George Faison

George W. Faison danced with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from 1967-1970. He was the first African American choreographer to win a Tony Award for his choreography in The Wiz (1975). In the early 1970s, he created two modern American dance classics, Suite Otis and Slaves, for the George Faison Universal Dance Experience. In the early 1980s, he changed his professional career focus to writing, directing, and choreographing dramatic and musical theater pieces. Faison choreographed for Broadway and choreographed and directed numerous productions for regional theaters. He co-produced and wrote the Cosby Salutes Ailey NBC TV special celebrating the 30th anniversary of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He is co-founder and producing artistic director of the Faison Firehouse Theatre, a unique performing arts-based outreach and youth theatre project in a former Harlem firehouse.