By Walter Rutledge
On June 4 at a group of former Ailey dancers sat down to discuss the recent reconstruction of Judith Jamison’s Hymn for the Ailey company’s four-day spring series at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The dancers were part of the original cast of Hymn and had participated in the new remounting of the work, while also coaching the dancers in the present Ailey company. What was apparent from the beginning of the discussion was their willingness, enthusiasm and what can only be described the sheer joy in sharing their experiences with the dancers and now the public.
Hymn premiered in 1993 and is Jamison’s love letter to Ailey. The dance/theater work combines explosive ensemble/full company passages with intimate personal written manifestos from the dancers. The dialogues were originally performed live by Anna Deavere Smith. Jamison would receive a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography in 1999 for her work on the PBS Great Performances: Dance in America television special titled “A Hymn for Alvin Ailey.”
O&A NYC Editor-in-Chief Walter Rutledge was there and documented this conversation. Dancers Sarita Allen, Danni Gee, Elizabeth Rojas Dobrich, Bernard Daddis, Katrine Plantadit, Desmond Richardson, Renee Robinson, Dwight Rodin, Matthew Rushing, Michael Lyon Thomas, Andre Tyson and Masazumi Chaya shared their extremely informative and often entertaining anecdotes about Hymn, Judith Jamison, the creative process and of course founder Alvin Ailey. It was a special hour of shared memories, and a bit of behind the scenes gossip worth repeating.
Hymn Conversation
In Photo: 1. Original Cast of Hymn 2. Hymn company
Photography by: 1. Walter Rutledge 2. Nan Melville
