Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
| Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, AAADT | |
|---|---|
| Founder: | Alvin Ailey |
| Founded: | 1958 |
| Hometown: | New York City |
| Members: | Judith Jamison (retired), Robert Battle (artistic director) |
| Technology: | Modern and Afro |
| Awards: | National Medal of Arts |
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater ( AAADT ) is a New York City- based modern dance company that has achieved international renown primarily through its tours. It was founded in 1958 by the dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey . After his death in 1989 Judith Jamison and her deputy Masazumi Chaya took over the artistic direction until July 1st, 2011, when Robert Battle Jamison succeeded him. Nowadays it consists of around 30 dancers.
history
Alvin Ailey and a group of young black modern dancers first appeared in New York's Young Men's Hebrew Association in March 1958 under the name Alvin Ailey Dance Theater. They then embarked on a tour known today as the Railroad Tour . In 1960 Ailey developed his most famous piece, Revelations . In 1962, the company was selected as part of President Kennedy's "President's Special International Program for Cultural Presentations" and sponsored a world tour to the Far East, Southeast Asia and Australia . Judith Jamison became a member of the company in 1965.
In 1969 Ailey founded a school and at the same time the company moved to the Brooklyn Academy of Music. In 1971 the AAADT finally made its first appearance in the New York City Center . In the following year Masazumi Chaya, who later became Judith Jamison's deputy, joined the company.
AAADT, the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble (a tour-only company) and the Ailey school moved to new studios on Broadway in 1980 . Three years later the company celebrated its 25th anniversary.
Ailey died on December 1, 1989 and Judith Jamison took over the company's artistic direction. With that, the Ailey organization moved again to the Upper West Side, Manhattan. From then on, through a connection between the Ailey School and the nearby Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), Fordham University , there was also a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree.
In 2004 the entire Ailey organization moved again to the newly built Joan Weill Center for Dance, which still serves as home today.
In 2010, Robert Battle was announced as the designated successor to Judith Jamison. He took over the artistic direction on July 1, 2011.
Performances and repertoire
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has performed to an estimated 21 million people in 71 countries on every continent. The company has also been used several times as a cultural ambassador for America, a tradition that began with Kennedy's tour. In 2002, both the company and Judith Jamison were awarded the National Medal of Arts.
Alvin Ailey created more than 79 dance performances for his company. Still, the dancers weren't just a tool. The company's repertoire today consists of more than 200 works by 70 other choreographers, e. B. Ulysses Dove , Karole Armitage, Uri Sands and most recently Twyla Tharp (whose work The Golden Section was part of the 2006 performance repertoire). Some of Ailey's works are performed regularly, including Revelations , Night Creature, and Cry .
Individual evidence
- ^ Ailey / Fordham Partnership . Fordham.edu. October 28, 2003. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
- ^ Ailey Company Names New Director . New York Times. April 28, 2010. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
Web links
- http://www.alvinailey.org - official website (English)
- Fordham University BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) degree program affiliation . Retrieved November 8, 2010.