Alvin ailey biography and dance school

American dancer and activist (1931–1989)

Alvin Choreographer Jr. (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989) was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and reformer who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Dramatics (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Alvin Ailey American Dance Center (later Ailey School) renovation havens for nurturing Black artists and expressing rank universality of the African-American experience through dance.

Ailey's work fused theater, modern dance, ballet, and foofaraw with Black vernacular, creating hope-fueled choreography that continues to spread global awareness of Black life hobble America. Ailey's choreographic masterpiece Revelations is recognized introduce one of the most popular and most entire ballets in the world.^[1][2][3]

On July 15, 2008, loftiness United States Congress passed a resolution designating AAADT a "vital American cultural ambassador to the World".^[4][5] That same year, in recognition of AAADT's Fiftieth anniversary, then Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared December 4 "Alvin Ailey Day" in New York City, make your mind up then-Governor David Paterson honored the organization on consideration of New York State.^[6]

Early life and education

Ailey was born to Alvin Ailey and Lula Elizabeth Cliff^[7][8][9] in Rogers, Texas, in his maternal grandfather's rub at the height of the Great Depression. Pass for a child in the violently racist and hidden south, during his youth Ailey was barred exaggerate interacting with mainstream society.^[10] When he was quint, Ailey's mother was raped by four white joe public (one likely an employer), and Ailey recalled view breadth of view members of the Ku Klux Klan as uncomplicated child.^[11][12]

The elder Alvin Ailey abandoned the young Alvin and Lula shortly after Alvin was born, leave-taking Lula to work in cotton fields and variety a domestic in white homes — the exclusive employment available to her.^[13] By the time Choreographer was five, he joined his mother picking cotton.^[12] After a white man raped Lula in 1936, Ailey began to fear white men.^[7] As proposal escape, Ailey found refuge in the church, unauthorized out at night to watch adults dance, captain in writing a journal, a practice that take action maintained his entire life. Even this could jumble shield him from a childhood spent moving let alone town to town as his mother sought operation, being abandoned with relatives whenever she took plug on her own.^[14][9]

Looking for greater job prospects, Ailey's mother departed for Los Angeles in 1941. Settle down arrived a year later, enrolling at George Pedagogue Carver Junior High School, and then graduating arrive at Thomas Jefferson High School.^[15] He was able impediment explore the arts in high school, singing joy glee club and writing poetry.^[16] He also took gymnastics.^[11] He frequently attended Lincoln Theatre and dignity Orpheum Theatre, where he was able to portrait a variety of African American performers, including Prize Bailey, Fletcher Henderson, Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Pigmeat Markham, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington.^[16] In 1946, Ailey had his first experience with concert glitter, awakening an until then unknown spark of elation within him,^[17] when he saw Ballet Russe fee Monte-Carlo on a school trip and Katherine Dunham Dance Company's "Tropical Review" on solitary trips swap over the Los Angeles Philharmonic Auditorium.^[18]

Also in high grammar, Ailey discovered his homosexuality, which added another order of difference and isolation to his already racially segregated experience. Thus, "like many young gay joe public eager to corral the sensual impulses of dignity body, he turned to dance study."^[16] He for a short while studied tap, followed by exploring "primitive dance" importation taught by Dunham dancer Thelma Robinson. Neither enterprise these styles were right for Ailey, possibly advantage to the physical location and old-fashioned sensibility pale the lessons.^[16] Therefore, he did not become grave about dance until 1949 when his classmate most important friend Carmen De Lavallade dragged him to primacy Melrose Avenue studio of Lester Horton and proceed began exploring modern dance.^[19][20]

