Ailey (2021)

Hip-hop dance festival Summer Dance Forever and Cinedans present the documentary 'Ailey' about black dance icon Alvin Ailey Ellington, with the short pre-film Draptomania.

Alvin Ailey Ellington (1931-1989) was an American dancer, director, choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) in 1958. The AAADT, and its affiliated Ailey School, acted as a safe haven for black artists who expressed their African American identity through dance. Director Jamila Wignot edited ninety minutes of rehearsals, performances, statements by Ailey himself and by a selection of ex-dancers from his company. She interspersed it with current images of a production in the making by hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris, made with the latest generation of Ailey dancers. The documentary provides insight into the complexity of Ailey's life, in which he struggled not only for recognition as a black artist in a dominant white culture, but also for (self)acceptance of his sexual orientation and his struggle with feelings of dissociation as an artist within the black community. 

'Drapetomania' by Dutch multidisciplinary artist, curator, podcaster and author Richard Kofi refers to an alleged mental illness that caused enslaved blacks to flee from captivity. In this short abstract dance film, choreographed by Junadry Leocaria, a couple tries to find a way out of a collapsing world. Their search for freedom defies all logic, making them the glitch in the system that disrupts the narrative itself. 

Summer Dance Forever is an important international Hiphop dance festival. Dancers and audiences from around the world gather in the city of Amsterdam each year in August to enjoy this international dance feast, packed with the best of today and the great promises of tomorrow. Organized in several venues around town, Summer Dance Forever presents a great variety of dance performances, next level battles, soulful club nights, workshops to refresh and boost your skills, inspiring films and lectures, and more. This year's festival takes place from 22-28 August at Paradiso, DeLaMar, ITA and Melkweg. For the complete program and tickets check the website!