How Did Alvin Ailey Contribute To Dance

How does a black man, in the USA, become a renowned choreography all over the world? In a time, with racial pressures and financial woes, Alvin Ailey found an outlet with dancing. In the 1960s and 1970s, modern dance was shaped into a popular art form by Alvin Ailey. Alvin created over 60+ dances for his dance troupe such as Blues Suite, Masakala Language, Night Creature, and Revelations. Like many who followed, Alvin Ailey became famous with his ambition and perseverance.

Alvin Ailey’s ambition was evident him using dance to become successful at a time few blacks were given the opportunity to perform. He grew up in the depression era and a time where there were limited occupations available for a black people as a result of segregation. Most

There were few options promoting the advancement of blacks in the arts. Alvin started tap dancing as a teenager. While in high school, he was introduced to Horton Dance School a school that was racially integrated. This dance school sparked his interest in modern dance, but he was unsure of possibilities to make a living by dancing. He decided to go to college to have a career which would generate a decent income. While in school he was offered a scholarship to return to the dance school. He returned but still opted to stop and return to another college. He did not complete college and danced in clubs prior to returning the Horton dance school to complete his training. Horton moved the school to New York and passed away in 1953. Alvin began running the school as the director. As director Alvin created the following dances for the Lester Horton Dance Theater: Afternoon Blues (1953); According to St. Francis (1954); La Creation du Monde (1954); and Mourning Morning (1954). The dances weren’t accepted by the public and as a result, the school closed. Alvin stayed in New York and continued to study dance and acting. Alvin continued to dance in multiple shows on and off Broadway including: “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” (Alvin Ailey Biography). Alvin’s dedication to

Ailey had perseverance. For instance, his mother moved many times in order to obtain work. All the while, they were moving his father was not there to help them. Alvin’s father left the family when he was an infant. The struggles of a young black man without a father in that time era were a burden. He did not have anyone to teach him how to grow to be a man. He would need to learn how to handle dangerous prejudicial acts on his own. His father taught him how to feel abandonment. In fact, he lived without his mother for a period of time while she went to work out of state. Alvin continued his education and graduated from high school, without the presence of his mother or father. Alvin started his own dance group, The Alvin Ailey American Dance, after the closing of the Horton dance school. He was not only a dancer; he was an actor and a director. Alvin took his dance group all over the world performing in New York, Europe, and Brazil. “They were the first modern dancers to visit the former Soviet Union since the 1920s” (Alvin Ailey