On January 23, 1906, Lester Iradell Horton was born to Iradell and Pollyanna Horton in Indianapolis, Indiana. Very little is known about Horton’s early life; however, it is known that his interest in dance was sparked by his fascination with American-Indian culture after watching tribal dances and the work of Japanese performer, Michio Itō. Horton began to study the Iroquois and Red River Indians, as well as the Penobscot and Ojibwe tribes. Alongside studying tribal dances, he began to train in ballet with a local teacher in Indianapolis, Theo Hewes. Nevertheless, the real story doesn’t start until the late 1920s. In the late 1920s, Horton moved to California to begin his career as a full time dancer after being impacted by a performance
Alvin Ailey was one of the Pioneers of Dance. Alvin Ailey was well respected and cared for. He started off his spontaneous dance career when he debuted on broadway in 1954. It took him 4 years to develop his own dance company in 1958, which helps african americans to start off their massive and successful careers. From how he grew up to his death, in 1989, I will take you on a journey through his amazing dance career.
The Alvin Ailey Dance Theater was created after a famous performance, led by Alvin Ailey and a group of African-American dancers in March 1958, dramatically changed how individuals viewed American dance. The theater’s goal was to celebrate the African-American culture and preserve the legacy of modern dance, which has since, been achieved through performances, “for an estimated 25 million people at theaters in 28 states and 71 countries on six continents[...] (by) more than 235 works by over 90 choreographers,” (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater). Alvin Ailey, born in Texas, grew up knowing that his experiences living in the South would have some influence on his works later on his life. In Los Angeles, Ailey began to dance when he discovered the beauty of dance by the performances of Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and the Katherine Dunham Dance Company. Soon after, his friend persuaded Ailey to join a class in one of the first racially-integrated dance studios which existed in the United States, led by Leston Horton.
One of his male friends introduced him to the dance world at Horton’s Dance School. This school had a dance company that was actually the first company that accepted dancers of all races. At the age of 22, Alvin began complete training at Horton’s school. At the end of 1953, Horton passed away leaving the company without a choreographer. Though Alvin had little training and was only 22 years old, he was well known and respected in the Horton School.
After a trip to the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, Ailey got great interests in concert dance. Inspired by watching the performances of Katherine Dunham Company and having classes with Lester Horton, Alvin Ailey then started his dance training formally with Lester Horton, the founder of the first racially integrated Dance Company in this country, and began his professional dance career at age of 18. During this period, Ailey learned many different styles of dances and adopted many of Horton’s dancing techniques. After Horton died in 1953, Ailey took charge of the company, but his nontraditional education influenced him to choreograph his own works with his own dance style. At first, Ailey was not sure about being a dancer so he went to attend UCLA and San Francisco State College to study languages after graduation from high school.
In 1958 at the age of 27 Ailey opened the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre. The opening of the theatre is known to be ailey’s greatest achievement as a dancer/choreographer. The theatre was ailey’s ticket to success because not to long after the opening of the theatre ailey and his dancers performed for the first time on March,30,1958 at a theatre in New York. The theatre was not always successful because in 1970 due to lack of funds the theatre almost dissolved.
He then started studying modern dance with Lester Horton who was introduced to Alvin by a friend in 1949. Alvin hung around the stage door during the run of Dunham show, so often that he was asked by a dancer to join her at the back stage into the
Alvin Ailey Alvin Ailey was an iconic symbol for modern dance during the 20th century. He broke barriers for African American performers and inspired many others. From being raised by a single mother in poverty, to establishing his own company, Alvin Ailey really made an impact in the world of modern dance. When Ailey passed away, The New York Times said of him, “you didn’t need to have known [him] personally to have been touched by his humanity, enthusiasm, and exuberance and his courageous stand for multi-racial brotherhood.” Ailey was born January 5, 1931 in Rogers, Texas to seventeen year old Lula Elizabeth Ailey.
“[My dance instructor] Cindy believed that ballet was richer when it embraced diverse shapes and cultures. There would be times in my career when I would struggle to remember that, but I would eventually come back to that conviction, that the stage on which I performed was brighter for having me, even if some in the audience or dancing beside didn 't always agree” (“Misty Copeland
In her article, Embodying Difference, Jane Desmond argues that dance offers important insights into the ways moving bodies articulate cultural meanings and social identities. In other words, she explains the importance of studying the body’s movement as a way of understanding culture and society. She has two main arguments. First, she argues for the importance of the continually changing relational constitutions of cultural forms. Desmond further explains that the key to shedding light on the unequal distribution of power and goods that shape social relations are the concepts of cultural resistance, appropriation, and cultural imperialism (49).
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.
Director and Choreographer Bob Fosse forever changed the way that audiences and people around the world viewed and experienced dance on stage as well as the film industry throughout the twentieth century. Bob Fosse pushed the early boundaries of sexuality in his shows and performances. He brought a new base of showing dance through the camera lenses that would foreshadow the future of dance media, giving a foreground for media outlets such as MTV and VH1. Bob Fosse was born as Robert Luis Fosse on June twenty third, 1927, in Chicago, Illinois.
Mambo Girl (1957), a movie musical, follows Kailing, a talented young woman widely admired for her singing and dancing capabilities, as she searches for acceptance after learning the truth about her background. Shall We Dansu? (1996) follows Mr. Sugiyama, a Japanese accountant who goes on a secretive and intimate journey into the world of ballroom dance. Both Mambo Girl and Shall We Dansu? emphasize the close relationship between intimacy and Latin dance by linking Kailing and Mr. Sugiyama’s manners of dancing Latin to the emotional connection each has with other characters.
Is Dance a Sport or an Art? Some people think dance is not a sport. They think it’s an art because it is nothing but remembering dance moves. However, I believe dance is a sport.
The dancers were observed to be full of energy which showed through their movements and dancing. Every movement was sharp and clean. Furthermore, the action portion of the basic dance elements was seen through the dancer’s basic movements that turned into dancing. For example, in one scene, the actor jumped off the table and broke into a little skip-glide dancing movement.
Ever since i was young i fell in love with the art of dance. When i finally joined i felt like i was a little behind hence everyone was in my class was dancing since they were toddlers. My first day of dance was pretty nerve racking. My teacher would say to do something and i wouldn't know what to do because i didn't know any dance vocabulary. I would have to look around and try to fit in as much as possible so my teacher wouldn't think i wasn't fit for the class.