Alvin Ailey's World Premier "Unititled American" A Monumental Performance with Profound Impact

"Untitled America" had its world premiere with the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater at City Center last night.   The brilliant choreographer, Kyle Abraham aptly named his powerful work "Untitled America" as it reflects the tragic, rampant killings, massive arrests & mass incarcerations that has buried our nation in a malaise of sorrow, oppression & social disintegration.   Abraham has created a work of art whose poignancy is palpable & undeniably imbedded in what we witness in the violence & mistreatment of a group of people, specifically men of color.  The dancers with their sinewy backs turned and arms lifted resonated with tension and sorrow.  The supplicant posturing is in response to the "Hands up, don't shoot" protest which arose from the tragic killing of Michael Brown in 2014.  Brown stood with his hands up in surrender to police moments before being fatally shot.  The crumpling of inert bodies was scorchingly realistic.  So too were aggressive movements indicating handcuffings & imprisonment.  The solemn dancers dressed in smoky shades of slate under hazy lighting.  The dancers flayed their bodies in a frenzy of struggle against imminent confinement.  Audio interviews of prisoners lamented their sentences, their pain of separation from their families and their loss of free will.  The imagery of people communicating through a call glass was achingly mournful.  "Untitled America" was choreographed with intense genius, expressive movements, harsh ambiance & startling imagery it shocked me into awareness.  We are living in a pervasive society of force & state brutality.  We're all implicated in this mistreatment.   I felt revulsion & deep compassion.  Espcially at this time, we all need a measure of grace and hope.  The dignity & poise of the Ailey dancers to Kyle Abraham's visionary "Untitled American" serves as wellspring of awareness for mass incarceration being the most oppressive racial injustice issue of our time.