Bill T. Jones Biography

Alvin Ailey’s notable choreography, Cry, has become an excellent success as he represents the hardships of African American women that have undergone years of slavery and suffering. The piece is a solo performance by Judith Jamison, created for “all black women all over - especially our mothers”, and has affected international audiences as he takes them on a touching journey of bleak misery, forceful oppression and prideful happiness. Alvin Ailey uses a range of dance techniques and components of dance to expose the suffering of slavery within the African society, together with core motifs, costume, music, space, time and dynamics. The motifs given are influenced with these parts of dance to form phrases and portray the intent of the work, identifying the alterations in mood and

For Arthur Mitchell, ballet wasn’t his first choice in the style of dance. A guidance counselor convinced the young Mitchell to audition for the High School of the Arts where he was more interested in Modern dance. During high school, Karel Shook, who also taught other dance legends like Alvin Ailey, Carmen de Lavallade, and Geoffrey Holder (Grant, 1985), was

The light shine down and the music surrounds her as she dance into the air and across the stage. The audience yells and clap for her as the curtain close. It’s the end of another work week for Jane Onwuegbuchu. Jane comes from a very huge family of 8, where it’s very hard for her to be at the center of attention, especially being the 5th child. Jane was born in Houston, Texas on June 22, 1987 to Rosaline and James Onwuegbuchu. She started dancing at the young age of 3 with Elite dancers and fell in love with dancing since then. “Growing up as a child, Jane was a very good child, she loved dancing and just seeing her dance melt my heart. She was a part of a lot of dance organization, church, youth dance team etc… You name it and she was there,”

From kindergarten until high school, I was a member of the Jean Wolfmeyer School of Dance. Up to 5 days per week, I would be at the dance studio taking classes, rehearsing for shows, and helping out in the less advanced classes. Regardless of skill level, Jean never hesitated to speak the brutally honest truth about students’ performances and she never settled for anything less than perfection. Jean would often preach that she is only the instruction manual and she cannot make us good dancers, we had to do that for ourselves. However, it was not her critique or teaching alone that motivated dancers to perform well, it was her relentless work ethic and commitment to her studio. As a 70 year-old women, Jean held classes as much as 7 days per

Alvin Ailey, a well known second generation American choreographer and activist was born in Rogers, Texas on January 5, 1931. Ailey grew up poor in the small Texas town of Navasota. Although he did not have much growing up, it did not stop his drive to succeed. He became inspired by attending black church services and by the music he heard at the local dance hall. Because of this, Ailey left Texas at the young age of 12 and moved to Los Angeles. While in Los Angeles, Ailey excelled in different subjects such as language and athletics. He became inspired to pursue dancing after seeing the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo perform. In 1949, at the age of 18, he began to study modern dance with Lester Horton and joined Horton’s dance company the following year. Horton became Ailey 's major influence, as he was his mentor that gave him a foundation and technique that allowed him to grow artistically. Even though he developed his own style, he still used Horton’s technique that emphasized a strong fluid torso and ease of movement. In his years to follow, Ailey founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York in 1958. Ailey’s dance company became very popular because of its multi-racial modern dance ensemble. Due to his modern, jazz and ethnic dance styles, and extensive world tours, Alvin Ailey became one of the leading figures in the 20th century modern dance, making modern dance popular all over the world. Ailey is a significant artist to me because he paved the way for

On November 18, 2016, I attended an evening performance in Irmo, South Carolina by Parsons Dance Company at Harbison Theatre at 7:30 p.m. This New York City modern based dance company hosted six commissioning works at the Midland Technical College that were all choreographed by the artistic director David Parsons. The created six works were “Finding Center,” “Hand Dance,” Swing Shift,” Kind of Blue,” “Caught,” and “Nascimento.” Each of David Parsons works showed a distinction of athletic, energized, ensemble works that revealed the style of his choreography. Parsons Dance is renowned for creating and performing contemporary American dance that is accessible and enriching to diverse audiences.

Many choreographers shape dance into something different and defy certain styles. Alvin Ailey not only did this through dance but changed the racial norms in the dance world. The Alvin Ailey American Arts Theatre has performed for over 25 million people in 48 states, 71 counties and on 6 continents. Throughout his life he made a difference. Ailey himself “changed forever the perception of American dance.” Alvin Ailey changed the views of modern dance and racial acceptance in the arts throughout America.

