Alvin Ailey Essay

The Alvin Ailey modern dance company is known internationally for their works and dancers but how they began is a very interesting story. The company formed in 1958 and just two years later one of the most memorable and notable performances of the company was created, “.Revelations”. Although Alvin Ailey was the creator and director of this company, Ailey’s style and the technique he used and that the company still uses stems from Lester Horton. Horton was a pivotal teacher for Ailey and inspired him to create a company and carry on this technique from Horton. This paper will illustrate the beginning influence Horton had on Ailey and how the company has grown overtime.

To begin, Lester Horton was born January 23rd of 1906 in Indiana and grew

In starting his professional career Horton created his own modern technique mostly based on Native American traditional dances as well as anatomical studies of the human body. Horton technique consists of flat blacks and laterals; Horton was interested in clearly defined shapes, and manipulating those shapes through space. His technique also focuses on lengthening the body and many say the technique helps, “develops the body as an instrument of movement and improves the dancer's physical limitations”. With his studies and choreography he created for TV, film and broadway. Soon after defining his technique Horton created the Lester Horton Dance Theater in 1946. During the 1940s there was still nationwide segregation in the United States and many dance companies were not integrated. Yet, Horton did not agree with that and became one of the first modern dance companies to include people of all races. Which made his dance company stand out in Los Angeles and drew in dancers like Alvin Ailey. Alvin Ailey, was just starting his professional dance career and joined

To begin, in 1982 Alviin Aliey’s company earned one of the most prestigious awards from the United Nations. This award allowed the company to be able to enroll any non immigrant alien dancers to the United States to join the company. This helped continue to grow the company internationally and open the space to all ethnic groups. To continue the company just five years later in 1987 later received the greatest honor a modern dance company can achieve; the Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award. The following year during the company's 30th anniversary in 1988 Alvin Ailey was invited to The Kennedy Center Honors. Where he received the award for, the lifetime contribution to American culture through the performing arts. Also that same year Ailey received the Handel Medallion, which is the highest cultural award one can receive in NYC. Sadly following all this recognition and success Alvin Ailey passed away unexpectedly in 1989 at the age of 58. To reiterate, 1989 is the same year previous company dancer Judith Jamison became the director following Ailey's wishes after his