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Born on the 5 th of January 1931, the man who changed the face of modern dance forever. He was born in a farming community in Rogers, Texas. When he was twelve he and his mother moved to Los Angeles. He had a difficult childhood. His mother was always working or out at a club. Through these hard times a wide range of dance genres, including the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, influenced him He enrolled at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).
It was then that he became involved with the Lester Horton Dance Company. It was now 1949. He studied under Horton for four years until Hortons sudden death in 1953. Ailey was then made director of the company until it disbanded in 1954. His Broadway debut was with Carmen de Lavallade in the musical House of Flowers.
He moved to New York City in 1954. There he studied acting under Stella Adler, and more importantly, dance under Martha Graham, Hand Holm, Charles Weidman and others. In 1958 he bravely founded his own company. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Their debut performance was on 92 nd street YMWHA. They toured widely in American and abroad.
The company consisted primarily of black people. It started out with only seven members. That number has now grown to well over any of Mr. Ailey's expectations. His signature piece is Revelations, it is a powerful early work that is set to American Negro spirituals. It is based on his early recollections of a baptismal that he paid witness to.
He carried on choreographing for his company and many others abroad. He passed away on the 1 st of December 1989 in New York. His autobiography, Revelations, was published in 1994. He will always be remembered as the American dancer, choreographer and director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
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Research essay sample on Los Angeles Dance Company
