1 00:00:02,033 --> 00:00:04,566 {\an8}♪♪♪ 2 00:00:05,466 --> 00:00:10,866 {\an8}♪♪♪ 3 00:00:32,900 --> 00:00:39,833 {\an1}-♪ O'er the land of the free ♪ 4 00:00:39,866 --> 00:00:42,733 ♪ And the home ♪ 5 00:00:42,766 --> 00:00:47,300 ♪ Of the brave ♪ 6 00:00:47,333 --> 00:00:50,033 {\an1}-The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 7 00:00:50,066 --> 00:00:52,900 honoring Alvin Ailey. 8 00:00:57,366 --> 00:00:59,433 {\an7}-Alvin Ailey has a passion for movement 9 00:00:59,466 --> 00:01:02,233 {\an8}that reveals the meaning of things. 10 00:01:02,266 --> 00:01:05,133 His is a choreography of the heart, 11 00:01:05,166 --> 00:01:08,600 {\an1}drawing a whole new public to modern dance. 12 00:01:08,633 --> 00:01:12,366 Alvin Ailey is Black, 13 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:14,900 and he's universal, 14 00:01:14,933 --> 00:01:17,433 the very spirit that has made him 15 00:01:17,466 --> 00:01:20,900 {\an1}a pied piper of modern dance, 16 00:01:20,933 --> 00:01:23,433 {\an1}and that's his genius. 17 00:01:23,466 --> 00:01:25,933 {\an1}-♪ Run on for a long time ♪ 18 00:01:25,966 --> 00:01:31,066 {\an1}♪ Run on for a long time ♪ 19 00:01:31,100 --> 00:01:34,333 {\an1}♪ Let me tell you God Almighty gonna cut you down ♪ 20 00:01:34,366 --> 00:01:36,966 {\an1}♪ Go 'n' tell that rider ♪ 21 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:39,133 ♪ Midnight rider ♪ 22 00:01:39,166 --> 00:01:41,633 {\an1}♪ Gambler, rambler, backbiter ♪ 23 00:01:41,666 --> 00:01:44,366 {\an1}♪ Tell him God Almighty gonna cut him down ♪ 24 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:47,000 ♪ One of these days, just mark my words ♪ 25 00:01:47,033 --> 00:01:49,333 ♪ Think your neighbor has gone to work ♪ 26 00:01:49,366 --> 00:01:51,733 {\an1}♪ Walk up, knock on the door ♪ 27 00:01:51,766 --> 00:01:54,466 {\an1}♪ That's all, brother, you'll knock no more ♪ 28 00:01:54,500 --> 00:01:57,033 {\an1}♪ Go tell that rider ♪ 29 00:01:57,066 --> 00:01:59,233 ♪ Midnight rider ♪ 30 00:01:59,266 --> 00:02:01,833 {\an1}♪ Gambler, rambler, backbiter ♪ 31 00:02:01,866 --> 00:02:07,033 {\an1}♪ Tell him God Almighty gonna cut him down ♪ 32 00:02:23,366 --> 00:02:31,366 {\an8}♪♪♪ 33 00:02:48,833 --> 00:02:50,333 [ Laughter ] 34 00:02:50,366 --> 00:02:52,500 {\an1}-Rehearsal now beginning. 35 00:02:52,533 --> 00:02:54,833 {\an1}[ Indistinct conversations ] 36 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:01,766 -Hello! 37 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:05,000 Come on down! 38 00:03:05,033 --> 00:03:08,300 {\an8}So, we're embarking on a longer work 39 00:03:08,333 --> 00:03:12,166 {\an7}that delves into aspects of Mr. Ailey's life 40 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:16,433 {\an7}with the great story-teller, Mr. Rennie Harris. 41 00:03:16,466 --> 00:03:20,200 {\an7}[ Cheers and applause ] 42 00:03:20,233 --> 00:03:22,266 {\an7}-Hey, what's happenin'? So, yeah. 43 00:03:22,300 --> 00:03:25,233 {\an7}We're gon' do something. We're gon' create... 44 00:03:25,266 --> 00:03:30,966 {\an1}Whatever it is, it gotta be good, you know, so... 45 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:33,933 {\an1}Alright, so Mina and Mille gonna start showing you guys 46 00:03:33,966 --> 00:03:36,333 some of the movement and what have you, yeah? 47 00:03:36,366 --> 00:03:38,333 Okay, alright, cool. 48 00:03:38,366 --> 00:03:40,066 {\an1}-Gonna start with irk and jerk. 49 00:03:40,100 --> 00:03:41,700 -6, 7, 8, 50 00:03:41,733 --> 00:03:44,833 {\an1}it goes uh, huh, ha, ha, yeah, 51 00:03:44,866 --> 00:03:46,866 {\an1}you're pulling that weight over to the left, left 52 00:03:46,900 --> 00:03:48,300 {\an1}and then right, right. 