Ailey II Review – The Miracle of Creation Witnessed Through the Prism of Dance 

Over the years, Trinidad and Tobago has been graced by legendary artists, whose performances continue to inspire new generations. Bob Marley performed two sold out shows in December of 1979; Nina Simone was so enarmoured by her Carnival experience of 1974 that she wrote about, and dedicated a song to said experience; John Lennon and Ringo Starr, of The Beatles fame, sojourned on our shores in 1966, and  in 2010, Trinidad and Tobago hosted a stop on Beyonce’s I am… tour. Now in 2025, our twin island of music and movement, welcomed another milestone – the prestigious Ailey II, presented by Jamaica-based dance company Plie for the Arts in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Community Development, and the National Dance Association of Trinidad and Tobago.

Ailey II, an offshoot of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, serves as an intermediary for early-career dancers to receive professional experience. From the matinee performance I witnessed on August 26th at Queen’s Hall however, it is clear that these dancers, and those of the Plie Collective (who opened the program), are well on their way to long careers in the world of dance.

Already buzzing with excitement for the wonders to come, my ears were deaf to the announcement of who would be performing in the opening numbers. Admittedly embarrassing for a reviewer (whose job it is to retain as many details as possible), my oblivion left me blissfully unable to engage in that subconscious but often tiring comparison between Caribbean and international talent.

The curtains opened to a dark stage illuminated by a single spotlight. The Calling, expertly choreographed by Jessica Lang, saw dancer Ashley Gordon anchored center stage by a magnificent, pristine white gown spanning half the space. Let me say that it is truly a testament to the craftswoman when they are left to captivate the attention and imagination of the audience, with only the strength and grace of their exposed appendages. More accurately, the passion Gordon carries within her (no doubt nurtured by years of dedicated study), was so effervescent that we were able to witness the overflow through the expressions of her upper body alone, Talk about talent.

As the sounds of uproarious applause began to subside, the driving beats accompanying the second Plie Collective piece surged into its place. Where The Calling spoke to the strength, grace and reverence of the feminine form, The Hunt captured the fortitude, agility and tenacity of its masculine counterpart. Choreographed by former Ailey Artistic Director Robert Battle, staged by Battle’s longtime assistant Elisa Clark, and stellarly performed by Steve Cornwall, Faybien Grizzle, Joshua Craigie, and Andrew Bailey, The Hunt took us through a playful, combative, and gruelling journey of brotherhood as it adventured through the thrill of, well…, hunting.

For well over 10 minutes we watched as those four dancers commanded the stage, experiencing the primitive thrill of the chase, the pressurized dependence for survival, playful camaraderie and intimacy, and the inevitable exhaustion from alertness to the prey. All these blended to create a piece so electrifying that the generated static in the atmosphere commanded each hair on this reviewer, to stand on end in witness and celebration.

After the first intermission (interestingly enough, there were two in this program), low lights introduced the world premiere of Likes vs Life, choreographed by Rene McDonald and performed by Kamani Abu, Jada Ammons, and Adanna Smalls. This piece offered a vivid cross section of modern life and the struggles of existing in the age of social media. From the beginning steps you could tell that these dancers possessed a technique so impeccable that each extension stretched to the very last seat in the hall. Their movements were as grounded as a boulder bifurcating the most turbulent river. When taking to the air, the dancers floated through space with physics that relegated gravity to a suggestion, landing without the whispers of a sound. In fact, it was clear throughout the entirety of the program that the company only made sounds when it was necessary for the piece.

The second piece of this section, the hip hop and African dance-infused John 4:20, was as joyful as it was severe, as flirty as it was antagonistic. Approximately 15 minutes of a push and pull – a balance of tension and release. It was a much more percussive piece as compared to the others in the show, opting to use the sounds of stomps, hand claps, hand slaps, and sneaker squeaks and leaning greatly on the dancers’ ability to act through the scenes as they played out. John 4:20 demonstrated the versatility that being an Ailey company member demands. 

When the second intermission was announced, it gave the audience a chance to process what we just witnessed before raising the curtain on the third, final, and highly anticipated Revelations program.

Admittedly, it has been a momentous task to put into words an experience so visceral and profound, so palpable, so otherworldly it seems unbelievable that the human spirit could be capable of capturing a sliver of the miracle of Creation. I could wax poetic about how mystical and ethereal Revelations is. I could speak at length to how this out-of-body experience is akin to a coming-to-God. Put simply, one walks out of the theatre with a feeling that Alivin Ailey saw a single divine strand stretching down from the heavens and, by the virtue of his artistry, was able translate the mysticisms of the universe and the plight of the human spirit into a 36-minute ballet. 

From the melancholy and joyful music, to the bellowing costumes, to the solemn lighting design, to the inspired choreography of Alvin Ailey himself, every detail was meticulously crafted to create this timeless and classic American ballet. It is a love letter to Ailey’s 1930’s upbringing amidst the Great Depression and truly one of the greatest pieces of contemporary art, exorcising the struggles and exonerating the perseverance of the Black American South.

Witnessing Revelations feels like a divine encounter that transfixes you in the past and the present, praising The Creator for gifting humanity with such a precious treasure and thanking Father Time for leaving its shine untarnished. Credited as the most performed work of the 20th century, Revelations remains as relevant today as it must have been at its premiere in 1960. The AIley II company should be immensely proud that they are carrying on Mr. Ailey’s legacy in such a grand manner.

Ailey’s dancers perform this work hundreds, even thousands of times throughout their careers with the company, yet never once did it feel routine. I first experienced it in 2015 at New York City Center, and a decade later, I was struck by the same sense of reverence and vitality. In today’s political climate where the significance and weight of the Black chattel experience is under constant threat of erasure, the chance to share in this living history, carried forward from the 1930s to the present, felt all the more meaningful. Witnessing Revelations now moved me with the same intensity as it did the very first time, and for as long as it is performed, I will seek it out again and again.

Copyright Notice: All photographs published in this review were taken by Saul Ramlal for the Trinidad and Tobago Performing Arts Network. These images may be shared on social media for non-commercial purposes only, provided they are properly credited and a link to the original review is included. For use on other websites, in print, or for any commercial purposes, please contact us directly for permission/licensing.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Isaiah is a graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy and The New School where he holds an Bachelor’s Degree in Musical Theatre and a minor in Screenwriting. He’s performed extensively both locally and internationally. Credits include; Doubles with Slight Pepper (dir. Ian Harinarine); Back to Freeport (dir. Jian Hennings); The Little Mermaid, West Side Story (Fireside Dinner Theatre); Julius Caesar (dir. Michaelian Taylor); Chicago (Potsdam Music Theatre).

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