Research Paper On Alvin Ailey

Alvin Ailey Jr. People have aspirations and dreams that they hope come true to create a positive impact on the world. A person who succeeds in this can be a hero who inspires and teaches others. Alvin Ailey had aspirations and dreams that he made come true when he introduced what African American people can do through dance. He created a new image of dance that had a positive impact by founding the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater that challenged societal expectations through the performing arts. Alvin Ailey Jr. is a hero because he created an African American dance company and choreographed pieces that expressed views on African American issues. Alvin Ailey was an African American born on January, 5 1931 in the poor town of Rogers,

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). His idea of creating this company was unique because he combined the culture of African Americans within his new style of dance. Modern dance is based off of ballet positions, but it is more loose and expressive. Ailey wanted to create a modern dance company using his free style of movement. There were many modern companies and dancers, but very few that moved like Alvin or looked like him. Starting his own modern company gave Alvin the opportunity to tell his stories through dance, and he did this with his Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Ailey wanted to show the world what African Americans can do and the talent that they have, excluding the fact that they are black. Dance is a very hard thing to do. No matter black

Messages can be conveyed in many ways including through movement. A dancer knows how to use their facial expressions, combined with the dynamics of their body, to get their message across. A choreographer knows how to structure a dance to communicate a message through body in motion. Alvin Ailey choreographed his dancers and used this form of communication to create many powerful dances. In particular, his form of modern dance provided a wide range of opportunity to take advantage of this form of communication because it is so open and free. Revelations is about the spiritual traditions of African American culture and the journey from slavery to freedom. Alvin Ailey used his choreography to share his life story with people. With his new take on dance, people began to realize that dance is more than just moving your body; it is used to express emotions, dreams and experiences. During the time this dance was choreographed, the African American population was experiencing great difficulty in breaking cultural barriers. His dance helped them to communicate what they had been through and in doing so helped others understand them better. Another one of his dances, Cry, proved to many that dance can communicate a message. Cry is one of Alvin Ailey’s most well regarded pieces that he choreographed for his mother to tell the story of African American women (Grimm). The dance starts with