I know about as much about dance as I do theater; actually, probably less. However, that did not stop my curiosity when the Friends of Alvin Ailey Dance Company came to Liberty North on Monday, February 25. The troupe was said to be world-renowned and I really did not know what to expect until I watched it. The performance was centered around African American-inspired dance, in honor of Black History Month. It was educational, it was entertaining, and it was different.

When they began their first dance, with all five performers, it seemed a lot like interpretive dance. At first, I noticed that they were not exactly moving at the same time. Being so used to seeing dance numbers that are synchronized, I wondered if this was good or bad. Looking at it from a technical standpoint, however, their dancing was practiced and precise. It did not look like much for someone who did not understand dance, like me, but I knew that there had to be a lot of work and dedication behind their routine.
Every dance after that was preceded by a PowerPoint presentation highlighting a different form of African American-influenced dance. Then, a single dancer would perform a corresponding dance demonstrating that style, which I thought kept the performance moving along nicely and made one anticipate what was to come next. My favorites were the jazz dance and an African-inspired dance paying tribute to an important figure in African American dance history. Both dances were lively and set to exciting music. The PowerPoint itself was interesting, though I felt it would have been more applicable had it been tied in more with how African American dance has affected people everywhere, not just dancers. Otherwise, it was a very educational presentation.
At the very end, all five dancers came together again for a final performance to “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore, which the occupants of the theater were thoroughly ecstatic about. The finale was really exciting and, since it was in the style of hip hop, it hit closer to home with us modern teens. Altogether, it was meant to showcase different forms of dance that have helped to shape modern dance culture, and it did just that.