Analysis of Alvin Ailey’s “Cry”

By Lauren Stewart

GLEFTSSection A:

In the beginning section of the dance, the contrasting body actions of stillness and locomotion are used to depict the dancers struggle against oppression as a bonded slave while trying to hold on to her spiritual ties to her homeland. The first phrase shown in the dance is of her standing upright, the scarf held with both hands, flowing in a long stream vertically to the floor. This pose, held in stillness, is symbolic of the chains that bound her on her journey to America. As the white scarf covers her face, this depicts the oppression of her white captors and of her new identity as a slave. In a slow, unveiling motion, the dancer moves her arms so that they are held out in front of her with the white fabric covering her wrists like manacles. The dancer uses locomotion in the following phrase when she executes slow deliberate walks, moving in a zigzagging motion, travelling forward with her arms suspended in front of her, the white scarf maintaining the symbolism of chains and of her being dragged into her new life as a slave. Despite the degradation displayed by being bound by the scarf, the dancers head is upright and proud, demonstrating her fighting spirit at not showing weakness to her captors.

Towards the end of the beginning section, the body action turning is used to demonstrate the confusion and bewilderment felt by those kidnapped from their homes and brought against the will into a life not of their choosing. This is shown when the dancer performs a turn on one leg with the other in a high roundhouse kick, which is followed by another turn in an alternate direction with her leg raised in attitude behind her. By alternating the direction of the turn, this shows how lost they are in this new world where there are considered the property of white men, captured and sold as though they were animals. The phrase following this makes use of strong gestural movement to show the dancers struggle to break free of her life of servitude and oppression as a domestic slave. This is shown when the dancer runs to one side of the stage and raises her fists as though striking out at her unseen opponents then changes direction and repeats the movement phrase on the other side of the stage. Although this is appears to be a physical battle, it is just as equally a mental and spiritual battle as she fights her own fear and depression in the face of such adversity.

Section B:

The development section of “Cry” is devoted to her fight against the oppression of the white man in a segregated society. The body actions of elevation and turning are used to demonstrate the uncertainty and fear faced by the African American population in the slow monotonous battle for the civil rights they so deserve. An elevation performed in this section is when the dancer lifts her leg in a very slow arabesque before collapsing her back leg into attitude, followed by a contraction of the upper body. This move shows her strength of will in trying to fight for the rights long denied to

her and her people despite being crushed under the pressure of prejudice and racism. The leg raised in arabesque collapses to swing through into a front kick, her body tense and poised as though terrified of the consequences of falling and being consumed by the blind hatred of those so against her people being recognised as their equal. This move is flowed by a turn on one leg with the other raised in a high kick, further demonstrating their twirling confusion and uncertainty at being unrecognised as American citizens, with no rights or liberties.

The climax of the development section makes use of both gesture and falling to detail the pain and anger felt by the African-American people at the injustices done to them. The dancer unleashes all her pent up fury and pain in a primal, roar scream that serves as a reflection of the suffering echoed throughout the generations of those immersed with the African American culture. This scream is followed by a turning fall to the ground, her body bowed and her head down, as though consumed with the pain and suffering cause by the hardships she has already faced and the many challenges still to come in their quest for equality.

Section C:

Section C makes much use of the body action locomotion, which demonstrates the freedom she is experiencing as a free African American woman. One such section is where she walks in a diagonal, her feet moving in an out-and-across movement with her arms bent and her chest pulsing back and forth. This movement is reminiscent of a bird flapping its wings and is full of meaning as birds are symbolic of flight and freedom. By using this, the dancer is showing her spirits newfound freedom at being able to express her heritage. This movement is followed by a slow exaggerated walk forward, with alternating legs raised to a 90 degree angled kick, and arms slowly rotating forward. This phrase is a reflection of the slow monotonous battle they fought and won for their rights as equal citizens.

In the resolution section of the dance, the body actions Gesture and Falling are used to portray a significant movement phrase of this section, where the dancer gestures in prayer demonstrating her spiritual connection to god which despite all the trials she faced, never failed. During a break in the music where the main beat stops so that only the vocals can be heard, the dancer executes a fall to the ground with her knees bearing her weight, her upper body and head angled towards the sky in a prayer stance. This is a particularly powerful gesture as for the first time in the piece she prays to god in thanks and in celebration rather than for help to overcome slavery or segregation.

