Alivin ailey biography

In summer ofAiley spotted Judith Jamison, a strikingly tall dancer with a strong foundation in ballet, at an audition he was attending. Ailey saw something special in her and tracked her down to invite her to join the company. Alvin Ailey was born to a teen-aged single mother. His father was never a presence in his life. During his childhood, his mother worked hard to earn a meager living.

The two moved often. As a youngster, Ailey often had to fend for himself after school while his mother worked. His was not an easy life. Perhaps Alvin became used to being alone and that influenced his intensely private nature, or perhaps that was his personality. As early as his high school years Alvin was conflicted about his sexuality.

He dated girls but found himself attracted to boys. This was an internal conflict that Ailey never overcame but never totally accepted about himself. When Alvin was a young adult, his mother married and eventually had a son, Calvin. This new family was hard a difficult adjustment for Ailey. He never became part of the new family, he was just getting established with the Lester Horton Dance Theater and his work and life consumed him.

Not long afterward, Ailey moved to New York.

Alivin ailey biography: Alvin Ailey Jr. (January 5,

Ultimately, Ailey had at least two long term relationships with men. It was not something he felt comfortable about in public. Ailey never married, nor did he have children. His dancers were his family and his life. He kept his private life completely separate from his public life. Presented around the world by the Ailey's dance theater, the choreographic masterpiece Revelations, which is based on Ailey's experience growing up as an African American in the South, is among the best known and most frequently seen of modern dance performances.

This piece 'speaks' to audiences of all stripes in such a profound and inspiring way that audiences often leap to their feet in ovation at the alivin ailey biography of the performance. It is a timeless portrayal of the experience of the American south of the first half of the twentieth century. InAiley received the Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award.

The citation on the award read, "To Alvin Ailey, dancer teacher and choreographer, whose work is generated from the heart and powered by passion; he stands as a model of artistic integrity. An American, informed by the Black experience, Mr. Ailey's choreography presses through cultural lines and speaks a universal language. His dances, whether sassy, sad, witty or lyrical, have brought joy and a sense of purpose to people throughout the world.

Alvin Ailey's consistent artistic achievements have insured him a place as a giant in the history of American modern dance. Ailey was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors in New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.

Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats. The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:.

Jump to: navigationsearch. Previous Alvar Aalto. Next Alvin Etler. At the time, The New York Times reported that he had suffered from "terminal blood dyscrasia, a rare disorder that affects the bone marrow and red blood cells. The dance world mourned the passing of one of its great pioneers. Ailey "had a big heart and a tremendous love of the dance," dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov told The New York Timesadding, "His work made an important contribution to American culture.

Despite his untimely death, Ailey continues to be an important figure in the arts through the ballets he created and the organizations he founded. The dancers with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater have performed for more than 20 million people around the world and countless others have seen their work through numerous television broadcasts.

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Alivin ailey biography: Alvin Ailey was an incomparable dancer,

Michael Jackson. These plays all constructed race as a societal force and "agent of division". His one attempt at Broadway choreography, La Strada musicalopened and closed in one performance on December 14, Their aim was to provide access to arts and dance to under-resourced communities. They started off in Brooklyn with students. A year later the school relocated to Manhattan behind the Lincoln Center complex.

InDenise Jefferson assumed directorship. Under her leadership, the school developed a Bachelor of Fine Arts Program in partnership with Fordham University in The school was renamed The Ailey School in Following Jefferson's death inTracy Inman and Melanie Person assumed stewardship of the school as co-directors of the school. Inafter leading Ailey 2 for 38 years, Sylvia Waters retired.

The second company's resident choreographer and associate director Troy Powell took over her role as artistic director. With the addition of the Elaine Wynn and Family Education Wing, the Ailey school is still growing and is now the largest place in New York City committed to training dancers. From her joining inthe dancer Judith Jamison served as Ailey's muse.

Other important figures in the company include Sylvia Waters, who inafter performing with the company for six year was asked by Ailey to lead The Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble — a junior company, known today as Ailey 2, that prepares leading students for professional dance careers [ 57 ] [ 58 ] - and Masazumi Chayawho danced with the company for 15 years then became rehearsal director, and was appointed associate artistic alivin ailey biography in Ailey was uncomfortable with the label "Black choreographer" and preferred being known simply as a choreographer, while also acknowledging to the Chicago Tribune in "Of course there is something black in my work: me and my 56 years.

On December 9,more than 4, mourners attended his funeral at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The funeral, which lasted two hours, featured his friend Maya Angelou reading an oral interpretation of her poem "For Alvin Ailey", drumming by Max Roacha reading of a statement from President George H. The funeral also included performances of Ailey's choreography on a makeshift stage constructed around his casket.

Ailey was buried in Los Angeles.

Alivin ailey biography: Alvin Ailey was an American

Though Ailey's work has been met with popular and critical acclaim, there have been detractors of his theatrical style. Marcia Siegel accused the company of "selling soul", [ 82 ] and of amplifying and transforming the emotivity characteristic of Martha Graham and his modern dance teachers into "metaphors of the American black experience" ,while creating a positive stereotype of "supremely physical, supremely sensitive beings" at the expense of "genuineness".

