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How Did Alvin Ailey Contribute To Dance

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Alvin ailey was one of the most important pillars in the modern dance world. Since he was 18 to the time of his death in 1989 he has shown an undying passion for dance. Ailey is widely respected for his achievements nand the company he founded in 1954. He is also known and respected for being an awesome choreographer. Today i’m going to show what contribute to his success as a dance pioneer.

In 1958 at the age of 27 Ailey opened the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre. The opening of the theatre is known to be ailey’s greatest achievement as a dancer/choreographer. The theatre was ailey’s ticket to success because not to long after the opening of the theatre ailey and his dancers performed for the first time on March,30,1958 at a theatre in New York. The theatre was not always successful because in 1970 due to lack of funds the theatre almost dissolved. His theatre made him a important figure in history because it demonstrated what a black man could do even when the world is trying to stop him. Since being founded ailey’s company has become one of the best learning environments in the united states for young dancers to come to. …show more content…

His choreography was like nothing the world has seen as it has popularized multicultural modern dance for the world. His most famous piece is called revelations and is being performed to this day by his school of young students and it has been performed for people globally. Since his theatre was founded his students has performed for more than 20 million people not counting tv viewers. Last, ailey’s achievements has earn him the number 4 spot on the list for best choreographers in

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774 Words | 4 Pages

One of his male friends introduced him to the dance world at Horton’s Dance School. This school had a dance company that was actually the first company that accepted dancers of all races. At the age of 22, Alvin began complete training at Horton’s school. At the end of 1953, Horton passed away leaving the company without a choreographer. Though Alvin had little training and was only 22 years old, he was well known and respected in the Horton School.

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509 Words | 3 Pages

After a few years, Alvin made his debut in the Broadway musical House of Flowers and in The Carefree Tree. He also had the opportunity to study with Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman, and Karel Shook. He achieved fame by creating his own dance company called Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The company first began with seven dancers studying and dancing modern dance. Ailey

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1180 Words | 5 Pages

The emergence of this theater provides valuable opportunities to dancers all over the world, especially those great African-American dancers. The dancers created by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater have performed for more than 20 million people all around the world, and through numbers of television broadcasts, countless others are able to enjoy those great pieces of dance. Just as what Ailey said in the 25th anniversary of his company, in 1983---"I wanted to explore black culture, and I wanted that culture to be a revelation.” Definitely, Alvin Ailey had achieved his ambition, and undoubtedly we are all the better for

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475 Words | 2 Pages

While in high school Ailey would write poetry and sing spirituals. He would also go to shows in local theatres such as the Orpheum theatre. Alvin began to show interest towards dance after a friend from school introduced him to the studio of Lester Horton in 1949. He studied there and eventually joined Horton’s company in 1953. Shortly after, Ailey had his debut performance in Horton’s ‘Revue Le Bal Caribe’.

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1321 Words | 6 Pages

He showed young performers that you didn’t have to be white to be a star. He also made tap more accessible with his TV show “Gregory Hines Tap Dance in America” and his countless other films he brought tap into (Valis Hill par 5). Some people who previously were not interested in tap got a preview of what it is trhough his films, most famously “White Nights”, which featured both jazz and tap. Hine’s influence on American culture is important to consider because in addition to impacting many, those who admired him went on to inspire others creating an endless spiral of motivation, art, joy and role models. He inspired other dancers including Savion Glover, Dianne Walker, Ted Levy, and Jane Goldberg (Valis Hill par 6).

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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.

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After learning that much of the root and base of black culture in modern America had begun in Africa, and she decided to major in Anthropology and to focus on dances of the African diaspora. After graduating with a Masters and Ph.D. in Anthropology she opened a dance school in the 1930s, and formed her Chicago-based dance company, Ballet Négre, which was the first self-supporting black modern-dance troupe. After the Ballet Négre didn’t succeed as predicted, Dunham consults Speranzeva who advises her to forgo ballet, to focus on modern dance, and to develop her own style. A year later, 1933, Dunham decides to follow through with her plan and opens the Negro Dance Group, in Chicago which visited more than fifty countries on six continents. The group toured extensively after World War II, showing off its unique style of foot stamping, hip and shoulder shaking, and African dancing.

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Research Paper On Alvin Ailey

1371 Words | 6 Pages

Alvin Ailey had a dream of starting his own company and, encouraged by Lester Horton, he moved to New York City to pursue a dance career. When first arriving in New York he took dance classes all over town and met many different dancers. Nine of those dancers shared his dream to start a unique modern dance company that would include blues and gospel music which was the heritage of African-American people (Pinkney 20). He shared his dream for this company and said, " I am trying to show the world that we are all human beings and that color is not important. What is important is the quality of our work" ( Defrantz).

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2321 Words | 10 Pages

In 1971, Alvin Ailey choreographed Cry, a three part work solo dance set to gospel music that describes an emotional journey filled with struggle, hardships, defeat, survival and joy. It was intended as a birthday present to Alvin’s mother and a dedication to all black women everywhere. The first part of the dance is the struggle of trying to maintain pride irrespective of the opposition faced from outside. The second part reveals the sorrow within after the woman’s pride has been shattered into pieces and finally the third part is a spirited celebration of finding strength and joy in God. Even though cry was dedicated to only black women, i argue the notion that all women both black and white of the nineteenth century could relate

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767 Words | 4 Pages

I picked to write about Alvin Ailey because I feel like this is the decade and generation that his legacy died in because when it comes to dance no one thinks of Ailey as the founding father his dancing is a lost art.. Alvin Ailey was an amazing dancer and choreographer with his own unique dance style. His talent was referenced in Fresh Prince of Bel Air and a different world his style is what makes him stand out from other choreographers. Alvin Ailey was not born with his name in lights he had a rough beginning. Born in Rogers, Texas on January 5th 1931 as Alvin Ailey Jr.

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756 Words | 4 Pages

Alvin Ailey was a prevalent modern dance choreographer in the 20th century known for breaking down the racial barriers within dance. Born in Rodgers, Texas and growing up around the era of social rebellion and the fight for reconstruction of cultural stereotypes, Alvin Ailey’s company played an important role in the civil rights movement. Founding the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in December 1958, Ailey brought the vision of greater racial equality and used his modern dance as a platform for both his personal and cultural expression. Through the medium of dance, Alvin Ailey emerged African American aesthetic, fostered awareness for the need of multi-racial modern dance, and pioneered dance as a political and social movement. Ailey made a point of producing the works of black choreographers and musicians, focusing his productions on black American themes.

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