Alvin Ailey Dance

The music in the churches, gave him the inspiration of music. In 1942, Alvin and his mother moved to Los Angeles. His mother found work in an aircraft factory. Ailey’s interest in sports grew. In highschool, Alvin participated in gymnastics and football.

Soon they would move to Pasadena, California. As a child growing up with poverty Robinson and his minority friends were often times excluded from many recreational activities. As a result Robinson ended up joining a gang but was soon persuaded to leave it by one of his friends. Robinson enrolled at John Muir High School where he recognized his athletic talents.

I picked to write about Alvin Ailey because I feel like this is the decade and generation that his legacy died in because when it comes to dance no one thinks of Ailey as the founding father his dancing is a lost art.. Alvin Ailey was an amazing dancer and choreographer with his own unique dance style. His talent was referenced in Fresh Prince of Bel Air and a different world his style is what makes him stand out from other choreographers. Alvin Ailey was not born with his name in lights he had a rough beginning. Born in Rogers, Texas on January 5th 1931 as Alvin Ailey Jr.

America underwent constant reform between the years of 1840 to 1850. Living in a country established for less than a century, Americans witnessed great wars, new inventions, expansion, and changes within the government. Art wasn 't as prevalent then as it became later on. The pioneers of dance and historic events regarding such happened later. However, it is the history of the people that have influence upon masterpieces born in generations to come.

Martha 's life and journey has influenced the world of dance, forming it to what it is today. Because of her fearlessness and devotion to dance, we are able to learn so much about the new ways to utilize our bodies in a less fluid more emotionally manor. Sadly the Mother of Modern Dance passed away on April 1st, 1991 of old age. Martha never stopped going, she danced to her heart 's content and never slowed down. She started from the bottom, not knowing how to dance and she became the true

Alvin Ailey (1931-1989), American choreographer and activist became one of the leading figures in the 20th century modern dance. He began dance training at age of eleven. At this age he was learning classical, folk, social, and modern dances. He started studying extensive dance at the age of 19 with Lester Horton in 1949. He joined Lester’s dance company in 1950.

Alvin Ailey was one of the greatest choreographers of his time and his legacy still lives on through his techniques and his preeminent dance company. Despite racial issues of his time, he was able to overcome them, learn from one of the greatest modern choreographers who came before him, land a job on Broadway, and later create his own long living dances through his own dance company which began with all black dancers. His legacy lives in his ability to rise above racial issues and create a new community of African American dancers in modern dance. Born in Texas during the Great Depression, Ailey grew up in hardship while also facing racial issues in the South. Around age 11 was where Ailey’s life began to gain purpose.

To dance is to be knowledgeable about the stories of the ancestral heroes. Dancing, unlike painting and singing, is learnt at an early age. This allows large groups of people to demonstrate their clan rights in front of an audience. Dance is also seen as an occasion to entertain and to be entertained and through the work of dance to show their love for families and kin. It is for this reason that dance may be performed at the end of every day in some communities.

In 1971, Alvin Ailey choreographed Cry, a three part work solo dance set to gospel music that describes an emotional journey filled with struggle, hardships, defeat, survival and joy. It was intended as a birthday present to Alvin’s mother and a dedication to all black women everywhere. The first part of the dance is the struggle of trying to maintain pride irrespective of the opposition faced from outside. The second part reveals the sorrow within after the woman’s pride has been shattered into pieces and finally the third part is a spirited celebration of finding strength and joy in God. Even though cry was dedicated to only black women, i argue the notion that all women both black and white of the nineteenth century could relate

The Uprising Savoy Ballroom She loved to dance but she was not old enough to get in. She did not have the money, so she had to sneak in. She’d watch people swing and enjoy the life on the dance floor from her bedroom window. She imagined moving her feet to the beat of those sweet jazz sounds and dancing with the hottest guys in town.

III. a. Maya Angelou was an avid writer, speaker, activist and teacher. As a result of the many hardships that she suffered while growing up as a poor black woman in the south she has used her own experiences as the subject matter of her written work. In doing this she effectively shows how she was able to overcome her personal obstacles. Her autobiography “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1970) tells the story of her life and how she overcame and moved forward triumphantly in spite of her circumstances.

Alvin Ailey was a prevalent modern dance choreographer in the 20th century known for breaking down the racial barriers within dance. Born in Rodgers, Texas and growing up around the era of social rebellion and the fight for reconstruction of cultural stereotypes, Alvin Ailey’s company played an important role in the civil rights movement. Founding the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in December 1958, Ailey brought the vision of greater racial equality and used his modern dance as a platform for both his personal and cultural expression. Through the medium of dance, Alvin Ailey emerged African American aesthetic, fostered awareness for the need of multi-racial modern dance, and pioneered dance as a political and social movement. Ailey made a point of producing the works of black choreographers and musicians, focusing his productions on black American themes.

Choreographer Alvin Ailey expresses the story of the labored, broken, yet courageous black woman, though lengthy arm extensions and torso contractions that are combined with his signature style of ballet, modern dance, and African technique. Alvin Ailey trained dancers have a way of dancing bigger than the audience could ever imagine by embodying the real life struggles Alvin himself witnessed This type of character outpouring births a spiritual intimacy or soul connection between dancer and choreography and finally audience and dancer. A dance genius in his own right, Alvin Ailey was born on January 5, 1931 in a small town in Texas. His 17-year-old mother would soon know the struggles of being a single mother in the segregated south just months after Alvin was born.

Today’s modern dance differs from what it was when Graham did it. There are many differences from Martha’s style of dance and today’s style of dance. Already, Martha Graham had a unique style of dance that many people thought was “ugly.” It took quite some time for others to truly appreciate the way of Graham’s dance.

Modern Dance is defined as being a dance style that focuses on a dancer's interpretation as opposed to the structured steps of Ballet. It was developed in the early twentieth century, primarily in Germany and the United States. The dance style was a rebellion against the rigid formalism of Ballet. The pioneers of the dance style were Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller, and Ruth St. Denis in the United States, Rudolf von Laban and Mary Wigman. Modern dance is known for its nature-like and free flowing movement.