The Alvin Ailey Dance Theater was created after a famous performance, led by Alvin Ailey and a group of African-American dancers in March 1958, dramatically changed how individuals viewed American dance. The theater’s goal was to celebrate the African-American culture and preserve the legacy of modern dance, which has since, been achieved through performances, “for an estimated 25 million people at theaters in 28 states and 71 countries on six continents[...] (by) more than 235 works by over 90 choreographers,” (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater).
Alvin Ailey, born in Texas, grew up knowing that his experiences living in the South would have some influence on his works later on his life. In Los Angeles, Ailey began to dance when he discovered the beauty of dance by the performances of Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and the Katherine Dunham Dance Company. Soon after, his friend persuaded Ailey to join a class in one of the first racially-integrated dance studios which existed in the United States, led by Leston Horton. When Horton passed away, he left the studio to Ailey and he began to perform multiple Broadway shows. In continuing to carry out Horton’s mission, and his vision of a company
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Jaminson established a 50-city global tour in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the studio, won countless awards, honors and created many unique works which include Divining (1984), Forgotten Time (1989) and Hymn (1993). However, recently, Jaminson decided to select Robert Battle to succeed her in the studio. A choreographer and artist at the Ailey theater, Battle has managed to create many respected ballets and collaborate with many diverse artists since he began to head the Company which has won him the “Masters of African-American Choreography” in 2005, “Visiting Fellow for the Art of Change” in 2015, and