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Two dancers are performing a duet on stage. The male dancer is in a lunge position, wearing beige tights with gold accents. The female dancer is balancing on one leg with the other leg extended behind her, wearing a flowing white skirt and gold top. They are holding hands and reaching upward, with an intricate orange and red patterned background.

Repertory

Isba

COMPANIES

CHOREOGRAPHER

WORLD PREMIERE

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: New York City Center, 1983

AILEY II PREMIERE

1985

AILEY II RESTAGING

Christopher Huggins and Patricia Dingle

MUSIC

George Winston

ORIGINAL DÉCOR & COSTUMES

Carol Vollet Garner

AILEY II DÉCOR & COSTUMES

Carol Vollet-Kingston

ORIGINAL LIGHTING

Chenault Spence

AILEY II LIGHTING

Tim Hunter

RUN TIME

25 Minutes

Isba, a word invented by Alvin Ailey, shows the choreographer’s affinity for ritual. A sweeping, romantic ballet centered around a couple’s courtship and marriage, this tender story containing African tribal influences is framed by George Winston's piano score, Autumn. Swirling skirts, swiveling hips, and arms outstretched to heaven fill the stage as a regal couple in virginal white is juxtaposed with tribesmen and priestesses in vivid shades of pink and teal. The rhapsodic ballet ends in a festive finale that combines turns and jumps of balletic virtuosity with sensuous movement derived from both modern and African dances. 

Ailey II in Isba

A black and white photo of dancers Dwana Smallwood and Amos Machanic Jr. in mid-performance. Dwana Smallwood is in the foreground, her body arched backward with arms extended and a flowing dress creating a dramatic shape. Amos Machanic Jr. is behind her, standing upright with arms extended, wearing a necklace and a bare chest. The background is plain and light-colored.

Dwana Smallwood, Amos Machanic, Jr. in Isba Beatriz Schiller

Black and white photo of five members of the company performing in Isba. The dancers wear flowing skirts and are captured in various graceful poses. One dancer is in mid-air with an arched back and outstretched arms. The background features a circular spotlight pattern.

Members of the Company in Isba Maya Wallach

Two dancers, one leaping in the air and doing a split, the other perpendicular to the ground, with both arms and legs straight and extended apart from one another

"Isba is Ailey’s version of a neo-classical ballet with its hierarchy of nobles, romantic pas de deux, and festive ensemble dances." - Valerie Sudol, The Newark Star-Ledger "A beautiful ensemble piece... [Ailey II] infused its performance with spirit and love for its art." - John Wirt, Daytona News-Journal