American black dancer, choreographer, and ballet director. He is known for his unique style originating from traditional dance understanding and his ensemble, which gives modern dance examples.
He was born in Rogers, Texas. He learned clapperboard first and then turned to ballet. He took lessons from Lester Horton, a teacher influenced by Far Eastern and Indian dances in California. He continued his studies in modern dance with Martha Graham, Hanya Holm, and Charles Weidman in New York. He learned classical dance from Karel Shook and theater from Stella Adler.
Alvin Ailey Jr. (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989) was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Alvin Ailey American Dance Center (later Ailey School) as havens for nurturing Black artists and expressing the universality of the African-American experience through dance.
He made his professional debut at the Horton Dance Theater in 1950. After Horton's death in 1953, he became the director of this troupe. He acted in many musical films and stage plays such as House of Flowers, and Carmen Jones (1954). In 1958 he founded a dance troupe bearing his name and toured with this ensemble, first in the USA and then in Europe after 1964. After 1972, the name of the Alvin Ailey ensemble was changed to "Alvin Ailey City Center Dance Theater" and was affiliated with the New York City Music and Drama Organization Center. After 1975, he choreographed a series of ballets to which Ellington composed music. He received the Dance Magazine (1975) and Capezio (1979) dance awards. Known as a prolific choreographer, Ailey's works combine primitive, modern, jazz, and classical dance elements. He mainly uses traditional music in his works.
WORKS (mainly):
Blues Suite, 1958;
Revelations, 1960;
Knoxville: Summer of 1915,
(Music: Barber), 1960,
(“Knoxville: Summer 1915”)
Floioers, (Music: Pink Floyd vejanisJoplin), 1971,
Archipelago, (Music: Andre Boucourechliev), 1971,
Rites of Fury, (Music: Petrice Sciortino), 1973.
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https://www.alvinailey.org/