Alvin Ailey's "CRY" is an Enduring Work of Art

Last night's program of the Alvin Ailey Amer Dance Theater was an all Ailey program:  MEMORIA ('79) LOVE SONGS ('72) CRY ('71) and REVELATIONS ('60.)  The works were all choreographed by Mr Ailey beginning in 1960 with REVELATIONS.  They comprise timeless classics that will endure the test of time as great works of art.  As an unabashed "Aileyophile," it was ironic I was only seeing CRY performed for the first time.  Danced by the incomparable Linda Celeste Sims I was moved beyond words by the power and grace she brought to the piece.  I felt every ounce of angst emoted through her movements.  The dance is a triptych segmented with music by Alice Coltrane, Laura Nyro and Chuck Griffin.  Sims's dancing to Coltrane was a mournful elegy of hopeless abyss.  In all 3 movements, Sims' nimbleness and mercurial shifts evoked intense despair and an irrepressible spirit.  CRY brought me to tears and the audience to a rousing ovation.  If tickets are still available for Ailey performances, try to see this phenomenal company in its home at City Center.  When Linda Celeste Sims who joined the Company in 1996 retires, it will be a crying shame.