Spin. Kick. Jump.
Dancers have beautiful moves. Alvin Ailey was a master mover. He shared his art around the world. And he showed off African American stories!
Ailey was born in Rogers, Texas, in 1931. His life in the South influenced his art later on. Ailey got ideas from Black church services and dance halls.
Ailey moved to Los Angeles, California, when he was 12. In 1949, he met dancer Lester Horton. Horton had created one of the first dance companies. He taught Ailey about modern dance. Horton died in 1953. Ailey led the dance company. He started to his own pieces.
In the next year, Ailey made it to Broadway. That is New York City’s theater scene. Ailey was in several shows. He was the lead dancer for the musical Jamaica.
In 1958, Ailey started a dance company. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater began with young Black dancers. The company celebrated African American history.
Ailey’s most famous work is “Revelations.” That dance is about African American history. It goes from slavery to freedom.
Ailey’s group made its mark across the planet. In 1962, its dancers performed in Asia and Australia. The U.S. government had the company dance in Africa, Russia, and China. American officials hoped to build relationships with those places.
Ailey’s work helped all kinds of people get into dance. In 1969, he opened a dance center. It is now known as the Ailey School. Ailey died in 1989. But his theater and school still spread the joy of dancing.
Ailey got many awards. In 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Obama talked about Ailey’s dance company.
“Artists of all races had a home,” Obama said. “All that mattered was talent.” He added that thanks to Ailey, “African American history was told” in a new way.
Updated January 31, 2024, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Hannah Marcum
