Alvin Ailey Essay

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Alvin Ailey Born on January 5, 1931, in Rogers, Texas, Alvin Ailey became one of the leading figures in 20th century modern dance. When his mother gave birth to him, she was only a teenager and his father left the family earlier on. He grew up poor in the small Texas town of Navasota. He was brought up in racial segregation, violence and lynchings against African American period of time. Ailey gained inspiration from the black church services he attended and also, the music he heard at the local dance hall. Alvin Ailey was an African American modern dancer, dance teacher and choreographer, who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. Ailey was a gifted creator of dance expressing the African American cultural experience and history.…show more content…
The company was invited back to Ted Shawn's summer dance festival in Massachusetts, in the summer of 1959. The critically successful first concerts in 1958 and 1960 marked the beginning of a new era of dance performance devoted to African-American theme. "Blues Suite", set in and around a barrelhouse, depicts the desperation and joys of life on the edge of poverty in the South. Highly theatrical and immediately accessible, the dance contains sections of early 20th-century social dances, Horton dance technique, Jack Cole-inspired jazz dance, and ballet partnering. Following the stent, Susan Pimsleur, a concert manager offered to add the Ailey dancers to her roster. She laid out a plan for tours and concerts and designed a brochure, calling the company the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. Ailey achieved his greatest fame with his own dance company, which he founded in 1958. In 1974, he also expanded his dance company by establishing the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble. During his long career, Ailey choreographed close to 80 ballets. His works continue to inspire, uplift, educate, and communicate brilliance to all who witness
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