Alvin Ailey
Ranked 5th in the list of the best American dancers is Alvin Ailey Jr. (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989). He was a dancer, choreographer, and activist in the United States who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He founded AAADT and the Ailey School to nurture Black artists and communicate the universality of the African-American experience through dance. His art, which he created as a gay man, blended theater, modern dance, ballet, and jazz with Black vernacular, resulting in hopeful choreography that continues to raise global awareness of Black existence in America.
Revelations, Alvin Ailey's choreographic masterpiece, is one of the world's most popular and performed ballets. He combined primitive, modern, and jazz dance elements with a concern for Black rural America in this production. The United States Congress designated AAADT as a "essential American cultural ambassador to the world" on July 15, 2008. In honor of AAADT's 50th anniversary, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg designated December 4 "Alvin Ailey Day" in New York City, and then-Gov. David Paterson honored the organization on behalf of the state.
- Born: January 5, 1931Rogers, Texas, U.S.
- Died: December 1, 1989 (aged 58)Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
- Known for: Dancer, choreographer
