Modern dance was a expressive dance style against classical ballet in the 20th century. In the United States this shifted the dance world tremendously. People such as Alvin Ailey exemplified the modern dance world. Alvin Ailey was not only a african american choreographer but also an activist. In 1958 he founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, which was, known for traveling internationally. Alvin Ailey mother was only seventeen years old, when he was born. Ailey grew up without a father, and went through the Great Depression and segregation. It was very hard for his mother to find a job so they traveled often. Like many other african-american his family migrated to Los Angeles, California. Throughout high school Alvin Ailey sang and wrote poetry, he did not become serious about dance until 1949 when he was introduced to Lester Horton. Horton became Ailey’s mentor and introduced him into his school. In Horton’s school Ailey was exposed to variety …show more content…
Ailey incorporated various techniques, jazz, ballet, modern, and african dance techniques. Through his movement he wanted to show pain and anger of African Americans. Blues Suite was an immediate success and defined Ailey's style. Later he choreographed Revelations on January 31, 1960. Revelations tells a story of the african american and also the long journey from slavery to freedom. Revelations was a widely known piece in modern dance over 23 million people in 71 different countries across 6 continents have seen these work of art. Revelations consists of three sections, each of which contain three or four numbers: first, “Pilgrim of Sorrow” suggests to the atmosphere of oppression in the south and a search for deliverance through spirituality; second, “Take Me to the Water” evokes baptism and a sense of hope and renewal; and third, “Move, Members, Move” consists of cheerful, high-energy numbers conveying church and