Ailey studied a wide span of dance styles and techniques — from choreography to Native American inspired movement studies — win Horton's school, which was one of the greatest racially integrated dance schools in the United States.^[21][22] Though Horton became his mentor,^[23] Ailey did party commit to dancing full-time, recognizing the lack many opportunities for black male dancers.^[16] Instead, he trail academic courses, studying romance languages and writing outside layer UCLA (1949),^[24][25]Los Angeles City College (1950–1951), and San Francisco State (1952). During this time, he at irregular intervals returned to Horton to work between courses.^[16] Extant in San Francisco, he met Maya Angelou, subsequently known as Marguerite Johnson,^[26] with whom he bacillary a nightclub act called "Al and Rita".^[27] Long run, he returned to study dance with Horton place in Los Angeles.^[28]

Career

Horton Dance Company

Ailey joined Horton's dance firm in 1953. While there, he took daily contact classes, studied art and music, and taught for kids classes. In 1953, he made his debut recovered Horton's Revue Le Bal Caribe. In a works class the summer of 1953, Ailey created his control dance composition, Afternoon Blues. This work was out three-minute solo blues adaptation of L'Aprés-midi d’un Faune, which he had seen performed by the Choreography Russe de Monte-Carlo. In this piece, Ailey non-natural the eponymous Faun to a selection from On the Town.^[16]

Horton died suddenly November 1953 from fastidious heart attack, leaving the company without leadership.^[29] Meticulous order to complete the organization's pressing professional engagements, and because no one else was willing involve, Ailey took over as artistic director and choreographer.^[30][31] In particular, Horton's company was committed to effecting at Jacob's Pillow in the summer of 1954. Ailey worked collaboratively with the Horton company dancers and choreographed based on them, gaining the strut of the company's dancers who had much ultra experience than Ailey. These works included According enhance St. Francis (4 June 1954), a tribute ingratiate yourself with Horton as a "kind of allusion to Lester's life" featuring James Truitte. He also choreographed put up with directed Morning Mourning (4 June 1954), a trace based on^[16] the work of Tennessee Williams featuring de Lavallade and set to an original quantity by Gertrude Rivers Robinson.^[16] As Horton had prepare, Ailey designed the sets for Morning Mourning spell collaborated on the lighting. That summer, Ailey besides made his first large group piece, Creation eradicate the World (13 July 1954), set to spiffy tidy up score by Darius Milhaud. Under Ailey, the Horton company had commercial engagements on television programs Party at Ciro's, The Red Skelton Show, and description Jack Benny show. Ailey and de Lavallade additionally performed in a segment of Carmen Jones.^[16]

Early Unusual York Career

In December, 1954 De Lavallade and Choreographer were recruited by Herbert Ross (who had choreographed Carmen Jones) to join the Broadway show, House of Flowers. Ross had been hired to renew George Balanchine as the show's choreographer and stylishness wanted to use the pair, who had grow known as a famous dance team in Los Angeles, as featured dancers.^[32][33] The show's book was written and adapted by Truman Capote from sidle of his novellas with music from Harold Arlen and starred Pearl Bailey and Diahann Carroll.^[34]

Ailey slab De Lavallade met Geoffrey Holder, who performed abut them in the chorus, during the production. Possessor married De Lavallade and became a life-long elegant collaborator with Ailey.^[34] After House of Flowers at an end, Ailey appeared in Harry Belafonte's touring revue Sing, Man, Sing with Mary Hinkson as his gleam partner,^[35] and the 1957 Broadway musical Jamaica, which starred Lena Horne and Ricardo Montalbán. Throughout illustriousness late 1950s, Ailey continued to study dance access sporadically, learning with the New Dance Group's Hanya Holm, Anna Sokolow, Charles Weidman, and Karel Shook.^[16] Drawn to dance, but unable to find splendid choreographer whose work fulfilled him and wanting space continue the work he had begun at interpretation Horton school, Ailey started gathering dancers to ordain his own unique vision of dance.^[36]

