The Alvin Ailey Dance Company: America’s ‘Cultural Ambassador to the World’
“We have no more successful dance company today than the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.” The New York Observer
Recently celebrating its 50th anniversary, and here presenting a world premiere, America’s ‘Cultural Ambassador to the World’, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre returns to the UK for an eight-city national tour this autumn.
The 31 member New York-based Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre company has changed the face of American dance over the last half century, combining popular music, gospel and jazz with a fusion of ballet and modern dance, encouraging audiences that number in the millions to their feet.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre grew from a ground-breaking performance in 1958 led by Alvin Ailey, who sought to enrich the modern dance tradition and celebrate his African-American heritage. Born in Rogers, Texas in 1931, Ailey grew up during a time of racial segregation and violence against African-Americans. When he was just 5 years old, the rape of his mother by a group of white men left him fearful of whites. Early experiences in the Southern Baptist church and local jook-joints instilled in him a fierce sense of black pride that would later figure prominently in Ailey’s signature works.
His inspiration for dance came in 1942 when he and his mother migrated to Los Angeles. There, young Ailey regularly attended shows at Lincoln and the Orpheum Theatres. He became serious about dance in 1949 when a school friend introduced him to the Hollywood studio of Lester Horton, who would later prove to be Ailey’s major influence and mentor; including classical ballet, jazz, and Native American dance. Horton’s school was the first multi-racial dance school in the United States and gave Ailey both a technique and a foundation of combined dance styles with which to grow artistically.
Ailey formed his own company in 1958 and a dance school later in 1969, creating more than 79 dances for his company during his tenure. Proud that his company was multi-racial, he wanted to give opportunities to black dancers who were frequently excluded from performances by racist attitudes at the time; the company always employed artists based solely on artistic talent and integrity, regardless of their race.
This ethos remains today. Known for their passion, energy and talent, the Ailey dancers include Renee Robinson, selected by Alvin Ailey himself and the only woman to have danced with AAADT for an incredible 29 years. Clifton Brown, hailed as “a star among stars” by The Sunday Times, received a Bessie award in 2007 in recognition of his work with the company.
“I was exposed to the Ailey company through a video I checked out of the Phoenix Public Library”, says Brown. “When I saw Donna Wood dance I was amazed and inspired on so many levels. Her limbs seemed to stretch to eternity, yet at times she was also so subtle. But what struck me the most was her sincerity. You could look in her eyes and see a person having a human experience. I instantly related to the feeling and expression that went through her entire body while she was dancing.”
An instant hit with fans, Clifton’s introduction to dance was by chance, and his dexterity learnt over time. “My grandmother took me to a tumbling class at a dance studio when I was four years old. All the kids in my family were older than me and had started to go to school already. Since I was still too young for school, she wanted to give me something constructive to do as well as give me some physical coordination – believe it or not I was very clumsy! I loved it and soon started taking ballet, then tap, jazz and modern. I’ve been dancing ever since.”
Besides star dancers, the team is coordinated by an exceptional collective of passionate professionals, one of which is Judith Jamison. In 2009 Jamison celebrated 20 years as Artistic Director of the company and was also named as one of the world’s 100 most influential people by Time magazine. She became a member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in 1965 and danced with the company for 15 years to great acclaim. Recognizing her extraordinary talent, Mr. Ailey created some of his most enduring roles for her, most notably the tour de force solo, Cry.
Appearing as a guest artist with ballet companies all over the world during the 80’s, Jamison eventually formed her own company in 1988. The Jamison Project; a PBS special depicting her creative process, Judith Jamison: The Dancemaker, aired nationally the same year. She was then appointed Artistic Director to the Ailey company in December 1989 at the request of Ailey himself and won the prestigious National Medal of Arts alongside the Ailey organisation in 2001, the first dance company to receive the honour. Alvin Ailey sadly passed away on 1 December 1989; Ms Jamison recently announced she retires as Artistic Director in 2011, to be succeeded by Robert Battle.
Performing the over 200 works by over 70 choreographers to millions of people in 71 countries on six continents, AAADT’s far reaching popularity provides its members with an opportunity to view the world while touching international audiences.
“Touring the world is one of the perks of dancing with the Ailey Company,” says Brown. “Basically, you get to be a tourist in many different countries and get paid. Although we don’t have much time to see every city we go to, I do my best to experience each city and enjoy its offerings when my schedule allows. My favourite theatre to perform in has been the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens, Greece. You’re dancing outside under the stars, in the ruins of Greece, with beautiful views.
“I’m excited to be back in the UK though,” he adds, “I always have a great experience performing in the UK. One of the most enjoyable things is the audience reaction. The people are so welcoming and enthusiastic! You can sense their anticipation for every performance.”
Highlights from the two programmes for the forthcoming UK dates include the phenomenal Revelations (1960) by Alvin Ailey, the most viewed piece in modern dance history, with an estimated audience of 23 million to date. Programme Two also features the world premiere of Christopher Huggins’ new work Anointed.
“I don’t necessarily dance because I have a need to perform for people,” Brown says, “but simply because I love it. I am so fortunate to dance with a company that touches and moves so many people worldwide. Dancing with the Ailey Company, which is such a positive force, has shown me how amazing it is to share the spirit that we share with our audiences. It’s so much greater than anything I could achieve as an individual.”
