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Alvin Ailey Jr.
Alvin Ailey in the 1940s
Born	January 5, 1931 Rogers, Texas, United States
Died	January 12, 1989 (aged 58) Manhattan, New York, United States
Occupation	Modern dance, choreographer

Alvin Ailey, Jr. (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989) was an American modern dancer and choreographer who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater on 92nd Street in New York City. He died of AIDS, at the age of 58.^[1] Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Portrait of Alvin Ailey in 1955 CREDIT: Carl Van Vechten, photographer. ... is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Rogers is a town located in Bell County, Texas. ... is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Manhattan (disambiguation). ... Modern dance is often performed in bare feet. ... Choreography (also known as dance composition) is the art of making structures in which movement occurs, the term composition may also refer to the navigation or connection of these movement structures. ... is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 335th day of the year (336th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Modern dance is often performed in bare feet. ... Choreography (also known as dance composition) is the art of making structures in which movement occurs, the term composition may also refer to the navigation or connection of these movement structures. ... The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is a modern dance company based in New York, New York. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... For other uses, see AIDS (disambiguation). ...

Biography

Born in Rogers, Texas on January 5th, 1931, Alvin Ailey was introduced to dance by performances of the Katherine Dunham Dance Company and the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. His formal training in dance began with an introduction to Lester Horton's classes by his friend, Carmen de Lavallade. Léon Bakst: Firebird, Ballerina, 1910 The Ballets Russes was a ballet company established in 1909 by the Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev and resident first in Théâtre Mogador, Paris; and then in Monte Carlo. ... Lester Horton (January 23, 1906 - November 2, 1953) was an American dancer, choreographer, and teacher. ...

When Ailey began creating dance, he drew upon his "blood memories" of Texas, the blues, spirituals and gospel as inspiration, which resulted in the creation of his most popular and critically acclaimed work "Revelations".

Although he created 79 ballets over his lifetime, Alvin Ailey maintained that his company was not exclusively a repository for his own work. Today, the company continues Mr. Ailey's mission by presenting important works of the past and commissioning new ones to add to the repertoire. In all, more than 200 works by over 70 choreographers have been performed by the Company.

See also

• Modern dance
• Postmodern dance
• 20th century concert dance
• List of dance companies

Modern dance is often performed in bare feet. ... Postmodern dance is a 20th century concert dance form. ... 20th century concert dance is the name given to a category of dance forms that include: Free dance Modern dance Expressionist dance Postmodern dance Dance improvisation Contemporary dance Dance theatre Dance technology Dance for camera Although technically 20th century concert dance, the following dance forms are considered under the separate... . ...

References

1. ^ Dunning, Jennifer. "Frail, Strong and Dance Incarnate", New York Times, 1996-10-23, pp. 2. Retrieved on 2006-10-03. 

Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Alvin Ailey

• American Ballet Theater biography
• Kennedy Center biography
• Body and Soul: The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from the Smithsonian Institution
• Alvin Ailey at the Internet Movie Database
• NPR: Holiday Dance at the Alvin Ailey Theater
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater