The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater presented its New Works program at Sadler’s Wells in London, offering a repertoire that, while not avant-garde, underscores the company’s lasting strengths in skill, craftsmanship, beauty, and emotional depth. The performances highlighted a range of choreographic voices, each contributing to the evening’s artistic scope.

Medhi Walerski’s Blink of an Eye, new to the Alvin Ailey company though created in 2011 for Nederlands Dans Theater, opened the program. Set to solo violin music by Bach, the piece is marked by its spare and composed style. Eight dancers form shifting shapes—initially a line, then a circle—that dissolve into solos, duets, and trios. The movement’s counterpoint evokes the music’s stringed qualities, with limbs extending like violin strings and torsos curving reminiscent of a violin’s body, resulting in a spacious and visually harmonious composition.

Another work, Many Angels, choreographed in 2024 by veteran Lar Lubovitch at age 81, set choreography to Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, featuring five dancers against a cloudscape backdrop. The piece explores a celestial atmosphere through frieze-like formations that alternately hold statuesque poses and flow back into motion, evoking moments of quiet transcendence.

The program also featured two works that delve into more introspective realms. Jamar Roberts’ Song of the Anchorite follows a solitary, monk-like figure portrayed by Yannick Lebrun, who navigates an uncertain journey. The use of a green cloth becomes a symbol of guidance as the character finds direction within a jazzy adaptation of a Ravel adagio.

A Case of You, a revival of a 2004 duet by Judith Jamison, incorporated a musical element dominated by Diana Krall’s husky rendition of Joni Mitchell’s song, which some observers noted nearly overwhelmed the piece. The duet, performed by Caroline T Dartey and Christopher Taylor, depicts lovers entwined in intricate movements—lifts, slides, and mirrored gestures—that impart a luminous quality to their interaction.

The evening concluded with a signature piece, Alvin Ailey’s Revelations from 1960, a staple of the company’s repertoire. This work continues to resonate with audiences through its expressive range, reaching outward, inward, and upward, sustaining its place as an enduring and meaningful finale. The program as a whole emphasized qualities that may not chase trends but affirm the timeless appeal of well-executed artistry and emotional resonance in dance.