6. Ailey; movie review

 

AILEY

Cert 12A

95 mins

BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language, references to discrimination

Oh, how I envy those with grace.

In our 20s, we visited Thailand and our tour group was invited to copy a traditional dance.

The Thai girls, who had seemed so lithe in their performance, were giggling uncontrollably when they saw my calamitous efforts to mimic them.

Nowadays, Mrs W simply refuses to allow me to dance at functions. She can no longer suffer the embarrassment which my lack of co-ordination causes.

However, I always admire people whose minds and physical abilities are different to mine and tend to find documentaries about artists fascinating.

This one about ground-breaking choreographer, Alvin Ailey, blew my mind.

His personal performances were aggressively vigorous and yet so sleek I could barely detect a crease.

He also became a political figure - because he led a predominately black company to worldwide acclaim during the time of the civil rights movement.

And his work lives on through his academy, decades after he became a victim to the horrific Aids epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s.

Through Ailey’s own words and featuring evocative archival footage and interviews with those who intimately knew him, director Jamila Wignot weaves an impressive biography.

She shows how he grew from very humble beginnings to find his place in the vibrant dance scene in New York.

It quickly emerged that Ailey was a leader and powerful advocate of African American history and beauty.

The foundation of Wignot's film is the work of one of Ailey's contemporaries in leading a group of current young dancers in a piece summing up the man.

Their athleticism is remarkable. They glide with smiles, leaping and diving like birds swooping in the sky.

They provide an apt tribute to a much revered artist.

Reasons to watch: A tribute to a great choreographer

Reasons to avoid: If you haven't opened your mind to contemporary dance

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know? Alvin Ailey founded his own company in 1958 after being inspired to pursue dancing by seeing the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo perform.

The final word. Jamila Wignot: "A working class, gay, Black man, he rose to prominence in a society that made every effort to exclude him. He transformed the world of dance and made space for those of us on the margins – space for Black artists like Rennie Harris and me." BFI

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