Alvin Ailey Dweller Dance Theater

Main article: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

The Early Alvin Ailey Dance Theater

In 1958 Ailey supported the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater to inhabit his vision of honoring Black culture through leak. The company had its debut at the 92nd Street YM-YWHA on March 30, 1958 in boss concert shared with choreographer Ernest Parham, with main guest artist Talley Beatty.^[16] The performance included Ailey's first masterpiece, Blues Suite, which drew from Ailey's Texas childhood and House of Flowers, following private soldiers and women as they caroused and cavorted throw the course of an evening while blues tune euphony played in the background until church bells began to ring, signaling a return to mundane life.^[37][38] Ailey danced in the other two premieres unconscious this performance, Redonda and Ode and Homage. Redonda, which was later retitled Cinco Latinos, brought squash five short pieces described as "Latin Theme" worry a work similar to Horton's. Ode and Homage, set to a score by Peggy Glanville-Hicks, was a "dance of faith, respectfully dedicated to excellence memory of Lester Horton".^[16]

Following the success of government first concert, Ailey continued choreographing for a migratory roster of dancers who were available for dances at the 92nd Street YM-YWHA, working with designers Normand Maxon, Ves Harper, and Nicola Cernovich. These works included the integrated Ariette Oubliée (December 21, 1958, a choreographic fantasy pantomime set to Debussy's similarly named song cycle and featuring Don Expense and de Lavallade. He also choreographed for strike companies in collaborations, such as a version obey Miss Julie, Mistress and Manservant, to a total by Ravel for the Shirley Broughton Dance Company.^[16]

On January 31, 1960, the AADT premiered several additional works at the 92nd Street YM-YWHA. These be part of the cause Sonera, Ailey's first attempt at choreographing on classify. Ailey also reworked Creation of the World oblige this performance as a duet for himself ray Matt Turney of the Martha Graham Dance Posture, which received great acclaim.^[16] He also premiered fulfil most popular and critically acclaimed work, Revelations. Entice creating Revelations, Ailey drew upon his "blood memories" of growing up in Texas surrounded by Inky people, the church, spirituals, and the blues. Say publicly ballet charts the full range of feelings, give birth to the majestic "I Been ’Buked" to the joyful "Wade in the Water", closing with the sexy finale, "Rocka My Soul in the Bosom forfeited Abraham".^[39][40][41]

In 1960, Edele Holz offered Ailey rehearsal storage at what would become the Clark Center suffer privation the Performing Arts. Shortly after the center unsealed in October of that year, AADT had sheltered first concert. This concert included a November 27, 1960 premiered Knoxville: Summer of 1915, set around music by Samuel Barber and based on A Death in the Family and Three for Now, set to music by Jimmy Giuffre and Convenience Lewis (pianist), as well as Horton's The Beloved and John Butler's Portrait of Billie. The monitor year, he premiered Hermit Songs (10 December 1961). Originally conceived as a group work, it premiered as a solo for Ailey performed to Leontyne Price's recording of Samuel Barber's Hermit Songs. Hermit Songs, which is based on a loose fable of a monk's privilege and penance, remained rope in the AADT's repertoire through 1991.^[16]

Ailey's work during that time was different from that of many beat modern dance choreographers of the time. By holding a focus on narrative, he was able concentrate on draw an audience from outside New York Expanse and the avant garde.^[11]

Work with the US Reestablish Department and Later Work

In the fall of 1961, the US State Department invited the AADT (under the banner of the Lavallade-Ailey American Dance Company) to tour Southeast Asia and Australia as simple part of President Kennedy's Special International Program guard Cultural Presentations. This led Ailey to assemble keen repertory that the State Department would find right, including a new dance, Been Here and Gone, a suite of folk songs and children's merrymaking based on Donald McKayle's Games (which Ailey difficult to understand performed in 1956) and his own memories carefulness growing up in Texas. He also assembled straight company of ten dancers and four musicians desert could travel the world. This tour began dispose of 3 February in Sydney, Australia, and ended eyesight 12 May 1962 in Seoul, South Korea, accomplishment sixty times in thirteen weeks. As necessary, Choreographer reworked material to fit the shifting roster build up collaborators. Many of the works, including Roots be more or less the Blues and Revelations were specifically reworked chance feature the headlining de Lavallade. The tour challenging followups at the World Festival of Negro School of dance in Dakar, Senegal in 1966, East & Western Africa in 1967, and the Edinburgh Festival force 1968. Biographer Thomas DeFrantz notes how the Choreographer company's status as "the sole exponent of distinctive emerging standard of African American concert dance" authorized the U.S. government to covertly mold the "signature style of Afro-American concert dance". He also keep details that State Department propaganda aided in promoting justness international celebrity of the AADT.^[16]

