Ulysses Dove

Ulysses Dove (1947-1996), born in Columbia, SC, began studying dance with Carolyn Tate while a pre-med student at Howard University. He transferred to the University of Wisconsin to study with Xenia Chlistowa of the Kirov Ballet, and in 1970 he graduated from Bennington College with a degree in dance. Moving to New York, Dove joined Merce Cunningham’s company and performed with Mary Anthony, Pearl Lang, and Anna Sokolow. In 1973, Dove joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, where he quickly garnered key roles and acclaim for his commanding presence, bright clarity of movement, and truthful dramatic intensity. Dove turned to choreography at Alvin Ailey's urging and in 1980 created the solo Inside for Judith Jamison. He left the Company the same year to begin a significant freelance career choreographing dances for the Basel Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, London Festival Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and the Choreographic Research Group of the Paris Opera, where he spent three years as assistant director. Dove’s choreography was marked by its relentless speed, violent force, and daring eroticism. He was also the choreographer for the 1986 Robert Wilson-Philip Glass opera The Civil Wars. Several of his ballets have found their definitive interpretations in performances by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. His Red Angels (1994) was a hit of New York City Ballet’s Diamond Project, and a companion piece, Twilight (1994), was his final creation. Dove's work was the subject of Dance in America: Two by Dove, an Emmy Award-winning 1995 show in the PBS Great Performances series.