BFACTSSection A:

In the beginning section of the dance, the dancer makes use of the technique and physical skills of transference of weight and alignment, when performing a series of turns. The dancer performs a numerous amount of turns, in the direction of the back of the stage with her arms raised above her head, her palms facing outwards. The dancer uses transference of weight when alternating from one leg to the other in this series of embellished chaine turns. As this movement is performed using the balls of the feet, it is very important to maintain proper alignment through the upper body so to keep the dancers centre of gravity stable when executing these fast turns. If not maintained, the dancer could be at risk of spraining the ankle or knee as the improper weight distribution could cause unnecessary strain on these areas. To prevent this the dancers weight should be distributed over the front of the foot. The head maintains focus with the back of the stage, spotting to ensure that the dancers body is all moving towards one direction and the torso is holding strong with the core muscles engaged.

In the final phrase of the beginning section, flexibility and control are evident when the dancer executes stillness in the form of a pose. During this phrase, the dancer runs to the back of the stage to stand with her feet apart, weight distributed equally on both feet. The dancer then stretches one arm up so that it is slightly behind her head, and then reaches the other arm up so that it crosses with the first. This move demonstrates the dancers flexibility in her arms and upper body. This pose is held in a controlled stillness, and is maintained through the use of strong core muscles. The dancer must make sure that the head stays upright and steady so that the muscles in the neck are not strained due to the pressure of the arms pressing upon it as they are crossed behind the head.

Section B:

During the development section of the dance “Cry”, the dancer demonstrates the technical and physical skills of balance, flexibility and alignment. This occurs during a balancing movement phrase where the dancer lifts her leg in a very slow arabesque before collapsing her back leg into attitude, which is followed by a contraction of the upper body. The leg raised in arabesque collapses to swing through into a front kick, which is held parallel to the floor, her body held strong and poised. This is done through the use of leg flexibility, balance as the dancers centre of gravity rests on one leg and proper alignment of the leg in the hip socket. The dancer must ensure that this demonstration of leg flexibility is done properly with the use of proper distribution of weight on her standing leg, to avoid unnecessary strain by rolling in on the arches of the feet. As the dancer is faced to the side, the audience is given a proper view of the dancers body alignment, which is shown during this section through the use of correct turnout of the leg, raised in arabesque.

In this section, the dancer makes use of both transference of weight and shows strength in her upper body. This is established in a phrase where the dancer reaches up with both hands, her body slightly tilted before bringing them down to rest on one hip. In the repeat of this movement the dancer uses this slight bending of the upper body to prepare her for a double turn. This turn is

performed on the dancers right leg with the other raised off the ground in a low attitude, with the arms gradually raising as the double-turn progresses. Transference of weight occurs in preparation of the turn, where the dancer leans towards her left hand-side, which serves to propel her in the turn once she has altered her center of gravity to her right leg. In order to execute this move safely, the dancer must have full control of her core muscles, which are used to keep the body steady so that the dancers center of gravity does not alter mid turn, resulting in possible injury.

Section C:

In the resolution section of the dance, the technical and physical skills used are coordination and control. This is demonstrated during a phrase in which the dancer walks in a diagonal towards the back of the stage, her feet moving in an out-and-across motion with her arms bent and her chest pulsing back and forth. Her focus alternates from looking towards the diagonal, in the direction she is walking, before changing her focus to look back in the opposite direction. This head movement is executed with strong flicks of the head, her focus unwavering. Co-ordination is evident in this movement phrase as her legs are moving to a different rhythm to that of her upper body. Her chest is pulsing at twice the speed to which her legs are moving. This movement is executed smoothly due to her support of her core muscles. A strong control of the upper body is shown in the quick, sharp chest pulsations. To ensure this is done safely, the dancer would need to make sure she has warmed up the upper body so that the vibratory movements in the section would not be jarring to the body due to inflexible muscles.

Throughout the resolution section, the dancer maintains the physical skills of stamina and strength to properly execute the fast paced movement vocabulary this section contains. An example of a phrase, which requires much stamina, is the beginning phrase of this section where the dancer performs a series of reaches in an upward direction, alternating arms each time. The legs are held in a wide stance, to enable the upper body to move freely, unhinged by any stiffness in the lower body. Throughout this arm-reaching phrase, the upper body is in a constant state of gyration and vibratory movement. This requires a high level of stamina as the body uses up much energy when performing at this fast pace. To ensure that this doesn’t damage the muscles that are engaged, the dancer should make sure to warm up these muscles properly so that they are flexible and will operate smoothly.