Ailey 2 – Hull New Theatre
Storm Babet was no deterrent to the hardy souls who ventured out on Friday evening to watch Ailey 2 at the Hull New Theatre.
This energetic troupe of modern dancers - I counted 12 in all - come to the city as part of a UK tour.
Ailey 2 has been described by the New York Times as being the “younger version of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater” - a company founded in 1958 by choreographer, dancer and visionary, Alvin Ailey to bring African-American dance to the world stage from its base in the Big Apple.
From what I witnessed on Friday evening, Ailey’s quest has been a huge success.
At curtain up, the stage - left, right and centre - was enveloped in black, as were the dancers who emerged in the gloom to a hypnotic, and very loud, drum beat.
They moved individually, sometime...