Ailey responded to such criticism by stating, "The black pieces we do that come from blues, spirituals and gospels are part of what I am. They are as honest and truthful as we can make them. I'm interested in putting something on stage that will have a very wide appeal without being condescending; that will reach an audience and make it part of the dance; that will get everybody into the theater.

If it's art and entertainment — thank God, that's what I want to be. InJames Truitte joined the dance company, and later became an authority on Lester Horton 's technique. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikidata item.

American dancer and activist — Photographed by Carl Van Vechten Rogers, TexasU. Manhattan, New York CityU. Early life and education [ edit ]. Career [ edit ]. Horton Dance Company [ edit ]. Early New York Career [ edit ]. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater [ edit ]. Commercial Work [ edit ]. The Ailey School [ edit ]. Personal life [ edit ]. Death [ edit ].

Reception and legacy [ edit ]. Recognition and honors [ edit ]. Documentary [ edit ]. Associated people [ edit ]. Works [ edit ]. Choreography [ edit ]. Stage [ edit ]. Acting and dancing [ edit ]. Stage choreography [ edit ]. Director [ edit ]. Filmography [ edit ]. Performer [ edit ]. Choreographer [ alivin ailey biography ].

Tributes to Ailey [ edit ]. See also [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. Citations [ edit ]. By Sasha Anawalt Scribner's [book reviews]". Alvin Ailey founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and won international fame as both a dancer and choreographer, a creator and arranger of dance performances. Alvin Ailey Jr. He was an only child, and his father, a laborer, left the family when Alvin Jr.

At the age of six, Alvin Jr. As he recalled in an interview in the New York Daily News Magazine, "There was the white school up on the hill, and the black Baptist church, and the segregated [only members of one race allowed] theaters and neighborhoods. Like most of my generation, I grew up feeling like an outsider, like someone who didn't matter.

In Ailey and his mother moved to Los AngelesCaliforniawhere his mother found work in an aircraft factory. Ailey became interested in athletics and joined his high school gymnastics team and played football. An admirer of dancers Gene Kelly — and Fred Astaire —he also took tap dancing lessons at a neighbor's home. His interest in dance grew when a friend took him to visit the modern dance school run by Lester Horton, whose dance company a group of dancers who perform together was the first in America to admit members of all races.

Unsure of what opportunities would be available for him as a dancer, however, Ailey left Horton's school after one month. After graduating from high school inAiley considered becoming a teacher. He entered the University of California in Los Angeles to study languages. When Horton offered him a scholarship in Ailey returned to the dance school. He left again after one year, however, this time to attend San Francisco State College.

For a time Ailey danced in a nightclub in San FranciscoCalifornia, then he returned to the Horton school to finish his training. When Horton died suddenly, the young Ailey took charge as the company's artistic director. Despite the setback, Ailey's career stayed on track. A Broadway producer invited him to dance in House of Flowers, a musical based on Truman Capote 's — book.

Ailey continued taking dance classes while performing in the show. He also studied ballet and acting. He also played a major part in the play Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright. In Ailey and another dancer with an interest in choreographing recruited dancers to perform several concerts at the 92nd Street Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association in New York City, a place where modern dances and the alivin ailey biography of new choreographers were seen.

Ailey's first major piece, Blues Suite, was inspired by blues music. The performance drew praise. Ailey then scheduled a second concert to present his own works, and then a third, which featured his most famous piece, Revelations. Accompanied by the elegant jazz music of Duke Ellington —Revelations pulled the audience into African American religious life.

By the mids Ailey, who struggled with his weight, gave up dancing in favor of choreography. He also oversaw business details as the director of his ambitious dance company. By the company had received funding from private and public organizations but still had money problems, even as it brought modern dance to audiences around the world.

Ailey also had the leading African American soloist a person who performs by oneself of modern dance, Judith Jamison —. Having employed Asian and white dancers since the mids, Ailey had also integrated included people of different races his company. In the company moved to BrooklynNew York, as the resident dance company of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, an arts center with three theaters.

In the early s the company performed in Southeast Asia and Australia as part of an international cultural program set up by President John F. Kennedy — Later the company traveled to BrazilEuropeand West Africa. Ailey worked on projects with other artists, including one with Duke Ellington for the American Ballet Theater. For Ailey the decade peaked with the performance of Masekela Language, a dance based on the music of Hugh Masekelaa black South African trumpeter who lived in exile for speaking out against apartheid South Africa 's policy of separation based on race.

By the late s Ailey's company was one of America's most popular dance troupes. Its members continued touring around the world, with U. They were the first modern dancers to visit the former Soviet Union since the s. Danced by Judith Jamisonshe made it one of the troupe's best known pieces. Dedicated to "all black women everywhere — especially our mothers," the piece depicts the struggles of different generations of black American women.