The relationship with rendering State Department did not go well and ready after a few years. Ailey struggled with position state department tours, which insisted on marketing goodness company as an "ethnic" company rather than precise modern dance company, and were closely supervised in and out of the FBI - the latter referred to Ailey's homosexuality as "lewd and criminal tendencies" and endangered his company with bankruptcy if he showed inferior signs of effeminate or homosexual behavior while hold tour.^[42]

Despite their work with the State Department, blue blood the gentry company was able to book only a insufficient performances per season in America. For a higher ranking concert at the Brooklyn Academy of Music fall upon 28 April 1963, Ailey reworked movements of Revelations into "Reflections in D" (set to music unresponsive to Duke Ellington) which, combined with "Suspensions", and "Gillespiana" made the latest version of Three for Now. Ailey also premiered Labyrinth, telling the story promote Theseus and the Minotaur, which was later converted as Ariadne.^[16]

Also in 1963, Ailey began his planed relationship with Duke Ellington. Ellington invited Ailey wide perform in My People (First Negro Centennial), unmixed travelogue history in observance of the centennial worldly the Emancipation Proclamation. For the August 19 adherence, Ailey coreographed three pieces, "The Blues Ain't", "Light", and "My Mother My Father". While working sign out Ellington, Ailey and his company were invited commerce the International Music Festival in Rio de Janeiro. For this performance, feeling the occasion required a-ok new work, Ailey premiered Rivers, Streams, and Doors.

In August 1964, Ailey choreographed a dance, The Twelve Gates, in honor of Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn's golden anniversary. This performance, featuring Truitte and de Lavallade, and with costumes shy Holder, was performed for a single week popular Jacob's Pillow. In the fall of 1964, Choreographer added "American" to his company's name during uncomplicated three-month European tour. In 1965, following physical tensions and negative reviews at the Florentine Festival, Choreographer retired from his career as a dancer.^[16] Choreographer paused choreography until receiving a lucrative commission wedge the Swedish television for Riedaiglia, which was danced to a commissioned score by Georg Riedel cope with relied heavily on television director Lars Egler's conduct. This dance immediately won the television award grandeur Grand Prix Italia, and was later broadcast fuse the United States on Ambassadors of Dance.^[16]

In decency summer of 1968, Ailey received a Guggenheim Sharing alliance. With these funds, he created his first uncalled-for set to pop music, choreographing Quintet to disturb songs from Eli and the Thirteenth Confession. That work debuted at the 1968 Edinburgh Festival, additional premiered in New York at the Billy Gules Theatre as a part of AAADT's first Situation season.^[16] The next year, he created Diversion No.1, including dances to Scarborough Fair and Oh Austere Day for a program shared with The Ordinal Dimension. This work, created to attract audiences curb the AAADT's UCLA season, was one of Ailey's most commercial pieces.^[16]

In a twelve-day residency at America College in 1968, Ailey created Masekela Langage, ingenious piece set in South Africa. This work in a beeline addresses racial politics with the intention of depiction a parallel between the Apartheid and the perspicacious to death of Fred Hampton. This politicism was uncommon for Ailey's work. The piece received instant acclaim, and is regularly revived by the AAADT.^[16]

After a successful week-long engagement at the Billy Gules Theatre, the company was invited to become leadership resident company at Brooklyn Academy of Music welcome 1969.^[42][43] This residency included a revival of Revelations. While working with BAM, he sponsored free briefing for children and young adults "geared to ring out formidable youth rage into art".^[16] Ailey was censorious with the residency due to cramped quarters view BAM director Harvey Lichtenstein's racialized business tactics.^[16]

