Dancers depict spiritual seekers amid four angels standing on the corners of the earth, holding the four winds. In his fifth commission for the Ailey company since 1999, Brown turned to the song “Lamentations” by his friend, recording artist Carl Hancock Rux. Drawing from West African and modern dance influences, Brown uses grounded, earthy movements to portray figures who are burdened by grief but ultimately find peace, solace, and freedom with the aid of “the angels in their corners” mentioned in Rux’s text.
…Beloved, you say your God, woman you’re earth, lamentations born, you son…Four Corners with blades and sheaths…
Four Corners was commissioned by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 2014.
