Alvin Ailey

by Andrea Pinkney

Other authorsBrian Pinkney (Illustrator)

Paperback, 1995

Status

Available

Genres

Nonfiction

Collection

Children's Circulating

Publication

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (1995), Edition: Illustrated, 32 pages

Description

Describes the life, dancing, and choreography of Alvin Ailey, who created his own modern dance company to explore the black experience.

User reviews

LibraryThing member Kathdavis54

Alvin Ailey became a great dancer at a time when that was a struggle for an African American. Many schools would not accept him because of his race. Luckily for Ailey, he found a school and was able to do what he was meant to do.

I really enjoyed this account of Ailey's journey to becoming a dancer

and owning his own dance company. However, like I have noticed in other biographies for children, the ending feels too rushed. I know the focus was on his struggle to becoming a dancer, but I would like to have learned more about Ailey as a leader and teacher in his company.

This book would fit perfectly into any unit about African Americans as it shows Ailey's contributions to the American dance world.

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LibraryThing member alarso2

This was the true life story of Alvin Ailey. Alvin is a black man who was born in the south in the generation of segregation. However, through hard work, perseverance, and talent, he was eventually invited to perform at white establishments and largely accepted by the dance community, despite it

being unusual for them to accept/respect a black dancer. His motivational life led him to form his own dance company for African Americans, which still performs today.

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LibraryThing member nbmars

Alvin Ailey, credited with revolutionizing and popularizing modern dance, is profiled in this picture-book biography. The authors begin with Ailey’s childhood in Texas and moves with him to Los Angeles and then New York, where he forms his own dance troupe (still in operation today although Ailey

died in 1989). Ailey’s choreography combined techniques from ballet, modern dance, jazz, and African dance. The illustrator focuses on the dynamic and vibrant motions of the dancers, showing them leaping and twirling and bending and turning. This inspirational book may help readers envision less stereotypical paths open to them in life.

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