Ailey Spirit: The Journey of an American Dance Company

One of the most celebrated choreographers of the 20th century, Alvin Ailey not only created iconic dances like Blues Suite and Revelations, he also nurtured a generation of African American dancers and choreographers and set up a school to train future ones. This richly illustrated coffee-table book begins with a swift history of Ailey's career: from his birth in ""the cotton country along the Brazos River in Central Texas"" to his training with Lester Horne in Los Angeles and with Jack Cole in New York and the formation of his own company in 1958. Readers who are interested in learning about the company's history and growth will also appreciate Tracy's chapters on ""Developing a Repertory"" and ""Rehearsal and Development."" The book is spiked with quotations from Ailey, from his muse Judith Jamison and from the men and women who worked with him. (Jamison herself has run the company since Ailey died in 1989.) But for most readers the real pleasure will come from the marvelous photos of the dancers in action, lending themselves to fusions of jazz, ballet, blues and African styles. ""My dancers must be able to do anything,"" Ailey once said, ""and I don't care if they're black or white or purple or green."" This book is a tribute to the stunning results that this joyful, meritocratic attitude achieved.