Ahead of this week’s release of Ailey, find out more about the man who changed modern dance forever and his vision to honour Black culture through dance.
1) he was born in the segregated south
Born in Rogers, Texas, at the height of the Great Depression in the violently racist and segregated south, during his youth Ailey was barred from interacting with mainstream society. Abandoned by his father when he was three months old, Ailey and his mother were forced to work in cotton fields and as domestics in white homes—the only employment available to them. As an escape, Ailey found refuge in the church, sneaking out at night to watch adults dance, and in writing a journal, a practice that he maintained his entire life. (Source: The New York Times).
2) he wanted to honour the black experience
After being inspired to pursue dancing by seeing the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo perform, he founded Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1958 to carry out his vision of a company dedicated to enriching the American modern dance heritage and preserving the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience. He established the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center (now The Ailey School) in 1969 and formed the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble (now Ailey II) in 1974. (Source: alvinailey.org)
3) he was a very prolific choreographer
During his long career, Ailey choreographed close to 80 ballets, while the dancers with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater have performed for more than 20 million people around the world. The Company travels on what Alvin Ailey called “the station wagon tours” in a vehicle driven by a longtime friend of the Company, Mickey Bord. (Source: Centre in the Square).
4) he created one of the most popular ballets in the world
In 1960, he premiered his most popular and critically acclaimed work, Revelations, again at the 92nd Street Y. In creating Revelations, Ailey drew upon his "blood memories" of growing up in Texas surrounded by Black people, the church, spirituals, and the blues. The ballet charts the full range of feelings, from the majestic “I Been ’Buked” to the rapturous “Wade in the Water,” closing with the electrifying finale, “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham. (Source: Dance Magazine).
5) his company was supervised by the fbi
Though the US State Department sponsored AAADT's first international tour in 1962, which traveled across Asia—with followups to Senegal in 1966 and East & West Africa in 1967—the company was able to book only a few performances per season in America. Ailey struggled with the state department tours, which insisted on marketing the company as an "ethnic" company rather than a modern dance company, and were closely supervised by the FBI - the latter referred to Ailey's homosexuality as "lewd and criminal tendencies" and threatened his company with bankruptcy if he showed any signs of effeminate or homosexual behavior while on tour. (Source: Claire Crofts, Dancers as Diplomats: American Choreography in Cultural Exchange).
6) he was awarded numerous distinctions
Throughout his lifetime, he was awarded numerous distinctions, including the Kennedy Center Honor in 1988 in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to American culture. In 2014, he posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor, in recognition of his contributions and commitment to civil rights and dance in America. (Source: alvinailey.org)
7) he was very private about his personal life
He was notoriously private about his life. Though gay, he kept his romantic affairs in the closet. Following the death of his friend Joyce Trisler, a failed relationship, and bouts of heavy drinking and cocaine use, Ailey suffered a mental breakdown in 1980. He was diagnosed as manic depressive, known today as bipolar disorder. During his rehabilitation, Judith Jamison served as co-director of AAADT. He died from an AIDS-related illness on December 1, 1989, at the age of 58. He asked his doctor to announce that his death was caused by terminal blood dyscrasia in order to shield his mother from the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. (Source: New Now Next).
8) he was mourned by the dance world
The dance world mourned the passing of one of its great pioneers. Ailey "had a big heart and a tremendous love of the dance," dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov told The New York Times, adding, "His work made an important contribution to American culture." (Source: Biography.com)