’s difficulties. Watch for the
movements that suggest reaching toward
heaven and being pulled back to earth.
In “Take Me to the Water,” the white parasol held by the dancer suggests relief from
the hot sun.The dancer must concentrate to keep the parasol upright, even as she
performs difficult movements.
Blood Memory
Ailey described the memories
that inspired Revelations as “blood
memories” because they were so strong
he felt they were part of his blood. Write
a paragraph describing an experience
from your own life that is so important
you believe it will become a blood
memory to you.
spirituals—songs that were
developed among African
Americans during slavery.
They express religious
beliefs, teach, scold, or
communicate information
baptism—Christian ritual in
which water is used symbolically
to wash away sins
PHOTO BY PAUL KOLNIK
Choreographer: Alvin Ailey
PHOTO BY PAUL KOLNIK
Revelations
“Take Me to the Water” depicts
Ailey’s own baptism, which took place
in a pond behind his church. Watch for
movements suggesting rippling water.
“Move, Members, Move” begins with
a dance portraying three sinners’ desperate
attempt to escape. In the final dance, a
church congregation gathers to worship.
Watch for movements that suggest
gossiping conversations, discomfort on
a hot day, and the hope of salvation.
Briana Reed and Amos J.Machanic,Jr.perform in “Pilgrim of Sorrow.” The dancers' positions
emphasize the weight of their bodies, suggesting the heavy burden of earthly problems.
Resources
You may want to…
read:
Ailey, Alvin and A. Peter Bailey.
Revelations: The Autobiography
of Alvin Ailey. Secaucus, NJ: Birch
Lane Press, 1995.
Using Elements
of Theater
Props Tell a Story
In Revelations, the dancers use props to
help bring Ailey’s childhood memories
to life. Watch for:
T
here is good reason why Alvin Ailey
called his company “a dance theater.”
Ailey was interested in how elements
of theater—costumes, props, lighting,
and music—could be combined with
dance to communicate with an audience.
PHOTO BY PAUL KOLNIK
• Long sheets of blue and white
fabric stretched across the stage
to suggest water
• White parasols, wide-brimmed
hats, and fans to imply the heat
of Texas summers
• Stools used by the dancers
to represent a seated church
congregation
How Lighting
Creates Mood
The dancers in “Move, Members, Move” wear
colorful yellow costumes resembling the formal
clothing worn to church. Notice how the dancers
lean towards each other to suggest conversation.
Revelations begins with a group of
dancers standing under a single spotlight
on a darkened stage. Later, the dancers
move across a fully illuminated stage.
After the performance, consider how
these and other lighting effects were
used to create different moods.
Moving to Music
Costumes: Colors
Have Meanings
The dancers in Revelations move to the
sound of African-American spirituals.
Listen for these lines from the songs:
You will see that the color scheme for
the costumes is different in each section
of Revelations. In “Pilgrim of Sorrow,”
the dancers wear earth-toned costumes;
in “Take Me to the Water,” the costumes
are white; and in “Move, Members,
Move,” the dancers wear yellow. After
the performance, discuss why Ailey
might have chosen these colors. Discuss
how each color relates to the meaning
of each section of the dance.
“There is trouble all over this world.”
“Wade in the water.”
“Oh sinner man, where you
gonna run to?”
After the performance, discuss how
the dancers’ movements related to
these words.
Dunning, Jennifer. Alvin Ailey:
A Life in Dance. New York, NY:
DeCapo Press, 1998.
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. Alvin Ailey.
New York, NY: Hyperion Books for
Children, 1993.
watch:
Four by Ailey. VHS. Director Thomas
Grimm. Dance Horizons, 1986.
listen to:
Alvin Ailey American Dance
Theater. Revelations. V2 Records
63881-27036-2, 1998.
go online:
Alvin Ailey Web site: alvinailey.org
Stephen A. Schwarzman
Chairman
Michael M. Kaiser
President
Darrell M. Ayers
Vice President, Education
For more information about
the performing arts and arts
education, visit our Web sites:
kennedy-center.org/education
artsedge.kennedy-center.org
Alvin Ailey American
Dance Theater
The performances and educational
activities of the Alvin Ailey
American Dance Theater are a
co-presentation of the John F.
