Hymn.

Hymn, the new work choreographed by Judith Jamison with text by Anna Deavere Smith, had its premiere at the splashy thirty-fifth anniversary gala that opened the annual New York City season of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Given on a program that featured stellar guests--Denzel Washington, Maya Angelou, and Jessye Norman, to name but three--the full-company work seemed like an ambitious piece d'occasion. Performed on various mixed bills during the run, Hymn looked like a television commercial, albeit a lengthy one, for the exciting and engaging company of dancers Jamison directs.

The motivations for this project possessed a soundness the final product does not. For her earlier one-woman show, Fires in the Mirror, Smith made penetrating theater out of her keen-edged interviews of disparate individuals affected by the riots in New York City's Crown Heights neighborhood. The material obtained here--reflections on Ailey's life and work--proves less intriguing. Only the rendering of company member Karine Plantadit's thoughts of her African grandmother soars above the realm of anecdote. Jamison's dancemaking is mostly limited to vestigial quotes from Ailey's canon and to large, unison ensembles that have the impact of high-energy workout sessions with Bejart-like punctuation.

With neither the bombastic, machine-made Robert Ruggieri score nor the flashy, billowy cyclorama (credited to no fewer than three designers) adding much distinction, Hymn could seem merely grandiose. Jamison's dancers, however, save the day, bringing glory on themselves and their director. If this eagerly attended season told me anything true about dance-theater, it was that dancers--first-rate performers--come first in the chain of command. Focus on the superlative artist is something Jamison has instinctively understood since her first days at the helm of the ship Ailey left at his death. Yes, he left a valuable legacy in the repertory, but its values only shine forth when individuals of shining ability show them to us.

It is probably only a matter of time before Ailey fans start demanding advance casting, ballet-company style, so they can be sure to catch their favorite dancers. Ironically, up until this season, the parts Jamison seemed least inspired about casting were her old roles. Now, with the ascendancy of marvelous Vikkia Lambert, Jamison has a sure-fire heir. I had the special pleasure of seeing this long, lean Nefertiti perform Jamison's old role in Revelations, as well as dance the languid "Meander" and the hell-bent "Vortex" in The River, all on the same night. Of the stellar male newcomers, Matthew Rushing brought incredible dazzle and definition to all the parts Jamison wisely gave him. I could go on to express amazement over other comers, such as Roger Bellamy, Michael Thomas and Karine Plantadit, before echoing the adulations given the ever-remarkable Desmond Richardson.