Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater wows packed house at Merrill [Video]

If memory serves, it has been a long five years since the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater last graced the stage at Merrill Auditorium. Cheers from the packed house Wednesday night indicated the audience appreciated the return of the company, a late-season treat from Portland Ovations.

The high-energy dancers offered a variety of pieces, leaning toward new or newly revised work while also bringing back a famous classic in the roughly 90-minute performance (not including intermissions). From entrancing solos to dazzling ensemble passages, there was almost too much to take in as the dancers embodied the company’s signature way of combining roots, reverence and celebration in sophisticated yet relatable ways.

“Dancing Spirit,” a piece choreographed by Ronald K. Brown, lived up to its title. A sense of joyful expression developed slowly through passages of infectious music by Duke Ellington, Wynton Marsalis and others. Sequential poses and balletic flourishes traversed styles …