Ailey – An Informative Yet Standard Documentary

This documentary follows the life of its subject Alvin Ailey, shedding some light on some of the music and styles that influenced his own dancing and choreographic style.

Being someone who knew nothing about Ailey before watching this, this film gives viewers the sense that this was a man of significant importance, but it can’t help but feel a little but standard; many have surely seen this type of documentary before, even down to the title being the subject’s last name. And it’s not just minute observations either, the whole narrative of talking heads trying to understand the essence of the man through archived footage is so familiar even if one doesn’t know much about documentaries. In this case, it’s the modern-day dancers and choreographers trying to draw inspiration from Ailey. To its credit, it is entertaining enough on a filmmaking level, and makes a strong argument for dance being able to express so much more than just the mind-blowing physical potential of the human body, but as a portrait of the man, it ultimately feels a little lacking.

One of the more compelling elements of Ailey was the emphasis on the music and theatre that informed Ailey’s childhood. The blues music of that era does create a good foundation for innovative dance moves and choreography, and some of that musical theater can’t be beat for sheer stage presence and physical prowess. Like any good theater, it leaves a lot to the imagination. If anything, this film should’ve focused more on specific periods of his life, the moments that were most important to his artistic development. How did his time playing football influence his dancing career. There are definitely interesting directions this documentary could’ve taken itself in but it doesn’t ever really go there.

Seeing many of Ailey’s most iconic dance numbers make for a truly exhilarating experience, and it’s easy to see his lasting influence on the medium. It is clear to see how his own life experiences left an imprint on his own unique style, but it would’ve been more powerful without the talking heads being cut back to every now and then. Make no mistake, Ailey’s artistic process is easily the most interesting part of this documentary. It should have offered longer scenes of Ailey just instructing his class. Those clips say more about what kind of a person he was than any kind of narration. In fact, the film could’ve put more focus on the modern-day dancers to create a more concrete parallel between the past and the present, and how we draw on the past to create our own art.

Ailey arguably should have featured more of the struggles that Ailey and his crew faced throughout the ’50s and ’60s. Every story of this kind is unique, and Ailey’s story sounds like one of the most unique. What did they have to do in response to racial discrimination? How did the dance team become a family-like unit? Questions like these are inspired and a more creative documentary might’ve answered them in a more detailed response.

Ailey should have shone a light on a true creative, especially for those unfamiliar with his work, but in the end, the film too often veers too often into hagiography territory. We’ve seen this type of story told before.

still courtesy of Neon

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Gabe Guarin

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