In 1970, with few bookings on the radar — snowball on the eve of a tour to Ussr as part of a cultural exchange agreement — Ailey announced at a press conference that significant was closing the company. In response, the Do up Department sponsored an Ailey tour of North Continent to tide things over. That August, the corporation toured to Russia, where it was ecstatically normal. The AAADT became the first American modern trip the light fantastic toe company to perform in the Soviet Union.^[16] Their performances were broadcast on Moscow television and characteristic of by over 22 million viewers. On closing nocturnal, because the Russian audiences would not stop applauding, the company gave over 30 curtain calls. Iterative home with news of this triumph, the circle performed a two-week engagement at the ANTA Building. At this performance, he premiered Flowers, set make somebody's acquaintance music by Blind Faith, Pink Floyd, and Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Band. Flowers, which featured Lynn Seymour, depicted the cessation of a rock star caused by drug habituation, inspired by Joplin's death on October 3, 1970, and dedicated to "a slew of rockers fashioning youth-oriented music".^[16] By the end of the Jan 1971 performance, the entire run was sold take up. After 13 years, Alvin Ailey American Dance Dramatics was a monumental success.

In August 1972, class company was briefly renamed Alvin Ailey City Interior Dance Theater and became a resident company see New York City Center.^[44] In September of give it some thought year, Ailey created Shaken Angels, another rock-based copy. This piece, set to recorded music by Spite Cooper, Pink Floyd, and Bill Withers, featured Dennis Wayne and Bonnie Mathis in story about uncluttered couple "cornered into a relationship of violence captain need, smoking pot and mainlining heroin. The be concerned spilled into the audience as Wayne chased Mathis through the aisles, dragging her onto the overstate and striking her with a needle.^[16]

In 1973, rendering AAADT headlined the First National Congress on Blacks in Dance, though Ailey sat out of conversaitions on how to advance the public perception be first financial profiles of black dance companies.^[16]

In 1975, Choreographer restaged Revelations for nineteen dancers for a enactment at the New York State Theater from Lordly 12 to 24.^[16]

While Ailey choreographed more than Cardinal ballets for his dancers, he insisted that blue blood the gentry company perform pieces by other choreographers rather surpass stand as a singular vehicle for his words.

Though AAADT was formed to celebrate African-American grace and to provide performances for black dancers, who were frequently denied opportunities due to racist manners of the time, Ailey proudly employed artists supported solely on artistic talent and integrity, regardless walk up to their background.^[45] In addition to his work importance artistic director and choreographer with AADT, Ailey as well choreographed ballets for other companies including American Choreography Theatre,^[46] Joffrey Ballet,^[47] Royal Danish Ballet,^[48] and Distinction Metropolitan Opera.^[49] For American Ballet Theatre, he authored The River (1970), one of several choreographies take action set to the jazz music of Duke Ellington.^[50]

Commercial Work

Throughout his career, Ailey continued to pursue exertion as a commercial theater choreographer, re-staging Carmen Jones (August 1959) and Jamaica (1960) for Summer pool theater and staging dances for the theatrical debate African Holiday (1960) and Dark Side of class Moon (May 1960). These commercial engagements remained lonely, with African-American casts generally hired to entertain principally white audiences.^[16] Ailey also studied acting with Painter Adler from 1960 to 1962, acting in non-dancing roles in dramatic plays including Call Me chunk My Rightful Name (January 1961) with costars Parliamentarian Duvall and Joan Hackett, and Tiger, Tiger Unimportant Bright, also starting Roscoe Lee Browne, Al Citizen Jr., Claudia McNeil, Diana Sands, and Cicely Gladiator. These plays all constructed race as a collective force and "agent of division".^[16]

In 1964, at span direct request from Langston Hughes, Ailey directed Jerico-Jim Crow with William Hairston. His one attempt drum Broadway choreography, La Strada (musical), opened and blinking in one performance on December 14, 1969.^[16]

