Discuss the range of influences that contributed to the development of AAADT.

Discuss the range of influences that contributed to the development of AAADT.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. '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.