2017-01-05 Thu

“What we do is celebrate people. That's all we're about.” —Alvin Ailey
Born on 5th January 1931, in Rogers, Texas, Alvin Ailey became one of the leading figures in 20th-century modern dance. He drew inspiration from the black church services he attended as well as the music he heard at the local dance hall and left for Los Angeles at age 12. After seeing the performance of Ballet Russe de Monte, he was inspired to pursue dancing.

He made his Broadway debut with a musical House of Flowers (1954). However, his best work was Revelations. He has choreographed up to 80 ballets.

In the 1960s, he took his company on the road. The U.S. State Department sponsored his tour, which helped create his international reputation. His Masakela Language, which probed the experience being black in South Africa, premiered in 1969. He also formed the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center—now called the Ailey School—that same year.

In 1988, he was honored by the Kennedy Center for his contributions to arts. He died at the age of 58 on 1st December 1989, at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City of AIDS.

The United States Postal Service issued this 37 cents stamp of Alvin Ailey on 4th May 2004; the picture was taken a year before he died. The six dancers shown are performing a segment of his most famous work Revelations.