Discuss the range of influences
that contributed to the
development of AAADT.
Practitioners, physicality and cultural
integration of movement
Katherine Dunham
Her technique focuses on the elemental
function of contraction and release, and
using the solar plexus as the base of
movement.
Lester Horton
Alvin Ailey was trained in the Horton school
from a young age. His 'study' focuses
increasing the physical capacity of the body,
developing the key components of strength,
agility and stamina. His exercises consist of
long, arching movements and deep lunges.
Martha Graham
Graham, formerly an anthropologist, focuses on the fusion of Western
ballet and contemporary dance with African cultural dance. Her
exercises are extremely rhythmic, with emphasis on the torso, hips and
upper body in propelling movement.
The Civil Rights Movement, racial segregation and oppression
(1963) Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his "I have a dream" speech
(1957) A federal court ordered the
public schools of Little Rock,
Arkansas desegregated as
segregation was considered
unconstitutional.
The United States in the
1950s was not a place
highly receptive to an
African-American company
who's works were centered
around Southern
African-American life.
Reaction to the Revelations in Australia; "there was a
thunderous applause... people throwing flowers,
people crying."
Ailey states
that; "I
started out to
created a
black
folkloric
company, to
present the
public view
of what black
artists had
created in
Music and
Dance
Lynching, outburst of
violence and racial
verbal abuse was
rampant in the 'Deep
South', which
intertwines with Alvin
Ailey's childhood.
'Blood memories', personal life and sheer luck
Alvin Ailey witnessed his mother being abused by a racist
group in the 'Deep South' in Texas. This helped
him internalize his message of equality and non-violent
activism.