The
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is a
modern danceModern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century broom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Origins:...
companyA dance company is an organization of dancers and associated personnel normally creating dances.-Members:*Artistic Director*Choreographer*Dancers*Board of Directors*Education administrator*Technical team*Receptionist*Marketing Manager*Finance Manager...
based in New York, New York. It was founded in 1958 by choreographer and dancer
Alvin AileyAlvin Ailey, Jr. was an American choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York. Ailey is credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th century concert dance...
. It is made up of 30 dancers as well as artistic director
Judith JamisonJudith Anna Jamison is an American dancer and choreographer, best known as the artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater....
and associate artistic director Masazumi Chaya.
Alvin Ailey and a group of young black modern dancers first performed at New York's 92nd Street Young Men's Hebrew Association (92nd Street Y), under the name Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, in March 1958.
The
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is a
modern danceModern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century broom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Origins:...
companyA dance company is an organization of dancers and associated personnel normally creating dances.-Members:*Artistic Director*Choreographer*Dancers*Board of Directors*Education administrator*Technical team*Receptionist*Marketing Manager*Finance Manager...
based in New York, New York. It was founded in 1958 by choreographer and dancer
Alvin AileyAlvin Ailey, Jr. was an American choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York. Ailey is credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th century concert dance...
. It is made up of 30 dancers as well as artistic director
Judith JamisonJudith Anna Jamison is an American dancer and choreographer, best known as the artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater....
and associate artistic director Masazumi Chaya.
History
Alvin Ailey and a group of young black modern dancers first performed at New York's 92nd Street Young Men's Hebrew Association (92nd Street Y), under the name Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, in March 1958. Following this performance, the company traveled on what were known as the "station wagon tours"; in 1960, the AAADT became a resident company of the
51st Street51st Street is a long one-way street traveling east to west across Midtown Manhattan.-East 51st Street:*The route officially begins at Beekman Place which is on a hill overlooking FDR Drive...
YWCAThe YWCA USA is the United States branch of a women's membership movement that strives to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision—to eliminate racism and empower women. The YWCA is a non-profit organization, the first of which was founded...
's Clark Center for the Performing Arts. It was during this period that Ailey choreographed his famous work
Revelations. In 1962, the company was chosen to tour the Far East, Southeast Asia and
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
as part of President
John F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
's "President's Special International Program for Cultural Presentations."
Judith JamisonJudith Anna Jamison is an American dancer and choreographer, best known as the artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater....
joined the company in 1965.
Ailey established a school in 1969, the same year that the company moved to the
Brooklyn Academy of MusicBrooklyn Academy of Music is a major performing arts venue in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant garde performance....
. Both company and school relocated to 229 East 59th Street in Manhattan a year later, to a renovated church building. In April of that year, a financial crisis caused Ailey to issue a statement that the dissolution of the company might take place. The crisis abated, however, and in 1971 AAADT made its first performance at the New York City Center, where it is currently the resident company. Associate artistic director Masazumi Chaya joined the company in 1972.
AAADT, the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble (a touring company) and the Ailey school relocated in 1980 to four new studios in a building on Broadway. The company celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary three years later. Alvin Ailey died on December 1 of 1989; Judith Jamison assumed the post of Artistic Director, and the entire Ailey organization moved to 211 West 61st Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The Ailey School and nearby Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC),
Fordham UniversityFordham University is a private university in the United States, with three campuses located in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, have since affiliated to offer a
Bachelor of Fine ArtsIn the United States, the Bachelor of Fine Arts, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. It is also named in some countries the Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
(BFA) degree program.
http://www.fordham.edu/academics/colleges__graduate_s/undergraduate_colleg/fordham_college_at_l/fields_of_study/bfa_dance/aileyfordham_partner_22314.asp
Many arts organizations have experienced stresses upon the death of their founding artistic director. Many others have also contributed to the success of AAADT, but the work of
Michael KaiserMichael M. Kaiser is president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.Dubbed "the turnaround king" for his work at such arts institutions as the Kansas City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre and the Royal Opera House, Kaiser has...
, the Executive Director from 1990 to 1993, is often cited as a model of successful nonprofit performing arts management.
Following tours in
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
,
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
and
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
in the 1990s, as well as a residency in
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
in 1997, the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation announced in 2001 that a new dance complex was to be developed. Ground was broken on the building site in Manhattan the following year. The company and school moved into the building, named the Joan Weill Center for Dance, in 2004. The company toured Russia and the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
the following year.
In 2007, AADT was among over 530 New York City arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation, made possible through a donation by New York City
mayor"Mayor" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government....
Michael BloombergMichael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. He was listed as the eighth-richest American, with a net worth of US $16 billion, in the Forbes 400 on September 17, 2008, making him the richest resident of New York City, ahead of David H. Koch...
.
Performances and repertory
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has performed for an estimated 21 million people in 48 states, as well as 71 countries on six continents. Among these performances are included two South African residencies. The company has often been an ambassador for American culture, starting with President John F. Kennedy's Southeast Asia tour program. The company and its dancers and artistic staff have been recognized as cultural ambassadors numerous times, as in the 2002 awarding of the
National Medal of ArtsThe National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the Congress of the United States in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts. It is the highest honor conferred to an individual artist on behalf of the people...
to both Judith Jamison and the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation.
Founder Alvin Ailey created more than 79 dances for his company during his tenure; he also maintained, however, that the company was not solely a repository for his choreography. Hence AAADT has a repertory of more than 200 works by over seventy choreographers, including such choreographers as Ulysses Dove, Karole Armitage, Uri Sands, and most recently
Twyla TharpTwyla Tharp is an American dancer and choreographer. She has won Emmy and Tony awards, and currently works as a choreographer in New York City.-Early years:...
(whose work
The Golden Section is part of AAADT's 2006 repertory). The company keeps Alvin Ailey's works, including
Revelations,
Night Creature and
Cry, in continuous performance.
See also
- New York City Center
New York City Center, originally known as City Center of Music and Drama, and also known as New York City Center 55th Street Theater, is a 2,750-seat Moorish Revival concert hall located at 131 West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Manhattan, New York City. It is one block south of...
- Culture of New York City
The culture of New York City is shaped by centuries of immigration, the city's size and variety, and its status as the cultural capital of the United States. Many major American cultural movements first emerged in the city...
- Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey, Jr. was an American choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York. Ailey is credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th century concert dance...
- Alvin Ailey's Revelations
Revelations is the signature choreographic work of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. It was first produced by Alvin Ailey Dance Theater in New York City, New York on January 31 1960...
- Carmen De Lavallade
Carmen De Lavallade is a Creole American dancer, choreographer, professor and stage and film actress.-Early Years:Carmen De Lavallade was born on March 6, 1931, to Creole parents in New Orleans, Louisiana, but was raised in Los Angeles, California by her aunt who owned one of the first African...
External links