How Did Alvin Ailey Contribute To Dance

On January 5th, 1931 Alvin Ailey was born in the city of Rogers, Texas. His mother was a teen and his father was a labor worker. When Ailey was less than a year old, his father left him and his mother. With his mother being young and having no husband to help raise a child, Ailey grew up in a lower class community. This came in a time of segregation when advancement for people of color and women were small. As he got older, he was inspired by the black church services that would later serve as an influence to his dance choreographies. In 1942, when he was twelve, him and his mother moved to Los Angeles California, where his interest in athletics such as gymnastics and football were sparked. He fostered an admiration for Gene Kelly and Fred

As an African-American from the south, Ailey strived to preserve his culture and enrich the modern dance community. In his lifetime, he created more than 80 dances for his company spanning from 1958 to his death. One of his first pieces debuted in his company's first year called Blues Suite, a piece that drew from his southern roots (Welchman.) According to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater website, Revelations came from Ailey's “blood memories” of his childhood in rural Texas and the Baptist Church, which is often cited as his masterpiece work in the dance world. Ailey is responsible for introducing many diverse dance techniques which altered Modern Dance. Ailey also had the opportunity to travel around the world to promote his dance and learn many different exotic cultures. In 1969 Ailey also formed the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, known today as the Ailey School. Alvin Ailey was honored for all his contributions to the American dance culture. In 1988, Alvin Ailey was honored by the Kennedy Center for his contributions to the arts. During his long career, Ailey choreographed close to 80 ballets

Originally rules a blood disorder, later The New York Times reported he died of AIDS. However, because of the shame and disgrace that usually represented AIDS/HIV during 1980s, Ailey actually asked his doctor to announce that the cause of his death was terminal blood dyscrasia, a rare blood disorder, so his mother wouldn’t know that if was a fairly new disease that had killed him (Martin.) In 2006 his dance company performed for an AIDS benefit on world AIDS day in his honor, with the choreographer taking stories from people with AIDS and HIV to create his piece. The legacy of Alvin Ailey lives on today, with his dance company having performed in front of 20 million people in 70+ countries. His dance company still operates to this day having many performances across the country. His company also still operates a dance school, which is influencing the dance world long after his death. A stretch of West 61st street in New York City has been renamed in his honor as well