Night Creature

The New York Times - Alvin Ailey’s Silky Creatures Of The Night

The New York Times - Alvin Ailey’s Silky Creatures Of The Night

The sun sets, the moon rises and New York City is reborn. The night was a source of fascination for the choreographer Alvin Ailey. He understood its power, how bodies could soften in its shadows. It’s a time when some people “become their real selves,” he wrote in his notebooks in reference to his dance Night Creature. It’s no accident that Ailey, the subject of Edges of Ailey, a major exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art, choreographed a performance to open Studio 54 in 1977.

Ebony - 7 Iconic Alvin Ailey Dances That Should Be On Every Enthusiasts' Radar

Ebony - 7 Iconic Alvin Ailey Dances That Should Be On Every Enthusiasts' Radar

Renowned choreographer Alvin Ailey started his namesake dance company back in 1958, and his work has remained timeless over the decades. Whether it’s the joyous celebration of Night Creature, the playful Pas de Duke, or his most revered masterpiece, Revelations, his work can be a transcendent experience that has filled the hearts and souls of audiences around the globe.

The New York Times - Celebrating Two Birthdays: City Center And The Ailey Company

The New York Times - Celebrating Two Birthdays: City Center And The Ailey Company

This theater, for this city. New York City Center Theater celebrated its 75th anniversary on Tuesday night. That milestone neatly coincides with the annual five-week Christmas season of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the theater’s first resident modern dance company, itself celebrating an anniversary this year: its 60th.

The Village Voice - Alvin Ailey's Revelations Turns 50: Move, Members, Move!

"Rocks my sould in the bosom of Abraham!" Sweet Honey in the Rock throws the words up like a tidal wave from the City Center pit, while from a corner of the stage, the voice of Ella Mitchell - which has been heard (both live and recorded) during Alvin Ailey's 1960 Revelations for 37 years - soars above the other singers.