Tue. Jan. 11 at 9 p.m. on WKAR-HD 23.1 & STREAMING | Discover the choreographer Alvin Ailey, whose dances center on the Black experience with grace, strength and beauty.
Premiering for its 36th season, American Masters explores the life of legendary choreographer Alvin Ailey (1931-1989), who founded his influential studio Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1958 at age 27.
The documentary traces the full contours of this brilliant and enigmatic man whose search for the truth in movement resulted in enduring choreography that centers on the Black American experience with inimitable grace and power.
Told through the choreographer’s own words and featuring evocative archival footage and interviews with those close to him, director Jamila Wignot weaves together a resonant biography that connects Ailey’s past to our present with an intimate glimpse into the Ailey studios today, following innovative hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris as he conceives a new dance, “Lazarus,” inspired by Ailey’s life.
Watch this episode at video.wkar.org during or after the premiere date.
MORE ABOUT AMERICAN MASTERS:
Now in its 36th season on PBS, American Masters illuminates the lives and creative journeys of our nation’s most enduring artistic giants: those who have left an indelible impression on our cultural landscape.