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Choreographer

James Truitte

A man is facing the left in a dance pose where his knees are bent and he is leaning back. His right hand is in the air. He's in white pants and the photo is in black and white.
Photo by Jack Mitchell

James Truitte (1923-1995) was a lead dancer with the companies of Lester Horton and Alvin Ailey, and he was an authority on Horton's technique and choreography.

Jennifer Dunning, dance critic for The New York Times, wrote of him: "Tall, lean and elegant, Mr. Truitte projected an intensity and calm that were as powerfully affecting as his long, lithe body line, whether he was playing the murderous preacher in Horton's Beloved, the desperate hotel dweller in the 'Panic' solo in Anna Sokolow's Rooms, or the yearning believer in the 'I Wanna Be Ready' solo in Ailey's Revelations."

He joined Mr. Ailey’s fledgling company in 1960 and stayed until 1968, serving for several years as associate artistic director. Truitte became an associate professor at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 1973 and was named professor emeritus in 1993.

Truitte taught Horton technique throughout the nation and restaged Horton dances for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Cincinnati Ballet, Joyce Trisler Danscompany, and the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, among others.