Key Dates- Important people in the company

Question 1

1943

Answer 1

Judith Jamison was born at an intense time. The colour of her skin influenced of her skin influenced her career and there was a lot of racial segregation.

Question 2

1944

Answer 2

Ailey watched Katherine Dunham’s Tropical Revue in LA and Saw African-American dancers on stage. She became a huge influence to Ailey’s Works.

Question 3

1953

Answer 3

Lester Horton died of a heart attack

Question 4

1953

Answer 4

Ailey became resident choreographer of Lester Horton Dance Theatre

Question 5

Mid 1960s

Answer 5

Ailey had started to withdraw himself from dancing

Question 6

1964

Answer 6

AAADT toured Europe. Contemporary dance had not been explored here before and was a new experience for the audiences. The critics were especially impressed with the male dancers.

Question 7

1963

Answer 7

Dudley Williams (a Graham dancer) joined the company

Question 8

1965

Answer 8

Judith Jamison joins the company after Ailey first saw her audition.

Question 9

1965

Answer 9

Judith Jamison was spotted by Agnes De Mille who wisked her away from her psychology degree to perform in ‘The Four Mary’s’ presented by American Ballet Theatre in 1965

Question 10

1965

Answer 10

Ailey officially ends his career as a performer at age 33 whilst on tour in Italy

Question 11

1954-1968

Answer 11

Civil Rights Movement
1954- US Supreme Court struck down ‘separate but equal’
1965- Voting Rights Act
1968- Civil Rights Act

Question 12

1970 (premises)

Answer 12

AAADT and Pearl Lang’s dance company share rehearsal space whilst Ailey and Lang co-direct their own school, the American Dance Centre

Question 13

1970

Answer 13

Jamison became Ballet Master overseeing rehearsals with Dudley Williams

Question 14

1970 (dancers)

Answer 14

Clive Thompson joined AAADT having danced with Graham for 10 years. He felt Ailey made it legitimate for a black dancer to say “I am a dancer”

Question 15

1972

Answer 15

Masajumi Chaya joined the AAADT as a dancer.

Question 16

1970s (education)

Answer 16

Universities are now having a small % of black students. This shows a decrease in segregation.

Question 17

1973

Answer 17

Ulysses Dove joined the company.

Question 18

1973 (world)

Answer 18

Vietnamese war ends

Question 19

1976

Answer 19

Ailey collaborated with Duke Ellington on ‘Pas De Duke’ to celebrate both Ellington and jazz music.

Question 20

1980 (AAADT)

Answer 20

Dudley Williams, Masasumi Chaya and Judith Jamison kept AAADT going during Ailey’s absence due to the onset of Ailey’s absence.

Question 21

1980 (other companies)

Answer 21

Mikhail Baryshnikov became artistic director of American Ballet Theatre

Question 22

1981 (Dancers)

Answer 22

Jamison leaves AAADT to perform in ‘Sophisticated Ladies’ on Broadway

Question 23

Early 1980s

Answer 23

Renee Robinson joined the company

Question 24

1980s (other companies)

Answer 24

Dance Theatre of Harlem performed Giselle, Firebird, Creole, Agon and Dougla.

Question 25

1983

Answer 25

AAADT celebrates 25th year anniversary

Question 26

1985

Answer 26

AAADT is the first modern dance company to go on a government sponsored tour of the Republic of China since the normalisation of sion-american relations.

Question 27

1988

Answer 27

Judith Jamison becomes Guest Artistic Director

Question 28

1989 (key figures)

Answer 28

Judith Jamison became artistic director after Ailey died. She had been a part of the company since 1965 and so was familiar with the way that the company ran and the direction it needed to go.

Question 29

1989 (rep)

Answer 29

Ailey took ‘Episodes’ by Dove in to the company repertoire.This gave audiences an insight into what dance would be like in the next century.

Question 30

1991

Answer 30

End of the Cold War meaning that both the USA and USSR gain power and grow economically

Question 31

1992-2001

Answer 31

Bill Clinton is President

Question 32

1991

Answer 32

Masazumi Chaya was named Associate Artistic Director of AAADT and he restates repertoire to help keep Ailey’s Spirit Alive

Question 33

2001-2009

Answer 33

George Bush becomes President

Question 34

2001

Answer 34

Twin tower attack

Question 35

2004

Answer 35

A dynamic collaboration between Judith Jamison, Robert Battle and Rennie Harris on “Love Stories”

Question 36

2007

Answer 36

The great recession is at its worst since WW2

Question 37

2008

Answer 37

Barack Obama becomes President- first African American

Question 38

2011

Answer 38

Robert Battle becomes artistic director of AAADT after being hand picked by Jamison in July

Question 39

2013

Answer 39

5% increase in funding for arts and culture