Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey
Alvin Aileywas an African-American choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City. He is credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th-century concert dance. His company gained the nickname "Cultural Ambassador to the World" because of its extensive international touring. Ailey's choreographic masterpiece Revelations is believed to be the best known and most often seen modern dance performance. In 1977, Ailey was awarded the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP. He...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionChoreographer
Date of Birth5 January 1931
CityRogers, TX
CountryUnited States of America
Nothing personal; I just don't have people over.
No matter what you write or choreograph, you feel it's not enough.
In this business, life is one long fund-raising effort.
Its roots are in American Negro culture, which is part of the whole country's heritage, ... But the dance speaks to everyone. ... Otherwise it wouldn't work.
No matter what you write or choreograph, you feel it is not enough.
I always want to have more dancers in my company.
I'm attracted to long-legged girls with long arms and a little head.
Choreography is mentally draining, but there's a pleasure in getting into the studio with the dancers and the music.
My dancers must be able to do anything, and I don't care if they are black or white or purple or green. I want to help show my people how beautiful they are. I want to hold up the mirror to my audience that says this is the way people can be, this is how open people can be.
The creative process is not controlled by a switch you can simply turn on or off; it's with you all the time.
Dance is for everybody. I believe that the dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people.
All of these dancers are dancers who are on the verge of their careers, so to speak. They're here to hone their artistry and make the transition from the classroom to the stage.
It will take very sophisticated marketing to achieve our aim of bringing more black people into the theater.
If you live in the elite world of dance, you find yourself in a world rife with racism. Let's face it.