The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is celebrating its 50th anniversary, but how will this stellar company fare in the next half century? Very well, when you consider the rock star concessions, adoring crowd and exuberant ovations given on Saturday night at the California Center for the Arts - Escondido.

Clifton Brown in 'I Wanna Be Ready' from Alvin Ailey's "Revelations." Photo © Andrew Eccles

The program included three dances and a film tribute to Ailey and his legacy. No surprise, the most jubilant response followed the masterpiece "Revelations", which, in the company's tradition, closed both Saturday and Sunday shows.

Set to soulful spirituals, the dance juxtaposes the deep sorrow and hope within the African American experience, and is the paradigm of Ailey's choreography and vision.

The world has changed dramatically since Ailey created "Revelations" in 1960, and some aspects of this work have too. It remains theatrical and contains strong pantomime, and props such as stools and white umbrellas. And there are still those splendid waves of blue fabric.

The dancers perform each section with a deep reverence, and as we step into the future with a new president and further away from racial strife, the dancers' commitment to Ailey's universal message of freedom feels even more poignant. This new generation of dancers is more powerful technically. Still, under the watchful eye of artistic director Judith Jamison, they remain humble and evoke images of real people drawn from Ailey's childhood memories and history.

Akua Parker and Jamar Roberts breath together in 'Fix Me, Jesus,' and their expressions make you realize that she's not dancing with a man, but an angelic body. When he lifts her into a soaring pose, she is barely aware of his presence. Clifton Brown rises from the floor into a V with such ease that you expect him to levitate. After nearly a century, the piece still feels fresh, and this company comes at you in 'Rocka-my-soul' with such power that you'd swear Ailey made it for them.

"Revelations" is a beloved masterpiece, and it's such an authentic blend of grief, rooster-strut humor and joy that anything else tends to feel short. Ailey has always been a repertory company, and Alvin himself was one of the first choreographers to blur the lines of modern and ballet. His dancers had to be the best at everything from African to jazz, and this company is still one of the best. "Festa Barocca" (2008) by Italian choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti, which opened Saturday's show, follows Ailey's fondness for choosing contrasting music and dance styles, but veers too far from his logic.

It is inspired by Baroque art, but instead of illusions, it offers a frantic Baroque party. Set to recordings of some of Handel's best arias (sung by opera greats Andreas Scholl and Marijana Mijanovic), Bigonzetti plays with the rhythms and his movement is indeed inventive - a rich brew of classical and modern styles, tango (with a few bites to the elbow), and even double-timed hip-hop knee pops - that is beautifully danced, and mostly charming.

The bare-chested men are gorgeous as they jump in brightly colored satin skirts (by Marc Happel). The women are equally attractive in brilliant dresses and tiny trunks. But elaborate rolls, undulating arms, up and over the neck lifts and foot pulling and pressing seem odd and a bit silly. The crowd on Saturday loved the energy and sexy acrobatic partnering, and who can fault them for getting excited as the Ailey dancers have remarkable skill. Willy Laury thrills in a short solo filled with upper-body ripples and wild arms that propel him into the air. But opera buffs and anyone with a simple understanding of Italian had to be suspicious.

The music is lovely, but there is a schism between the lyrics and the choreography. Throughout the dance, we wonder if Bigonzetti is intentionally ignoring the lyrics (from L'Allegro, il Penseroso and Rodelinda) that sing of deriving "new grace from order, measure, time, and place…" and a queen who wrongly thinks her husband is dead, only to have him return incognito and watch her from afar.

Hope Boykin in Bigonzetti's "Festa Barocca." Photo © Steve Vaccariello

A sparkling Hope Boykin portrays the bewitching hostess of the party - in Italian she'd be called a "Strega" - acting as a fortuneteller-matchmaker-organizer who ties the sections together. In one section, she watches a duet from the side like a peeping cupid as a woman presses her foot to a man's chest. The two rise and entwine into a most awkward pose with her feet pressed to his head. Just as she slides through his legs and he throws some fake punches, Boykin intervenes, pressing her shaved head between them. With a snap her fingers, she calls the group to return with their own finger snapping.

Most memorable are the glorious skirts and the repeated disguising of dancers' eyes with encircling fingers in the realm of "Up in the air junior birdman…" which hints at elaborate Baroque galas and masquerades. And the finale is a swirl of color and welcome formality with lines of dancers in alternating jumps.

"Unfold," by Robert Battle is a short duet with stretchy extensions and beautiful arches, and it works well with the music to tell a story. We hear the superb voice of Leontyne Price in Gustave Chapentier's "Louise", and can imagine a seamstress trapped with her parents and dreaming of her lover. Constance Stamatou clings to Kirven J. Boyd like a serpent and then opens her smooth arms as if ready to fly away. The dance would have been better received if it hadn't followed "Barocca", accompanied as it was with so much operatic singing in the first half. And it is a pity that several stragglers missed it completely.

But everyone made it back in time for "Revelations." No matter how many times you see it, it's not enough. The secret is Ailey's simplicity and restraint. The most breathtaking section is the opening 'I been 'Buked,' just a huddle of people and a bounty of arms reaching up and dropping down in formation. Perfect.

Sunday's program featured "Blues Suite" (1958) by Ailey, "Suite Otis" (1971) by George Faison, and "Revelations" (1960).

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