Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey
Alvin Aileywas an African-American choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City. He is credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th-century concert dance. His company gained the nickname "Cultural Ambassador to the World" because of its extensive international touring. Ailey's choreographic masterpiece Revelations is believed to be the best known and most often seen modern dance performance. In 1977, Ailey was awarded the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP. He...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionChoreographer
Date of Birth5 January 1931
CityRogers, TX
CountryUnited States of America
My feelings about myself have been terrible.
No matter what you write or choreograph, you feel it is not enough.
If you live in the elite world of dance, you find yourself in a world rife with racism. Let's face it.
I always want to have more dancers in my company.
I'm attracted to long-legged girls with long arms and a little head.
Lena Horne is the sweetest and most adorable woman in the world.
Racism tears down your insides so that no matter what you achieve, you're not quite up to snuff.
One of the worst things about racism is what it does to young people.
I wanted to explore black culture, and I wanted that culture to be a revelation.
Sometimes you feel bad about yourself when there's no reason to.
We still spend more time chasing funds than we do in the studio in creative work.
Choreography is mentally draining, but there's a pleasure in getting into the studio with the dancers and the music.
Everything in dancing is style, allusion, the essence of many thoughts and feelings. The abstraction of many moments.
Money is a never-ending problem.