At Ailey, a dance set to Coltrane finds a sombre radiance

New York

JOHN Coltrane and David Byrne aren't casual choices for a choreographer looking for dance music - at least they shouldn't be. Yet last week, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater proved that there's a place for both.

Twyla Tharp's The Golden Section, set to music by Byrne and returning to the repertory this season, still shimmers. True, the dancers need more time to live in the groove of her tricky coordinations - the movement needs to look as though it's melting off the body - but nothing checks that box faster than performance time.