SchoolTime Study Guide - Cal Performances - University of ...

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3Guiding Questions:♦♦♦♦♦♦About the Performance & ArtistsWhat are some of dancer/choreographer Alvin Ailey’s achievements?What factors inspired Alvin Ailey to create Revelations?Alvin Ailey American Dance TheaterCircus OzName some of the Ailey company’ s programs for young people.4 |The SchoolTime PerformanceAnointed (Excerpt)Choreography: Christopher L. HugginsMusic: Moby and Sean ClementsCostume Design: Christopher L. HugginsLighting: Al CrawfordThis tribute to the Ailey legacy, includes threesection. The duet “Passing,” portrays Alvin Aileyhanding leadership of the company to JudithJamison. “Sally Forth” celebrates Ms. Jamisonand the many women of the company. “52 andCounting” celebrates the number of years thecompany has been in existence.SoloChoreography: Hans van ManenMusic: Johann Sebastian BachCostumes: Keso DekkerLighting: Joop CaboortIn this whirlwind of movement and musicality,three men engage in a playful dance rivalryshowcasing their agility and grace.RevelationsChoreography by Alvin Ailey, 1960Music: African American SpiritualsDecor and Costumes by Ves HarperCostume redesign by Barbara ForbesLighting by Nicola Cernovitch
The Inspiration for RevelationsRevelations began with the music. As early as Ican remember I was enthralled by the music playedand sung in the small black churches in every smallTexas town my mother and I lived in. No matter wherewe were during those nomadic years, Sunday wasalways a church-going day.With profound feeling, with faith, hope, joyand sometimes sadness, the choirs, congregations,deacons, preachers, and ushers would sing blackspirituals and gospel songs. They sang and playedthe music with such fervor that even as a small child Icould not only hear it but almost see it. I tried to putall of that feeling into Revelations.Creating the DanceAbout Revelations (excerpts from the autobiography of Alvin Ailey)The opening part of Revelations was about tryingto get up out of the ground. The costumes and setwould be colored brown and earth color, for comingout of the earth, for going into the earth. The secondpart was something that was very close to me—thebaptismal, the purification rite. Its colors would bewhite and pale blue. Then there would be the sectionsurrounding the gospel church, the holy rollers, andall that church happiness. Its colors would be earthtones, yellow, and black.The first version of Revelations was quite long, anhour and five minutes, and it had three sections. Thefirst was called “Pilgrim of Sorrow.” I took all the songsdealing with black people’s sorrow and put them inthis section. The middle section was to be wading inthe water. Songs such as “Honor, Honor” had all theextraordinary words. I was moved by what spiritualssay as words, as metaphors. So I found these shortsongs for the middle section.There were quite a few songs for the last section,“Move, Members, Move.” The whole ballet was agigantic suite of spirituals. I poured in just abouteverything, every beautiful spiritual I had ever heard.SchoolTime Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater | 5
Page 1: 2010-2011SeasonSchoolTime Study Gui
Page 4: Table of Contents1. Theater Etiquet
Page 7: Alvin AileyAfter Ailey’s death in
Page 11: Alvin Ailey (1931-1989)Born in Roge
Page 15 and 16: 3. ENTERTAINMENT. At the end of a l
Page 17 and 18: 6Learning ActivitiesDance (Grades 3
Page 19 and 20: Movements to Watch for In Revelatio
Page 21 and 22: 7 GlossaryBallet: A dance form star
Page 23 and 24: Cal Performances thanks the followi

SchoolTime Study Guide - Cal Performances - University of ...

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