53 00:03:48,333 --> 00:03:52,600 {\an1}5, 6, 7, 8, huh, huh, ha, ha, 54 00:03:52,633 --> 00:03:55,666 {\an7}5, 6, 7, 8, huh, huh, ha, ha. 55 00:03:55,700 --> 00:03:57,642 {\an7}One more time and 7, 8, go... - Robert Battle just called me 56 00:03:57,666 --> 00:03:59,700 {\an7}out of the blue and said, 57 00:03:59,733 --> 00:04:02,433 {\an1}"I want you to come do a piece about Mr. Ailey 58 00:04:02,466 --> 00:04:05,233 {\an1}for the 60th anniversary of the company." 59 00:04:05,266 --> 00:04:06,466 {\an1}-7, 8, go off the floor. 60 00:04:06,500 --> 00:04:09,833 {\an1}Ha, ha, ha, ah, ah, ha, ha, 61 00:04:09,866 --> 00:04:12,666 go [Scatting] 62 00:04:12,700 --> 00:04:14,100 6, 7, and 8. 63 00:04:14,133 --> 00:04:17,366 And step tap, step tap, step tap. 64 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:21,800 {\an1}Ha, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. 65 00:04:21,833 --> 00:04:24,400 Yeah, yes. 66 00:04:24,433 --> 00:04:26,666 {\an1}-The history of Ailey? 67 00:04:26,700 --> 00:04:29,066 {\an8}It's off the scale. You know what I mean? 68 00:04:29,100 --> 00:04:33,233 {\an7}How do you present something... It's 60 years. 69 00:04:33,266 --> 00:04:35,000 {\an1}-I always felt that dance was a natural part 70 00:04:35,033 --> 00:04:37,400 {\an1}of what I wanted to express, that what I can do with my body 71 00:04:37,433 --> 00:04:40,100 was a part, a very important part, of me 72 00:04:40,133 --> 00:04:42,700 and a way to release some of those things in myself 73 00:04:42,733 --> 00:04:45,733 {\an7}that I had been looking for. 74 00:04:45,766 --> 00:04:48,166 {\an8}-There he is. 75 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:51,033 {\an1}-♪ Where you gonna run to? ♪ 76 00:04:51,066 --> 00:04:54,633 ♪ All on that day ♪ 77 00:04:54,666 --> 00:04:57,800 - ♪ Run ♪ - ♪ Run ♪ 78 00:04:57,833 --> 00:05:01,000 -♪ Run to the rock, rock, won't you hide me? ♪ 79 00:05:01,033 --> 00:05:02,033 ♪ Run to the rock ♪ 80 00:05:02,066 --> 00:05:05,000 {\an1}-Dope. Let's play that again. 81 00:05:05,033 --> 00:05:07,633 [ Keyboard clacks ] 82 00:05:07,666 --> 00:05:11,200 -I'm Alvin Ailey. I'm a choreographer. 83 00:05:11,233 --> 00:05:13,166 I create movement, 84 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:16,566 {\an8}and I'm searching for truth in movement. 85 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:18,600 {\an7}-I just sit there and watch 86 00:05:18,633 --> 00:05:24,200 {\an7}to find out what made Mr. Ailey, Mr. Ailey. 87 00:05:24,233 --> 00:05:27,433 -I've choreographed many times now... 88 00:05:27,466 --> 00:05:29,433 4, 5, 1, 2. 89 00:05:29,466 --> 00:05:31,266 4, 5, loose fingers. 90 00:05:31,300 --> 00:05:35,166 {\an8}♪♪♪ 91 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:36,833 {\an1}Show what's in your hand, yes. 92 00:05:36,866 --> 00:05:40,933 {\an8}♪♪♪ 93 00:05:40,966 --> 00:05:43,566 Good! 94 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:46,933 Head accent thing, pom, pom, yes, 95 00:05:46,966 --> 00:05:50,433 4, 5. 96 00:05:50,466 --> 00:05:55,766 {\an1}-Sunday, January 17, 1988. 