How Did Alvin Ailey Contribute To Dance

Alvin Ailey Alvin Ailey is a multicultural modern dancer known for his great accomplishments in dance and choreography. He founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and throughout his lifetime created some 79 ballets, many of which have appeared in the repertoire of major dance companies. It was on a junior high school class trip to the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, he fell in love with concert dance. He became inspired by performances of the Katherine Dunham Dance Company and classes with Lester Horton. Alvin Ailey would go on to create a legacy of versatility and cultural expression. * Alvin Ailey, Jr. was born on January 5, 1931 in Roger, Texas. Ailey’s parents separated when he was five years old leaving his mom to raise him alone. Ailey and his mom moved to Los Angles in 1942 where his mother found work in an aircraft factory. At this time it was common for African-Americans to make this move as there were lucrative job opportunities. Ailey experienced a very rough childhood. He grew up in the time of segregation and witnessed his mother be victimized by five white men. This childhood incident would make him afraid of white people. During high school Ailey became interested in athletics and joined his high school gymnastics team and
played football. In 1949,Lester Horton, who's school was the first multi-racial dance school in the United States, became a major influence to Ailey, providing him with both artistic technique and a solid dance foundation.
Carmen De Lavallade and Ailey moved to New York in 1954 to dance in the Broadway production of “House of Flower”. Ailey was able to study and perform with many foremost modern and ballet dance teachers such as, Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman, and Karle Shook. First Ailey considered becoming a teacher and entered the University of California in Los Angeles to study languages. Ailey looked up to Horton as a mentor he was really impressed with Horton’s technique. When Horton offered him a scholarship Ailey returned to the dance school in 1953. Horton took the company east for a performance and Ailey was able to come along. Horton died suddenly. Ailey took charge as the company's artistic director Ailey choreographed two pieces following in Horton’s style and presented them at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, Massachusetts. They received poor reviews from the festival manager, and then the troupe broke up. Despite the setback, Ailey's career stayed on track. He continued to study ballet and acting. From the mid-1950s through the early 1960s Ailey appeared in many musical productions on and off Broadway, The Carefree Tree; Sing, Man, Sing; Jamaica; and Call Me by My Rightful Name. He also played a major part in the play Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright. In 1958 Ailey opened his own dance theater company. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) was a company of seven dancers dedicated to both modern dance classics and new works created by Ailey and other young artists. On March 30, 1958 AAADT performed there first concert marking the beginning of a new era of dance. Ailey’s technique included powerful and emotional appeal expressing the pain and anger of African Americans. He had many religious dances for example, revelations, and blues suite. Although AAADT performed many religious and African American emotions the company was very well multi-racial. One year later, the theater became the resident dance company at the Clark Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.
In 1965 Ailey was struggling with his weight and gave up dancing to choreograph. He also oversaw business details as the director of his ambitious dance company. In 1968 the company was having money problems but still manage to travel around the world bringing

modern dance to a wide range of audiences. The company performed in Southeast Asia and Australia as part of an international cultural program set up by President John F. Kennedy. Later the company traveled to Brazil, Europe, and West Africa they received funding from private and public organizations and was still haunted by their lack of funds. Ailey worked along Judith Jamison the leading African American soloist of modern dance to include people of different races in his company. Judith Jamison employed Asian and white dancers since the mid-1960s. Major honors followed Ailey throughout his choreographic career in 1970s.
Ailey's company was one of America's most popular dance troupes. The company continued touring around the world, with U.S. State Department backing. AAADT were the first modern dancers to visit the former Soviet Union since the 1920s. In the 1970s Ailey slowed his choreographic assignments to attend to the administrative and fund-raising operations associated with his ever expanding company Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The school relocated to 229 East 59th Street in Manhattan to share a renovated church building with Pearl Lang. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Pearl Lang Dance Company shared rehearsal
space.
Alvin Ailey was awarded the Gold Star for Best Modern Dance Company and Best Modern Dance Choreographer at the 1970 International Dance Festival. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater became the City Center’s first resident modern dance company in 1972. In 1979 The Company moved into its new home at 1515 Broadway. Ailey suffered a breakdown in 1980 that put him in the hospital for several weeks. At the time he had lost a close friend, was going through a midlife crisis, and was experiencing money problems. Still, he continued to work, and his reputation as a founding father of modern dance grew during the decade. In 1988 he was celebrated by the president of the United States for a lifetime of achievement in the arts at the Kennedy Center Honors.
Ailey died on December 1, 1989 at the age of 58. To spare his mother the social stigma of his death from AIDS, he asked his doctor to announce that he had died of terminal blood dyspraxia. Thousands of people joined the memorial service held for him at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Upon Ailey's death, Judith Jamison was appointed artistic director of the company, to work closely with rehearsal director and longtime company member Masazumi Chaya. The AAADT finally emerged from financial difficulties in 1992. Dance Magazine proclaimed it "recession-proof" because of powerful development efforts on the part of the Dance Foundation Inc.'s board of directors. Jamison has led the troupe to great fiscal and artistic strength, with her own choreography featured in the newest repertory. Alvin Ailey was a pioneer in modern dance; Ailey founded the racially integrated and popular modern dance troupe. Alvin Ailey lived a great life taking the AAADT very far and giving a lot of people chances to see a new style of dance. In 1992 Alvin Ailey was inducted into the C.V. Whitney Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Dance .Today the company continues to uphold Ailey's mission by presenting important works of the past and adding new ones to the repertoire.

Sommer, Sally. "Under her Spell." Connoisseur 217 (1987): 138-43. Art Full Text. Web. 15 Nov. 2011.

Grimm, Thomas, Judith Jamison, Alvin Ailey, and Talley Beatty. An Evening with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. Arthaus Music, 1986

Dunning, Jennifer. Alvin Ailey: A Life in Dance. Reading, Mass: Addison-Wesley, 1996. Print.