Alvin Ailey at Sadler’s Wells

review of New Works and revelations by Alvin ailey Dance Theater

Founded in 1958, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater was among the first companies to welcome dancers of every race and background, built on Alvin Ailey’s determination to give Black artists a space to express their heritage and experience.

Now led by Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack, the company continues to push dance forward nearly seven decades on. Its signature piece, Revelations, has been performed in over 70 countries for more than 25 million people, and remains the most widely seen modern dance work on the planet. The company’s return to Sadler’s Wells is a reminder of exactly why.

It begins with a single outstretched hand. From fingertip to toe point, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater transformed the Sadler’s Wells stage into a world entirely its own.

The performances alternate between New Works and Legacy each day. Both ending with Revelations. I attended on the New Works Opening Night.

New Works, an evening of UK premieres of The Blink of an Eye, Song of the Anchorite and Many Angels. Next they performed A Case of You  before closing with Revelations.

The dancers have a way of pulling shapes from their bodies that I didn’t know were possible. Hours of rehearsal go into making every line and angle look effortless. They gave everything, and the audience gave it straight back. Applause that kept going long after the company had left the stage, pulling them back for curtain call after curtain call, as if no one could quite let the room end.

Strength met fluidity at every turn. The stage lighting, set and costume design by Dante Baylor drew out each movement, sharpening its structure, its shapes, its intent. But Ailey isn’t only about movement, it’s a transportation. A beautiful space where peace resides. My heartbeat slowed, and I received a healing I didn’t know I was looking for. Performances that speak directly to the heart are rare and this one did.

the performances

Blink of An Eye by Medhi Walerski, opened the tone of the evening. The company of dancers forming shapes as a group that unified them. Every beat and tone of the music, translated into beauty. 

Song of the Anchorite by Jamar Roberts was performed by Yannick Lebrun, alone. His frame filled the space corner to corner. A cloak catching the light with every turn. Behind him, the backdrop’s colours shifted to meet his costume. The whole stage, it seemed, dressed to match him.

Many Angels by Lar Lubovitch, was every bit as delightful and angelic as its name promised. The company floating like clouds. If one’s heart was beating fast up until this point. Many Angels slowed it right down.  

The heat and passion turned up in A Case of You, by Judith Jamison. Caroline T. Dartey and Christopher Taylor moved as one. Their bodies weaving in and out of each other, folding into shape after shape through a series of lifts and holds. If any piece transported us to new planes, it was this one. Running, stopping, caught, held; a reminder of the beauty of love. A balanced relationship, where each partner keeps their own character, yet becomes something magical the moment they come together. That’s exactly what they gave us on stage.

Then came Revelations itself. The grace of Fix Me, Jesus and the sheer force of the full company in Rocka My Soul. At that moment I understood why audiences return again and again.

It left me wanting them to stay a little longer.

They have my heart.

catch it before it’s gone!

New works continue tonight at 7:30pm and Saturday 19th September 2026 at 7:30pm

Legacy is performed today at 2:30pm, Friday 18th September 2026 at 7:30pm and Saturday 19th September 2026 at 2:30pm

Visit the Sadlers Wells website for more information and to book.

Full article coming in Movement, the Mulage Magazine Print Edition due in 2027.