97 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:57,933 {\an1}Talking with Alvin Ailey. 98 00:05:57,966 --> 00:06:00,033 {\an8}♪♪♪ 99 00:06:00,066 --> 00:06:02,433 Do you feel as though you had to sacrifice anything 100 00:06:02,466 --> 00:06:04,000 to stay in dance? 101 00:06:04,033 --> 00:06:05,033 -Everything. 102 00:06:05,066 --> 00:06:08,333 {\an1}Dance, it's an enormous sacrifice. 103 00:06:08,366 --> 00:06:11,866 {\an1}I mean, it's a physical sacrifice. Dancing hurts. 104 00:06:11,900 --> 00:06:15,100 {\an1}You don't make that much money. 105 00:06:15,133 --> 00:06:18,800 {\an1}I mean, touring 6 months out of the year is disastrous 106 00:06:18,833 --> 00:06:22,466 on any kind of personal relations. 107 00:06:22,500 --> 00:06:23,466 {\an1}It's a tough thing, you know, 108 00:06:23,500 --> 00:06:26,666 {\an1}you have to be possessed to do dance. 109 00:06:26,700 --> 00:06:34,700 {\an8}♪♪♪ 110 00:06:37,366 --> 00:06:40,433 {\an1}I came to New York City in 1954. 111 00:06:40,466 --> 00:06:48,466 {\an8}♪♪♪ 112 00:06:57,566 --> 00:07:01,766 {\an1}I was a lithe and springy 24, 113 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:03,500 who loved to dance. 114 00:07:03,533 --> 00:07:07,800 {\an8}♪♪♪ 115 00:07:07,833 --> 00:07:11,133 {\an1}It was a catch-as-catch-can dancer's life. 116 00:07:11,166 --> 00:07:13,266 {\an1}Everybody that I could ever dreamed of was here 117 00:07:13,300 --> 00:07:16,100 in New York City, and when I got here, 118 00:07:16,133 --> 00:07:19,600 I immediately jumped into classes with all of them. 119 00:07:19,633 --> 00:07:22,633 {\an8}♪♪♪ 120 00:07:22,666 --> 00:07:26,700 {\an1}I studied with Martha Graham, Charles Weidman, and Hanya Holm. 121 00:07:26,733 --> 00:07:29,700 {\an8}♪♪♪ 122 00:07:29,733 --> 00:07:32,000 {\an1}But I was the usual rebel. 123 00:07:32,033 --> 00:07:35,633 {\an8}♪♪♪ 124 00:07:35,666 --> 00:07:37,766 {\an1}And I had my own ideas. 125 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:40,866 {\an8}♪♪♪ 126 00:07:40,900 --> 00:07:43,900 {\an1}I had these creative fires bubbling inside. 127 00:07:43,933 --> 00:07:46,000 {\an8}♪♪♪ 128 00:07:46,033 --> 00:07:48,500 Dark, deep things, beautiful things inside me 129 00:07:48,533 --> 00:07:51,433 that I'd always been trying to get out. 130 00:07:53,733 --> 00:07:55,533 My blood memories. 131 00:07:55,566 --> 00:07:57,433 [ Children laughing ] 132 00:07:57,466 --> 00:08:02,466 {\an1}The memories of my parents, uncles, and aunts. 133 00:08:02,500 --> 00:08:06,233 {\an1}Blues and gospel songs that I knew from Texas. 134 00:08:06,266 --> 00:08:10,500 {\an8}♪♪♪ 135 00:08:10,533 --> 00:08:14,400 {\an1}I was born in the Depression. 1931. 136 00:08:14,433 --> 00:08:17,300 Tough times. 137 00:08:17,333 --> 00:08:19,400 Rural country. 138 00:08:19,433 --> 00:08:22,600 {\an8}♪♪♪ 139 00:09:03,633 --> 00:09:08,400 {\an8}♪♪♪ 140 00:09:40,300 --> 00:09:48,300 {\an8}♪♪♪ 141 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:31,166 {\an8}♪♪♪ 142 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:33,600 {\an1}-♪ Listen, here, folks, gonna sing a little song ♪ 143 00:10:33,633 --> 00:10:35,633 ♪ Don't get mad, we don't mean no harm ♪ 144 00:10:35,666 --> 00:10:37,300 ♪ You know it's tight like that ♪ 145 00:10:37,333 --> 00:10:39,633 [ Scatting ] ♪ Oh, it's tight like that ♪ 146 00:10:39,666 --> 00:10:40,766 [ Scatting ] 147 00:10:40,800 --> 00:10:42,166 {\an1}♪ You had me talkin' to you ♪ 148 