Alvin Ailey
"Making dances is an act of progress; it is an act of growth, an act of music, an act of teaching, an act of celebration, an act of joy."- Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey Jr. is considered one of the most influential
American dancers of all time. He was born in 1931 in rural Texas. When his
parents divorced, he moved with his mother to Los Angeles where he was
introduced to dance at Lester Horton’s Hollywood dance studio. There, Ailey studied
various classical and modern dance techniques that allowed him to create his
unique smoldering performance style. At the age of 23 he moved to New York to
pursue his career. He eventually began the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater,
a studio where he encouraged the dancers to create and present their own unique
and individualized performance style.
Ailey’s dance style incorporates classical ballet and modern
dance techniques as well as social and folk dances. When choreographing, he
drew upon his experiences being raised as an African American man before the
time of racial equality.His most popular work, Revelations,
is meant to tell the story of the persistence of African American spirituality
from slavery to freedom. All aspects of his dances are meant to portray
something, from the stage lighting to the way the dancers’ muscles tense and
release. Ailey tried to do more with his dances than just tell stories. He
wanted to give African Americans a chance to express their history and
experiences through dance.
My mother first introduced me to Alvin Ailey when his dance
company came to Seattle many years ago. At the time I was dancing ballet at a
rather conservative school, and becoming a little bored with it. When the
performance began, I was blown away. I had never seen a ballet with such an odd
and vast array of influences. This performance demonstrated to me that not all
dancers need to have a certain body shape or dance style. The Alvin Ailey
American Dance Theater inspired me to appreciate and develop my own unique
performance style.
Alvin Ailey is one of the most influential dancers not only
because of his unique and mesmerizing performance style but also his
accomplishments. He was able to forge his own career in a time when African
Americans were not considered equals. Ailey created his own unique dance style
in a discipline that did not allow for much variation. Although Alvin Ailey
passed away 26 years ago, his choreography and dance company continue to awe
and inspire audiences and dancers worldwide.
This link will take you directly to Alvin Ailey American
Dance Theater’s website. Here you can also explore more about the company
today; calendar of performances, classes available to the public and dancers,
and more about the people who run the company.
This is a PBS article detailing Alvin Ailey’s life and the
history of his dance company. Here, you can read about his passion for dance,
the history behind the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and those who helped
start and run it.
This is Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Vimeo profile.
You can watch clips of performances and from both the professional and amateur
classes. When watching, notice how the dancers utilize space horizontally and
vertically and the lines and shapes created by the dancers’ bodies.