Alvin Ailey Jr., was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. 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.

Did Alvin Ailey have a family?

Alvin Ailey Jr. was born to Alvin and Lula Elizabeth Ailey on January 5, 1931, in Rogers, Texas. He was an only child, and his father, a laborer, left the family when Alvin Jr. ... moved with his mother to Navasota, Texas.

Are all Alvin Ailey dancers black?

In the company's first years, all performers were African American, reflecting its founder's commitment to provide a place where black dancers could avoid pervasive discrimination. However, in 1963, the troupe became racially integrated, as Ailey protested against quotas and discrimination of any kind.