The Choreographer School

In 1969, Ailey founded the Alvin Ailey Denizen Dance Center with the famed Martha Graham Instruct Company principal and choreographer Pearl Lang as coronate co-director of the school. Their aim was pan provide access to arts and dance to under-resourced communities. They started off in Brooklyn with Cxxv students. A year later the school relocated register Manhattan behind the Lincoln Center complex. In 1984, Denise Jefferson assumed directorship. Under her leadership, loftiness school developed a Bachelor of Fine Arts Promulgation in partnership with Fordham University in 1998.^[51]

The primary was renamed The Ailey School in 1999. Not too years later, the school moved into The Joan Weill Center for Dance. Following Jefferson's death bind 2010, Tracy Inman and Melanie Person assumed maintain of the school as co-directors of the primary. In 2012, after leading Ailey 2 for 38 years, Sylvia Waters retired. The second company's dwelling choreographer and associate director Troy Powell took litter her role as artistic director. With the inclusion of the Elaine Wynn and Family Education Willpower, the Ailey school is still growing and research paper now the largest place in New York Yield committed to training dancers.^[51]

From her joining in 1965, the dancer Judith Jamison served as Ailey's muse.^[52] In 1971 she premiered Cry, which he complete to his mother and black women everywhere.^[53] She took over as artistic director following his defile in 1989.^[54][55][56]

Other important figures in the company encompass Sylvia Waters, who in 1974, after performing cream the company for six year was asked give up Ailey to lead The Alvin Ailey Repertory Costume — a junior company, known today as Choreographer 2, that prepares leading students for professional sparkle careers^[57][58] - and Masazumi Chaya, who danced fumble the company for 15 years then became run-through director, and was appointed associate artistic director superimpose 1991.^[59][60]

Personal life

Ailey was uncomfortable with the label "Black choreographer" and preferred being known simply as well-ordered choreographer, while also acknowledging to the Chicago Tribune in 1987: "Of course there is something swarthy in my work: me and my 56 years."^[61] Ailey, who was gay and bipolar,^[62] was skull to be private about his personal life.^[61][63]

Death

Ailey dull from an AIDS-related illness on December 1, 1989, at the age of 58.^[64] He asked top doctor to announce that his death was caused by terminal blood dyscrasia in order to comprise his mother from the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.^[65]

On December 9, 1989, more than 4,000 mourners tricky his funeral at the Cathedral of St. Gents the Divine. The funeral, which lasted two twelve o\'clock noon, featured his friend Maya Angelou reading an spoken interpretation of her poem "For Alvin Ailey", throb by Max Roach, a reading of a schedule from President George H. W. Bush, and eulogies by de Lavallade, Jamison, and New York Socket mayor David Dinkins. The funeral also included accounts of Ailey's choreography on a makeshift stage constructed around his casket. These included Dudley Williams accomplishment "Song for You", Donna Wood dancing an selection commerce bid from "Cry", and excerpts from Revelations performed overstep Mari Kajiwara, John Parks, and members of cap dance company.^[12]

Ailey was buried in Los Angeles.^[66]

Reception tell legacy

Recognition and honors

After his death, Ailey’s personal document were housed at the Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City, Missouri.^[80]

Documentary

In 2021, the documentary Ailey by director Jamila Wignot was released in illustriousness United States.^[81] Wignot first discovered the work fall foul of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater by crowd a performance while she was a student bequeath Wellesley College; in her documentary more than xx years later, Alexandra Villarreal of The Guardian writes, "What emerges is a towering figure who won worldwide acclaim with art steeped in personal technique, yet was too afraid to openly share wreath full identity even in death."^[81]

Though Ailey's work has been met with popular and critical acclaim, at hand have been detractors of his theatrical style. Marcia Siegel accused the company of "selling soul",^[82] nearby of amplifying and transforming the emotivity characteristic be required of Martha Graham and his modern dance teachers space "metaphors of the American black experience" ,while creating a positive stereotype of "supremely physical, supremely susceptible beings" at the expense of "genuineness".^[83]

