Review of Ailey 2 at Norwich Theatre Royal: Powerful evening of dance from one of America’s leading modern dance companies

Ailey 2 – Theatre Royal, Norwich

Dance Consortium arranged this treat for us - performances by Ailey 2, the young and up and coming arm of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, one of America's leading modern dance companies.

The 12 dancers are simply super - super fit, super flexible, super energetic and super talented.

What bright futures they have in front of them.

They gave us four pieces which showcased each of them equally, and there's certainly no weak link.

They work really well as a team and each piece is by a different choreographer, with many starting out on their careers, too.

I enjoyed the first piece, Enemy in the Figure, with its big extensions and great use of light and shade, while the final piece, a real crowd pleaser called Revelations was choreographed by Alvin Ailey in 1960.

It takes influences from American/African heritages and is just joyous, with the rhythms really giving the dancers something to go at!

All the pieces are beautiful to look at, with costumes, lighting and props all working together to create a powerful evening.

This is the first time the company has been in Britain for more than a decade - let's hope they don't leave it so long next time.

The show continues tonight. Visit www.norwichtheatre.org

Review by Sarah Hardy