DANCER

Alvin Ailey

1931 - 1989

Photo of Alvin Ailey

Icon of person Alvin Ailey

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 Alvin Ailey American Dance Center (later Ailey School) as havens for nurturing Black artists and expressing the universality of the African-American experience through dance. Ailey's work fused theater, modern dance, ballet, and jazz with Black vernacular, creating hope-fueled choreography that is credited with spreading global awareness of Black life in America. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Alvin Ailey is the 73rd most popular dancer (down from 58th in 2019), the 6,638th most popular biography from United States (down from 4,450th in 2019) and the 9th most popular American Dancer.

Memorability Metrics

Loading...

Page views of Alvin Ailey by language

Loading...

Among DANCERS

Among dancers, Alvin Ailey ranks 73 out of 116Before him are Tamara Khanum, Vladimir Vasiliev, Lydia Lopokova, Maria Tallchief, Vera Karalli, and Marie Rambert. After him are Sylvie Guillem, Alicia Markova, Olga Spessivtseva, Kenneth MacMillan, Birgit Cullberg, and Frankie Manning.

Most Popular Dancers in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1931, Alvin Ailey ranks 344Before him are George Maxwell Richards, Arne Selmosson, Ichirō Nagai, Alfred Swift, Mady Mesplé, and Ivan Toplak. After him are Yuriy Voynov, Cemal Süreya, František Šafránek, Marino Morettini, Kenny Burrell, and Yoshiko Kuga. Among people deceased in 1989, Alvin Ailey ranks 195Before him are José Augusto Brandão, René Petit, Robert Körner, Richard Quine, George C. Homans, and Antonio Janigro. After him are Chico Landi, Yasushi Akutagawa, Luiz Luz, Ronald Syme, Edgar Sanabria, and Helga Haase.

Others Born in 1931

Go to all Rankings

Others Deceased in 1989

Go to all Rankings

In United States

Among people born in United States, Alvin Ailey ranks 6,639 out of 20,380Before him are Jeff Corey (1914), Mary Ellen Trainor (1952), Stephen Schneider (1945), Charles Bacon (1885), Arnie Robinson (1948), and Lloyd Alexander (1924). After him are Nancy Kovack (1935), Clarence Clark (1859), Dr. John (1941), Gates McFadden (1949), Johnny Tillotson (1938), and Frankie Laine (1913).

Among DANCERS In United States

Among dancers born in United States, Alvin Ailey ranks 9Before him are Martha Graham (1894), Merce Cunningham (1919), William Forsythe (1949), John Neumeier (1939), Adam Darius (1930), and Maria Tallchief (1925). After him are Frankie Manning (1914), Katherine Dunham (1909), Yvonne Rainer (1934), Doris Humphrey (1895), Twyla Tharp (1941), and Rachel Brice (1972).