Alvin Ailey

Alvin Ailey was an incomparable dancer, a forward-facing visionary, and one of the most significant choreographers of the 20th century. His work changed the course of modern dance forever. 

Alvin Ailey was born on January 5, 1931, in Rogers, Texas where he grew up with his mother, working in cotton fields and witnessing the river baptisms at their local church—experiences that would later inspire some of his most memorable ballets. It was after moving to Los Angeles that he experienced concert dance for the first time, seeing performances by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and the Katherine Dunham Dance Company. Soon after, his close friend, the extraordinary dancer Carmen de Lavallade, convinced him to formally train under Lester Horton, the founder of one of the first racially integrated dance companies in the United States. With a keen eye for talent, Horton became a mentor to Mr. Ailey. After Horton’s passing in 1953, Mr. Ailey became the director of the Lester Horton Dance Theater and began to choreograph his own works. The following year, he moved to New York City, where he performed in four Broadway shows—including House of Flowers and Jamaica—and continued to develop his choreography. 

In 1958, Mr. Ailey founded Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater to carry out his vision of a company dedicated to uplifting the African American experience while enriching and preserving the legacy of modern dance. The creation of his masterpiece Revelations in 1960 cemented his reputation as a choreographer of unique vision, with the ability to transcend racial barriers and connect deeply to people’s humanity. Mr. Ailey 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. He was also a pioneer of programs promoting arts in education. In 1989, he founded AileyCamp, a summer day camp for children to explore their creativity through dance and the arts—the last initiative he spearheaded before his untimely death.

Throughout his lifetime, Mr. Ailey collaborated with other outstanding American artists including Romare Bearden, Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes, and Mary Lou Williams, to name a few. He was awarded the highest distinctions in the arts, including the Kennedy Center Honors 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. When Mr. Ailey died on December 1, 1989, The New York Times said, “you didn’t need to have known [him] personally to have been touched by his humanity, enthusiasm, and exuberance and his courageous stand for multi-racial brotherhood.” 

Mr. Ailey was a trailblazer, a man fully dedicated to his art form who generously shared his passion with everyone he encountered, from artists to audiences. His legacy lives on through his ballets—which continue to resonate with millions of people—and the AILEY organization, forever dedicated to his mission of returning dance to the people.