Lake View East in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Alvin Ailey
The Legacy Walk
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, August 26, 2021
1. Alvin Ailey Marker
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Alvin Ailey. The Legacy Walk.
Alvin Ailey (Modern Dance Pioneer) (1931 - 1989) , . Born in poverty in rural Texas, where racial segregation was still in full force, Alvin Ailey grew into a gifted choreographer who drew inspiration from African American culture and went on to become an American icon. After serving as Artistic Director of his mentor Lester Horton’s Dance Theater Company, and studying with Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey and others, Ailey gathered together a group of black dancers and, in 1958, founded Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. In 1960 he debuted his choreographic masterpiece, Revelations. Inspired by his "blood memories" of Texas, the blues, spirituals and gospel, Revelations is believed to be one of the best-known and most often seen modern dance performances ever created. Ailey combined elements from ballet, modern, jazz, African ritual and contemporary dances. Each dancer’s uniqueness was important to his choreography – a paradigm shift that brought concert dance into harmony with other forms of African-American expression. Though he sought to give black dancers opportunities they could not often find in other companies, Ailey took great pride in the multi-cultural composition of his company and quickly became a major force in modern dance, achieving worldwide popularity. Forced by the conventions of the time to be circumspect about his private life, Ailey nonetheless lived with integrity and was an inspiration to everyone who had the honor to meet and work with him. He received numerous honorary degrees, awards from the most prestigious dance organizations, NAACP’s Spingarn Award, and the United Nations Peace Medal. In 1988, one year before his death from AIDS-related illness, Ailey received the Kennedy Center Honor in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to American culture. In its obituary, The New York Times said, “You didn’t need to have known Ailey personally to have been touched by his humanity, enthusiasm and exuberance and his courageous stand for multi-racial brotherhood.”
Alvin Ailey
(Modern Dance Pioneer)
(1931 - 1989)
Born in poverty in rural Texas, where racial segregation was still in full force, Alvin Ailey grew into a gifted choreographer who drew inspiration from African American culture and went on to become an American icon. After serving as Artistic Director of his mentor Lester Horton’s Dance Theater Company, and studying with Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey and others, Ailey gathered together a group of black dancers and, in 1958, founded Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. In 1960 he debuted his choreographic masterpiece, Revelations. Inspired by his "blood memories" of Texas, the blues, spirituals and gospel, Revelations is believed to be one of the best-known and most often seen modern dance performances ever created. Ailey combined elements from ballet, modern, jazz, African ritual and contemporary dances. Each dancer’s uniqueness was important to his choreography – a paradigm shift that brought concert dance into harmony with other forms of African-American expression. Though he sought to give black dancers opportunities they could not often find in other companies, Ailey took great pride in the multi-cultural composition of his company and quickly became a major force in modern dance, achieving worldwide popularity. Forced
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by the conventions of the time to be circumspect about his private life, Ailey nonetheless lived with integrity and was an inspiration to everyone who had the honor to meet and work with him. He received numerous honorary degrees, awards from the most prestigious dance organizations, NAACP’s Spingarn Award, and the United Nations Peace Medal. In 1988, one year before his death from AIDS-related illness, Ailey received the Kennedy Center Honor in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to American culture. In its obituary, The New York Times said, “You didn’t need to have known Ailey personally to have been touched by his humanity, enthusiasm and exuberance and his courageous stand for multi-racial brotherhood.”
Erected 2012 by The Legacy Project.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music. In addition, it is included in the The Legacy Walk series list. A significant historical date for this entry is January 5, 1931.
Location. 41° 56.802′ N, 87° 38.964′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Lake View East. Marker is on North Halsted Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3541 North Halsted Street, Chicago IL 60657, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, August 26, 2021
2. Alvin Ailey Marker - wide view
The Ailey marker is visible here, mounted to the rainbow pylon that it shares with a marker for Ruth Ellis.
Also see . . . 1. Celebrating Revelations at 50 (YouTube, 5.5 min.). A short documentary about Revelations, mostly told through clips of Ailey himself speaking, as well as clips from the production. (Submitted on September 22, 2021.)
Excerpt: "Alvin Ailey Jr. (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989), was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Ailey School as havens for nurturing black artists and expressing the universality of the African-American experience through dance. His work fused theater, modern dance, ballet, and jazz with black vernacular, creating hope-fueled choreography that continues to spread global
awareness of black life in America. Ailey's choreographic masterpiece Revelations is recognized as one of the most popular and most performed ballets in the world."
(Submitted on September 22, 2021.)
Additional keywords. lgbt lgbtq
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 22, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 178 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on September 22, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