Kennedy Center for the Performing
Arts and the Washington
Performing Arts Society.
Cuesheet is funded in part through
the support of the U.S. Department
of Education, the Kennedy Center
Corporate Fund, and the Morris and
Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.
Developed from a Cuesheet
created by Lillie Stewart and
Karen Selwyn
Cuesheet Editor: Lisa Resnick
Design: Simmons Design
©2004, The John F. Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts
y to See
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a
e
G et ting R
Choreography by
Alvin Ailey
Music by Duke Ellington
“Night Creature”
PH
OT
Y
OB
A
R
ND
EW
E CC
LES
N
ight Creature is a dance set to music by jazz pianist
Duke Ellington. Although the dance does not
have a specific storyline with named characters,
Night Creature was created by Mr. Ailey
to explore the ritual of nightlife. The way
the dancers move is intended to resemble
animal movement and to communicate
moods or ideas rather than tell stories.
The choreography for Night Creature includes three
different components of Ailey’s movement vocabulary.
During the performance, watch for:
• slow jazz walks—an influence of modern dance
• boogie-woogie—an influence of social dancing
• arabesques—an influence of classical ballet.
The Influence of Music
Members of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater are
seen here in a posed position from Night Creature.
Notice how both costumes and hand gestures contribute
to the appearance or feeling of stars at night.
Movement Vocabulary—the dance movements
Often, the inspiration to create a dance comes directly from the
music. Duke Ellington was quoted as saying the following about
his inspiration to compose the music used in Night Creature:
frequently seen in a choreographer’s works
“Night creatures, unlike stars, do not come OUT at night—they come
ON, each thinking that before the night is out he or she will be the star.”
Boogie-Woogie—an upbeat style of blues music
Using the information you know about the dance, answer the
following questions:
Arabesque—A ballet position on one leg in which
• How does Duke Ellington’s quote help your understanding of the
choreography?
• If not animals, who are the “real” night creatures?
stretching one or both arms forward.
Jazz Walk—a low, sunken walk with feet and hips
turned outward
from the 1920s that became popular in social dancing
the dancer extends a raised leg backward while
ing
n
i
f
De
M
odern dance was developed in America nearly 100 years ago
as a reaction against the rules and structure of ballet. While
ballet dancers strive to appear weightless, modern dancers embrace
gravity. The following information outlines the basic differences
between modern dance and ballet. During the performance, watch
for movements that represent either modern dance or ballet.
Modern Dance
• Methods and choreographic styles are more personal; may
include everyday movements such as walking, skipping, running,
and falling
• Builds on modified versions of ballet positions; also uses as many
positions as the choreographer can imagine
• Upper body is loose and fluid
• Sometimes uses asymmetrical, or not identical, patterns and designs
• Dancers usually perform in bare feet to maintain a closer
connection to the floor
• Acknowledges and uses gravity
On Performance Day
You, The Audience
Dance is a collaborative art requiring
the work of many people. The final
collaborator is you, the audience.
Watching dance is different from
watching television and movies. The
dancers are in the same room as you
and are affected by your actions. By
remaining quiet and attentive, you help
the performers to concentrate and do
their best. The other members of the
audience will appreciate your thoughtful
attention during the performance, too.
Classical Ballet
• Based on accepted steps, movements, and traditions that go back
hundreds of years
• Uses five basic positions of the feet and arms
• Upper body is held stiff and upright
• Based on symmetrical, or identical,
corresponding patterns and designs
• Dancers wear ballet slippers or
pointe shoes
• Airborne, tries to defy laws
of gravity
BY
TO
O
PH
AMOS J. MACHANIC, JR.,
DWANA ADIAHA SMALLWOOD,
AND MATTHEW RUSHING
IN NIGHT CREATURE.
AN
D
RE
W
EC
CL
ES
Rather than trying to defy gravity as ballet
dancers would, these dancers are grounded,
an important characteristic of modern
dance.
The Kennedy Center is in Washington, D.C. but can easily
be seen across the Potomac River from the state of Virginia.
Visiting The Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center is a living memorial
to John F. Kennedy, the President
of the United States from 1961
to 1963. As a living memorial,
the Kennedy Center is a
place where dance, music,
and theater can be
experienced every
day on one of its
nine stages. Enjoy
your visit!