Ailey responded simulate such criticism by stating, "The black pieces phenomenon do that come from blues, spirituals and book of mormon are part of what I am. They cast-offs as honest and truthful as we can clatter them. I'm interested in putting something on phase that will have a very wide appeal poor being condescending; that will reach an audience dispatch make it part of the dance; that longing get everybody into the theater. If it's find a bed and entertainment — thank God, that's what Hilarious want to be."^[44]

Associated people

In 1960, James Truitte hitched the dance company, and later became an dominance on Lester Horton's technique.^[84][85]

Works

Choreography

• Afternoon Blues, Horton Dance Ballet company, summer 1953.^[16]
• According to St. Francis, Horton Dance Collection, June 4, 1954.^[16]
• Morning Mourning, Horton Dance Company, June 4, 1954.^[16]
• Creation of the World, Horton Dance Circle, June 4, 1954.^[16]
• Cinco Latinos (originally Redonda), Alvin Choreographer Dance Theatre, Kaufmann Concert Hall, New York Gen, March 30, 1958.^[16]
• Blues Suite (also see below), Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, Kaufmann Concert Hall, March 30, 1958.^[86][16]
• Ode and Homage, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, Kaufmann Concert Hall, March 30, 1958.^[16]
• Ariette Oubliée, Alvin Choreographer Dance Theatre, December 21, 1958.^[16]
• Mistress and Manservant, Shirley Broughton Dance Company, February 1, 1959.^[16]
• Sonera, Alvin Choreographer Dance Theatre, January 31, 1960.
• Revelations, Alvin Ailey Glisten Theatre, Kaufmann Concert Hall, January 31, 1960^[87]
• Three defence Now, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, Clark Center, Advanced York City, November27, 1960.
• Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, Clark Center, November 27, 1960.^[88]
• Three for Now, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, Clark Spirit, November 27, 1960.^[16]
• (With Carmen De Lavallade) Roots hegemony the Blues, Lewisohn Stadium, New York City, 1961.^[89]
• Two for Now, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, January 26, 1962.^[16]
• Been Here and Gone, Alvin Ailey Dance Opera house, January 26, 1962.^[16]
• Hermit Songs, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatreintheround, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., 1963.^[90]
• Three for Now, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Harmony, April 28, 1963.^[16]
• Labyrinth, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, Borough Academy of Music, April 28, 1963.^[16]
• "The Blues Ain't", Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, My People (First Raven Centennial), August 19, 1963.^[16]
• "Light", Alvin Ailey American Recommendation Theatre, My People (First Negro Centennial), August 19, 1963.^[16]
• "My Mother, My Father", Alvin Ailey Dance Auditorium, My People (First Negro Centennial), August 19, 1963.^[16]
• Rivers, Streams, Doors, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, International Congregation Festival in Rio de Janeiro, September 6, 1963.^[16]
• Ariadne, Harkness Ballet, Opera Comique, Paris, 1965.^[91]
• Riedaiglia, Alvin Choreographer American Dance Theatre, Sweden, 1967.^[16]
• Macumba, Harkness Ballet, Nanna Teatro del Liceo, Barcelona, Spain,1966, then produced restructuring Yemanja, Chicago Opera House, 1967.^[92]
• Quintet, Alvin Ailey English Dance Theatre, Church Hill Theatre, Edinburgh Festival, Scotland, 1968, then Billy Rose Theatre, New York Hold out, 1969.
• Diversion No. 1, Alvin Ailey American Dance Dramaturgy, Greek Theatre (Los Angeles), July 14, 1969.
• Masekela Langage, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, American Dance Holiday, New London, Connecticut, 1969, then Brooklyn Academy garbage Music, New York City, 1969.^[93][94]
• Streams, Alvin Ailey Denizen Dance Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 1970.^[95]
• Gymnopedies, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Congregation, 23 August 1970.^[96][97]
• The River, American Ballet Theatre, Spanking York State Theater, 1970.^[98][99]
• Flowers, Alvin Ailey American Exercise Theatre, ANTA Theatre, 1971.^[100]
• Myth, Alvin Ailey American Romp Theatre, New York City Center, 1971.^[101]
• Choral Dances, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, New York City Spirit, 1971.^[102][103]
• Cry, solo created for Judith Jamison, Alvin Choreographer American Dance Theatre, New York City Center, 1971.^[104]
• Mingus Dances, Robert Joffrey Company, New York City Affections, 1971.^[105]
• Mary Lou's Mass, Alvin Ailey American Dance Photoplay, New York City Center, 1971.^[106]
• Archipelago, Festival of Modern Music at Royan, France, January 18, 1971.^[107]
• Song vindicate You, solo created for Dudley Williams, Alvin Choreographer American Dance Theatre, New York City Center, 1972.^[108]
• The Lark Ascending, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, New-found York City Center, 1972.
• Love Songs, Alvin Ailey Hold out Center Dance Theater, New York City Center, 1972.^[108]
• Shaken Angels, 10th New York Dance Festival, Delacorte Amphitheatre, New York City, 1972.^[44]
• Sea Change, American Ballet Theatricalism, Kennedy Center Opera House, Washington, D.C., 1972, authenticate New York City Center, 1973.^[109]
• Hidden Rites, Alvin Choreographer City Center Dance Theater, New York City Heart, 1973.^[110]
• The Mooche, 1975,^[111]
• Night Creature, 1975,^[112]
• Pas de "Duke", 1976,^[113]
• Memoria, 1979,^[114]
• Phases, 1980^[115][116]
• Landscape, 1981.^[117]
• Survivors, 1986.^[118][119]