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:45,166 {\an1}♪ I mean it's tight like that ♪ 149 00:10:55,166 --> 00:10:56,533 {\an1}♪ Had me talkin' to you ♪ 150 00:10:56,566 --> 00:10:59,400 {\an1}♪ I mean it's tight like that ♪ 151 00:10:59,433 --> 00:11:02,233 {\an1}♪ I went to see my gal up across the hall ♪ 152 00:11:02,266 --> 00:11:04,066 ♪ Found another mule kicking in my stall ♪ 153 00:11:06,766 --> 00:11:09,100 {\an7}♪ Oh, it's tight like that ♪ 154 00:11:16,833 --> 00:11:18,866 ♪ When she whip it, it's too bad Jim ♪ 155 00:11:18,900 --> 00:11:20,600 ♪ You know it's tight like that ♪ 156 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:27,800 {\an1}♪ I mean it's tight like that ♪ 157 00:11:30,966 --> 00:11:33,200 {\an7}♪ At the bom bom diddly, got to carry me into town ♪ 158 00:11:33,233 --> 00:11:34,733 ♪ You know it's tight like that ♪ 159 00:11:34,766 --> 00:11:36,866 [ Scatting ] ♪ Oh, it's tight like that ♪ 160 00:11:49,466 --> 00:11:54,266 {\an8}♪♪♪ 161 00:11:54,300 --> 00:11:56,900 {\an8}-♪ I cried ♪ 162 00:11:56,933 --> 00:11:59,866 {\an8}-So I made... It was called "Blues Suite." 163 00:11:59,900 --> 00:12:02,333 {\an7}-♪ Rolled down my cheeks ♪ 164 00:12:02,366 --> 00:12:06,433 {\an8}♪♪♪ 165 00:12:06,466 --> 00:12:11,566 ♪ Yes, I cried ♪ 166 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:15,266 {\an1}♪ Tear rolled down my cheeks ♪ 167 00:12:15,300 --> 00:12:19,533 {\an8}♪♪♪ 168 00:12:19,566 --> 00:12:21,766 {\an1}♪ I had to remind my baby ♪ 169 00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:24,333 {\an8}♪♪♪ 170 00:12:24,366 --> 00:12:28,766 ♪ What a sweet woman you used to be ♪ 171 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:31,433 {\an8}♪♪♪ 172 00:12:31,466 --> 00:12:36,566 "Blues Suite" is a reflection of that time. 173 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:39,700 {\an1}The problems, but the romance, 174 00:12:39,733 --> 00:12:43,766 {\an1}that we as a Black people have made something fantastic, 175 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:46,233 {\an1}the fact that Black people get through. 176 00:12:46,266 --> 00:12:50,200 -♪ Yes, I cried ♪ 177 00:12:50,233 --> 00:12:54,133 ♪ Till a tear rolled down my cheeks ♪ 178 00:12:54,166 --> 00:12:58,200 {\an8}♪♪♪ 179 00:12:58,233 --> 00:13:03,066 {\an1}♪ I had to remind my baby ♪ 180 00:13:03,100 --> 00:13:10,133 ♪ What a sweet woman you used to be ♪ 181 00:13:10,166 --> 00:13:12,600 {\an8}♪♪♪ 182 00:13:12,633 --> 00:13:14,666 -4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 183 00:13:14,700 --> 00:13:18,366 {\an1}and 2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 184 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:22,200 and 3, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 185 00:13:22,233 --> 00:13:26,700 and 4, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. 186 00:13:26,733 --> 00:13:29,033 {\an1}-Okay, let's try this group and this group here, 187 00:13:29,066 --> 00:13:31,033 {\an1}and still do what you do, alright, 188 00:13:31,066 --> 00:13:33,600 5, 6, 7, 8 and... 189 00:13:33,633 --> 00:13:37,733 {\an1}-2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 1. 190 00:13:37,766 --> 00:13:41,133 {\an1}-Mr. Ailey talked about blood memories. 191 00:13:41,166 --> 00:13:42,242 {\an1}What his parents went through, 192 00:13:42,266 --> 00:13:43,542 his parents' parents went through, 193 00:13:43,566 --> 00:13:44,733 {\an1}what his folk went through. 