BEYOND THE STEPS follows Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater during a pivotal time in its history as the company ventures abroad while establishing new roots at home in New York City. When the company moves into a state-of-the-art facility called "the largest in the country devoted exclusively to dance," longtime company Artistic Director Judith Jamison creates a new ballet entitled Love Stories. Choreographed in collaboration with hip-hop pioneer Rennie Harris and modern dance maverick Robert Battle, Jamison explains that Love Stories expresses "the past, present and future" of the company. Ailey dancers take center stage in this documentary as the troupe brings this new work to the White Nights Dance Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia.
—Becca Bender