Review: ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER at Warner Theatre

 Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returned to Washington, DC Friday night for 11 performances at the Warner Theatre, bringing their signature soulful joy. This first US tour under the leadership of Artistic Director Alicia Mack Graf so far feels like a continuation than a break with the past for the Ailey organization. This is mostly good; the dancers are stunning and individual and lead with humanity. The organization with its school and arts and education programs at the center further Mr. Ailey’s commitment to deliver dance “back to the people.” But it’s also a insular, with most choreographers coming from in or around the organization or creating works that pay tribute Mr. Ailey or Judith Jamison, his muse and the company’s second Artistic Director. 

Friday’s performance opened with Fredrick Earl Mosely’s Embrace, a new work set to well-known popular songs such as At Last and Kissing You. Despite strong performances by Constance Stamatiou, Christopher Wilson and Jesse Obremski, the work suffers from its predictable conceit and languishes under strange, anachronistic costumes, unhelpful set and jukebox score. 

The work explores themes of falling in and staying in love and the ways that couples push each other's buttons, sometimes farther than can be recovered. The movement pulls from Horton, jazz, contemporary and even a little flair of Rennie Harris moves. While the dancers move through these styles seamlessly, the result is unremarkable. It all simply blends together without a clear perspective. Throughout the dancers dance on top of and alongside wooden platforms which serve to separate the stage and provide new vantage points, without adding much. The costumes by Ailey’s longtime designer Jon Taylor were beautifully made, with piping and details visible beyond the front row. But I couldn’t tell if they were meant to evoke a historical decade or be enduring. Sweater vests are not current nor timeless.

The most original section is the solo for Obremski, who, after sparring with his partner, is left reeling. His anguish is palpable and embodied through uncomfortable, curved lines. Unlike in the rest of the piece, and in most Ailey pieces for that matter, difficult feelings are not danced beautifully. Instead, it felt real while still being theatrical. 

Matthew Neenan, in his first work for the company, Difference Between delivered the best new work of the night. Set to haunting vocals by Heather Christian and the Arbornauts, this piece showcased the dancers’ partnering skills and rhythm in loose turns and steps that whipped and slithered across the stage. It was sexy at times which is a new, or at least less frequently explored, mode for the Ailey dancers. 

The strangeness of the music is amplified by Christian’s cryptic lyrics, and at times it was hard to absorb both the dance unfolding and hear each word. Given Neenan carefully selected and arranged the songs, I think he wanted us to hear each one, but his choreography faded too much into the background. Still, it was ambitious and challenged the dancers; this was not a piece to smile through but rather to release into. I hope Neenan is asked back to create more. 

Song of the Anchorite by Jamar Roberts, the company’s former resident choreographer and longtime dancers, was the final new work. This introspective solo is an homage to Mr. Ailey’s Hermit Songs, a solo about a reclusive medieval monk. Set to a trumpet arrangement by jazz trumpeter Avishai Cohen of a movement from Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major, this spare lamentation is modest in scope but fulfills its intended purpose. 

A contained piece that consists mostly of the soloist arching his back and moving plaintively to the music, this work too adds something new to the repertory. There’s no breathtaking leap or series of turns to wow you with technical proficiency. Instead it taps into the Ailey company’s spirituality in a deeply personal way. It won’t resonate with everyone but may reward those who watch closely. 

The program - and all performances in DC - conclude with Mr. Ailey’s beloved Revelations. If you haven’t seen it, you have to. If you have seen it, it’s astounding how fresh the dancers are able to make it despite what seems like hundreds of performances each year. Casting for opening night seemed virtually identical to what I saw in 2025, and while I’d like to see more experimentation in casting on the road, the dancers, Sarah Daley-Perdomo in particular, continue to push themselves and grow.

Performances run through Sunday, February 8 at the Warner Theatre. Multiple programs available.

Runtime: Two hours with two intermissions.

Photo Credit: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Matthew Neenan's Difference Between. Photo by Paul Kolnik.