194 00:13:44,766 --> 00:13:47,000 {\an1}And that was a major key for me. 195 00:13:47,033 --> 00:13:48,300 -6, 7, 8, and. 196 00:13:48,333 --> 00:13:49,700 -2, 3, 4. 197 00:13:49,733 --> 00:13:51,400 -Memory. 198 00:13:51,433 --> 00:13:53,033 That was the anchor. 199 00:13:53,066 --> 00:13:56,633 -4, 6, 8, and 1, 2, 200 00:13:56,666 --> 00:13:59,766 4, 6, 8, and 1. 201 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:01,433 {\an8}♪♪♪ 202 00:14:01,466 --> 00:14:06,333 {\an1}-♪ It don't mean a thing if you ain't got that swing ♪ 203 00:14:06,366 --> 00:14:10,766 {\an8}♪♪♪ 204 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:13,400 {\an1}-I moved to Los Angeles when I was 12 205 00:14:13,433 --> 00:14:17,233 at the beginning of World War II. 206 00:14:17,266 --> 00:14:21,733 When I was 14, I discovered the theater, 207 00:14:21,766 --> 00:14:24,966 where I first saw the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo. 208 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:33,000 {\an8}♪♪♪ 209 00:14:35,633 --> 00:14:38,200 {\an1}And here was a new world. 210 00:14:38,233 --> 00:14:43,866 {\an8}♪♪♪ 211 00:14:43,900 --> 00:14:48,366 {\an1}It became my ritual then to come downtown. 212 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:51,466 {\an8}♪♪♪ 213 00:14:51,500 --> 00:14:54,133 And I saw everything that came along. 214 00:14:54,166 --> 00:14:56,633 {\an8}♪♪♪ 215 00:14:56,666 --> 00:14:58,800 {\an1}But there was nobody Black, 216 00:14:58,833 --> 00:15:02,200 {\an1}nobody to model oneself after. 217 00:15:02,233 --> 00:15:10,233 {\an8}♪♪♪ 218 00:15:12,766 --> 00:15:16,866 And then one day, I saw Katherine Dunham. 219 00:15:16,900 --> 00:15:24,900 {\an8}♪♪♪ 220 00:15:28,100 --> 00:15:31,433 {\an1}-[ Shouting indistinctly ] 221 00:15:31,466 --> 00:15:34,366 -I couldn't believe that here are Black people 222 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:36,800 {\an1}on a legitimate stage. 223 00:15:36,833 --> 00:15:39,700 {\an8}♪♪♪ 224 00:15:39,733 --> 00:15:43,100 I was just taken into another realm. 225 00:15:43,133 --> 00:15:45,233 {\an8}♪♪♪ 226 00:15:45,266 --> 00:15:49,400 Here was this unbelievable creature. 227 00:15:49,433 --> 00:15:53,533 {\an8}♪♪♪ 228 00:15:53,566 --> 00:15:57,100 And male dancers who were just superb. 229 00:15:57,133 --> 00:15:59,200 {\an8}♪♪♪ 230 00:15:59,233 --> 00:16:00,666 {\an1}The jumps, the agility, 231 00:16:00,700 --> 00:16:04,466 {\an1}the sensuality of what they did blew me away. 232 00:16:04,500 --> 00:16:07,700 {\an8}♪♪♪ 233 00:16:07,733 --> 00:16:10,333 And the material. 234 00:16:10,366 --> 00:16:12,733 What she was doing was Afro-Caribbean. 235 00:16:12,766 --> 00:16:15,800 {\an1}It was blues. It was spirituals. 236 00:16:15,833 --> 00:16:19,433 And it touched something Texas in me. 237 00:16:19,466 --> 00:16:27,466 {\an8}♪♪♪ 238 00:16:31,866 --> 00:16:36,000 {\an1}Dance had started to pull at me. 239 00:16:36,033 --> 00:16:39,233 {\an1}I remember bouncing around on the grass 240 00:16:39,266 --> 00:16:41,466 and making up steps. 241 00:16:41,500 --> 00:16:43,533 {\an8}♪♪♪ 242 00:16:45,633 --> 00:16:47,166 {\an1}But my gym teacher decided 243 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:49,866 that I should be on the football team. 244 00:16:49,900 --> 00:16:52,066 {\an1}So he made me a right tackle. 