“Ailey,” a deep dive into the life, the work, the mind and the man – Alvin Ailey, premiered on the third day of the Sundance Film Festival. The name Ailey, is synonymous with modern dance worldwide but little is known about the man himself. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater changed modern dance with its poetic, emotional, yet technical and precise choreography. Ailey’s work fused modern dance, ballet, jazz and the black experience in a way that connected to Black people and audiences around the country and the world. Sundance Review: “Ailey,” Tribute to Legendary Dancer/Choreographer Alvin Ailey
The film’s director, Jamila Wignot, and editor, Annukka Lilja, did an excellent job in crafting the documentary using beautiful archival dance footage, with audio recordings of Ailey later in life, artistically layered with still images and music. The feel of poetry-in-motion set to music comes through so beautifully in the film as it did in his work on stage. The film is really well done.
“What we were trying to do is create a poetic experience and a film experience that, I think, would feel the … same way that you would feel when you experienced an evening of Ailey’s work,” said director Jamila Wignot during the post screening Q&A about “Ailey.”
“The way it was presented, the way it was edited together, the way it made me feel, I was inspired,” said Rennie Harris, the current AAADT choreographer. “From a choreographic perspective, it was amazing to me,” he continued. “It was beautifully done.”
The film captures Ailey at work, where you see his talent and vision in his eyes when working with the dancers, as well as his confidence in what he was doing. The mindset and motivation behind Ailey’s work is explained in his own voice as he talks about his upbringing in the south and in the church, which would later lead to his creation of his most famous piece, “Revelations.” He also talks about his discovery of dance and his journey to Los Angeles and New York as a young man following his dream of dance and choreography. Contemporary interviews with his beautiful former principal dancers and choreographers are included as well, namely AAADT Director Judith Jameson, Carmen de Cavallade, George Faison, Mary Barnett, Sylvia Waters, Sarita Allen, Masazumi Chaya, and choreographer Bill T. Jones.
All of these ladies and gentleman are now in their 60’s and 70’s and still look fabulous. I have a mind to take up dance now, if it helps you to age this well!
At the Kennedy Center Honors, the late Cicely Tyson called Ailey at the “pied piper of modern dance.” Now in it’s 60th year, Alvin Ailey American Dance theater and the Ailey School are still going strong. We lost Alvin in 1989 to AIDS related illness, but his legacy will live on.
- Director(s): Jamila Wignot
- Producer: Lauren DeFilippo
- Editor: Annukka Lilja
- Director of Photography: Naiti Gámez
- Archival Producer: Rebecca Kent
- Composer: Daniel Bernard Roumain
- Motion Graphics: John Vondracek
- Associate Producer: Matt Gottesfeld
- Assistant Editors: William Bentley, Cory Smith, Ally Southwood-Smith
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Sundance Review: “Ailey,” Tribute to Legendary Dancer/Choreographer Alvin Ailey
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