Alvin Ailey

Ailey, Alvin (1931–89), U.S. dancer and choreographer. Ailey was a pupil of Lester Horton, with whom he made his debut in 1950. He began choreographing in 1953 and formed his own company, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, in 1958. Creation of the World (1954), Blues Suite (1958), and Revelations (1960) are among his most noted works.