Alvin Ailey Biography

Alvin Ailey was a choreographer who established the ‘Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’ to promote modern dance forms. He was an African-American who sought to preserve the uniqueness of his own culture and simultaneously enrich the American modern dance heritage. He was also an activist and, in his lifetime, he undertook a number of programs to promote arts, particularly benefiting deprived communities. Born into a poor family, Ailey didn’t have an easy life. He was raised during the era of racial segregation when most people of his race were forced to take sundry and minor jobs. However, fate had something else in store for Ailey. When he first enrolled himself in a dance school, he showed promise which only few could exhibit. His dance was driven by passion and enhanced by innovation. No wonder that he is credited for introducing various dance techniques which changed the course of modern dance. He even travelled to various places, not just to propagate his dance, but also to learn from the local cultures. His company even earned the nickname ‘Cultural Ambassador to the World’. In his lifetime, he achieved many honors, awards and recognitions for his contribution to the American dance culture and his efforts at fostering humanity and inter-racial brotherhood.