Ailey, Alvin Jr.
1931-1989 · Contribution: 1958-1989
Choreographer & Dance Company Founder
Founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1958, creating a lasting home for Black dancers and choreographing 'Revelations,' one of the most performed ballets in the world
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Quick facts
- Born
- 1931
- Active since
- 1958
- Category
- Arts, Music & Entertainment Tech
- Best known for
- Founded Alvin Ailey American Dance TheaterChoreographed "Revelations"Home for Black dancers
Impact on the world
Ailey created a permanent, world-class home for Black dance at a time when the field systematically shut Black artists out. "Revelations" carried the African American experience to stages around the world.
Sources
- Britannica
4 more sources and references are available to members.
Related visionaries
Jamison, Judith Ann
1943-2024
Alvin Ailey's principal muse and star dancer for 15 years; succeeded him as artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for 21 years, becoming the first African American woman to lead a major modern dance company
Dunham, Katherine Mary
1909-2006
Pioneered Black theatrical dance by fusing African, Caribbean, and modern dance traditions, and developed the Dunham Technique, the first codified dance system based on African-diasporic movement; anthropologist, Kennedy Center Honoree (1983), and National Medal of Arts recipient (1989)
Mitchell, Arthur
1934-2018
First African American principal dancer at a major ballet company; founded Dance Theatre of Harlem in 1969, the first major Black classical ballet company in the United States
Primus, Pearl Eileen
1919-1994
Pioneered the serious anthropological study and concert presentation of African dance in the United States; choreographed 'Strange Fruit' and 'The Negro Speaks of Rivers' as direct artistic responses to lynching and racial injustice