Influenced primarily by cultural roots and incredibly opportunity, Dunham had the luxury of studying in the West Indies as well as anthropological study of other cultural style dances. The West Indian experience changed forever the focus of Dunham’s life and caused a profound shift in her career. This initial fieldwork began a lifelong involvement with the people and dance of Haiti. And, importantly for the development of modern dance, her fieldwork began her investigations into a vocabulary of movement that would form the core of the Katherine Dunham Technique. Though many of Dunham’s primary influences lies within her multicultural experiences, Mark Turbyfill also seemed to play a large role in her future dance career, giving her private lessons despite his doubt in the opening of her student company (Kaiso! 187). Katherine Dunham has been list as an influence to “everyone from George Balanchine to Jerome Robbins, Alvin Ailey, Bob Fosse and Twyla Tharp. American dance, including ballet, modern dance, Hollywood and Broadway, would not be the same without her” (Aschenbrenner 226).

This piece drew inspiration from the African American music of his youth. Years after his death, Ailey continues to be an important figure in the field of dance through the ballets he formed and the organizations he

The world of contemporary dance is one that is constantly developing and pushing the boundaries of what makes dance more than just movement. However, it is questionable that it would be in this diverse state if it was not for a few revolutionary choreographers. Along with Martha Grahame is could be argued that Merce Cunningham was a pioneering, revolutionary choreographer who questioned given standards and procedures creating the diverse contemporary style that we know today. Revolutionary can be defined as something radically new or innovative; outside or beyond established procedure and principles (Dictionary.com, 2017). In order for something to be revolutionary it has to be in relation to something else, this is certainly true for Cunningham’s

George Jones started from nothing and made his way to be a country music hall of famer. He is one of the best country music singers of all time. Between car accidents, fighting with his wife’s, money, alcoholism, and drug abuse all almost ended his career many times. George Jones, one of America's greatest country music stars of all time, he had a rough time with his alcohol and drugs, but still found a way to receive the Lifetime Grammy Award.

“Go within everyday and find the inner strength so that the world will not blow your candle out” (A Quote by Katherine Dunham 1). Once one of the most successful dancers in both American and European theater, Katherine Dunham, a dancer, anthropologist,social activist,and educator, continues to inspire people throughout the world. Named America’s irreplaceable Dance Treasure in 2000. Dunham remains a name heard regularly in dance schools across the world (“Katherine Dunham Biography” 4). She is known for always trying to make a difference and in the process she has become of the world’s greatest humanitarians (Osumare 5). Katherine Dunham’s work in African American rights in the dance world and her creation of new styles of dance makes her an important figure in American dance History.

When the show actually began, it started with a digital green timer on the wall counting by the second, accompanied by Mr. Jones sitting at a desk with a desk lamp. He began to read a story as a single dancer in a pink long sleeved top danced beside him. This dancer was definitely the most memorable mover of the company due to her exquisite fluidity within her movement, as well as the desirable synchronization between her movements and the words of Mr. Jones’s voice throughout the piece. As the performance carried on, the other dancers performed various solos, duets, and quartets, of modern movement while Mr. Jones’s stories carried on.

Martha Graham wasn’t like other dancers. She didn’t have formal dance training, but started late in her technique. She traveled around the country with different dance groups, but decided she wanted to make a dance style of her own. She used modern music, basic lighting, and even sewed her own costumes. She referred herself to a “'doom eager' or 'eager for destiny no matter what it costs you' “(Bannerman).

Martha Graham was born May 11th, 1894 in Allegheny, Pennsylvania United States (Terry, 2016). Martha was a noteworthy dancer, teacher, and choreographer who specialized in ballet. “Over more than 50 years she created more than 180 works, from solos to large-scale works, in most of which she herself danced. She gave modern dance new depth as a vehicle for the intense and forceful expression of primal emotions” (Terry, 2016, pg. 1). As the daughter if an esteemed physician this sparked her interest in expression through bodily movements. Dance is considered to be a form of self-expression and can often times tell a story, knowing this, Martha often times would use her dances to influence people on important issues that were taking place at the