Alvin Ailey Cry Analysis

Conceived out of a concept devised by Alvin Ailey, Cry took its inspiration from the suffering of the African American Woman. "She represented those women before her who came from the hardships of slavery, through the pain of losing loved ones, through overcoming extraordinary depressions and tribulations. Coming out of a world of pain and trouble, she has found her way-and triumphed." In this three part solo, the dancer, clad in a white leotard and long ruffled skirt, brings the audience on a journey of bitter sorrow, brutal hardship and ecstatic joy. The dancer began the piece in the centre of the stage, towards the back, immediately pronouncing to the audience the fact that the woman will be the principal aspect of the work. The dancer
This contrasting choreography is accompanied by a fast tempo piece of music, adding to the swift change in meaning on the last part of the performer's journey. The woman travels diagonally across the stage to affirm her power over all and to establish this with the audience. The choreography is feminine, with the dancer using her long ruffled skirt as a prop rather than a hindrance as seen in prior sections. The section reinforces the strength of freedom and the character's freedom. The dancer drops to knees, clasps her hands together and lifts them above her head following which, she throws them backwards and proceeds to then rise again without struggle. The section relieves the audience of the tension so imminent in the rest of the composition; the dancer has finalised the contradictory elements and the use of dynamics, space and time respectively have increased in consistency. The concluding section is simplified with uniform concepts ending the work. The dynamics transition to become solely percussive and vibratory and the tempo is consistently fast paced with simplified metre and a regular rather than syncopated rhythm. This secures the audience in understanding the piece. After being taken on a journey of empathising and witnessing the emotions of the dancer in the previous section, they are immediately enlightened to know the problem they were presented with at the beginning of Cry has been solved and the tension has been