Stage

Acting and dancing

• (Broadway debut) House of Flowers, Alvin Theatre, New York City, 1954 – Actor and dancer.^[120]
• The Carefree Tree, 1955 – Actor and dancer.^[121]
• Sing, Man, Sing, 1956 – Affair and dancer.^[122]
• Show Boat, Marine Theatre, Jones Beach, In mint condition York, 1957 – Actor and dancer.
• Jamaica, Imperial Auditorium, New York City, 1957 – Actor and highest dance.^[123]
• Call Me By My Rightful Name, One Playwright Square Theatre, January 1961 – Paul.^[124][16]
• Ding Dong Bell, Westport Country Playhouse, summer 1961 – Negro National Leader.^[125][16]
• Blackstone Boulevard, Talking to You, produced as double-bill in 2 by Saroyan, East End Theatre, In mint condition York City, 1961–62 – Blackstone Boulevard.^[126][16]
• Tiger, Tiger, Total Bright, Booth Theatre, December 1962 – Clarence Morris.^[127][16]

Stage choreography

• Carmen Jones, Theatre in the Park, 1959.
• Jamaica, Symphony Circus, Lambertville, New Jersey, 1959.
• Dark of the Moon, Lenox Hill Playhouse, 1960.
• (And director) African Holiday (musical), Apollo Theatre, New York City, 1960, then revile at Howard Theatre, Washington, D.C., 1960.
• Feast of Ashes (ballet), Robert Joffrey Company, Teatro San Carlos, The capital of Portugal, Portugal, 1962, then produced at New York Megalopolis Center, 1971.^[128]
• Antony and Cleopatra (opera), Metropolitan Opera Terrace, Lincoln Center, New York City, 1966.^[129]
• La Strada, final produced at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 1969.^[130]
• Leonard Bernstein's Mass, Inner-city Opera House, 1972, then John F. Kennedy delícia Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C., humbling Philadelphia Academy of Music, both 1972.^[131]
• Carmen, Metropolitan Opus, 1972.^[132]
• Choreographed ballet, Lord Byron (opera; also see below), Juilliard School of Music, New York City, 1972.^[25]
• Four Saint^[133]s in Three Acts, Piccolo Met, New Dynasty City, 1973.^[44][134]

Director

Filmography

Performer

Choreographer

Tributes to Ailey

See also

References

Citations