245 00:16:52,100 --> 00:16:56,033 {\an1}And I said, "Coach, you know, I have these people running 246 00:16:56,066 --> 00:16:57,433 and knocking me down. 247 00:16:57,466 --> 00:17:00,166 {\an1}This is not gonna work." 248 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:03,366 {\an1}He said, "What's wrong with you? You some kind of sissy?" 249 00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:05,233 {\an1}and I wanted to say, "Yes!" 250 00:17:05,266 --> 00:17:07,033 [ Laughs ] 251 00:17:07,066 --> 00:17:12,066 {\an8}♪♪♪ 252 00:17:12,100 --> 00:17:15,900 -I saw Alvin in the gymnastics class. 253 00:17:15,933 --> 00:17:17,833 {\an7}They had free exercises, you know. 254 00:17:17,866 --> 00:17:19,900 {\an7}It was all slow-motion. 255 00:17:19,933 --> 00:17:22,133 {\an7}It was more like dancing, actually. 256 00:17:22,166 --> 00:17:25,133 {\an8}And he was beautiful. 257 00:17:25,166 --> 00:17:29,666 {\an7}But he didn't dare let anybody know he wanted to be a dancer, 258 00:17:29,700 --> 00:17:32,800 {\an7}because he would be teased or humiliated. 259 00:17:32,833 --> 00:17:35,200 {\an8}♪♪♪ 260 00:17:35,233 --> 00:17:37,433 {\an8}But I told him, "You ought to be a dancer." 261 00:17:37,466 --> 00:17:40,100 {\an8}♪♪♪ 262 00:17:40,133 --> 00:17:43,000 -Alvin was this kid who was handsome. 263 00:17:43,033 --> 00:17:45,100 He was charismatic. 264 00:17:45,133 --> 00:17:49,166 {\an1}We became fast friends. 265 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:52,200 {\an1}We went to parties together. 266 00:17:52,233 --> 00:17:55,200 We were always in each other's company. 267 00:17:55,233 --> 00:17:57,566 {\an8}♪♪♪ 268 00:17:57,600 --> 00:18:02,633 {\an1}And then realizing that we both had an interest in dance. 269 00:18:02,666 --> 00:18:04,766 {\an8}♪♪♪ 270 00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:09,966 {\an7}That propelled me to follow him to the Horton school 271 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:12,166 {\an7}to watch his class with Carmen. 272 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:15,633 {\an1}And you walked through those doors, 273 00:18:15,666 --> 00:18:18,500 {\an1}it's like you were going into a different world. 274 00:18:18,533 --> 00:18:26,500 {\an8}♪♪♪ 275 00:18:43,233 --> 00:18:49,900 {\an8}♪♪♪ 276 00:18:59,633 --> 00:19:07,633 {\an8}♪♪♪ 277 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:36,733 {\an1}-Lester induced us to search. 278 00:19:36,766 --> 00:19:40,100 And Alvin did. 279 00:19:40,133 --> 00:19:43,633 {\an1}He went to his resources. 280 00:19:43,666 --> 00:19:45,833 {\an1}He drew on his experiences. 281 00:19:45,866 --> 00:19:48,500 {\an1}And that was his beginning. 282 00:19:48,533 --> 00:19:54,533 {\an8}♪♪♪ 283 00:19:54,566 --> 00:19:57,033 {\an1}-♪ Go, I gotta let it go ♪ 284 00:19:57,066 --> 00:20:04,866 {\an8}♪♪♪ 285 00:20:04,900 --> 00:20:08,400 -I see the dancer as the physical historian. 286 00:20:08,433 --> 00:20:10,766 {\an1}The dancer holds the information from the past, 287 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:12,600 {\an1}the present, and the future. 288 00:20:12,633 --> 00:20:15,100 {\an8}♪♪♪ 289 00:20:15,133 --> 00:20:18,733 {\an1}Why a particular movement was relevant or important, 290 00:20:18,766 --> 00:20:21,200 why it was valued in my community. 291 00:20:21,233 --> 00:20:23,500 {\an8}♪♪♪ 292 00:20:23,533 --> 00:20:25,766 {\an1}-♪ Go, I gotta let it go ♪ 293 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:32,566 {\an8}♪♪♪ 294 00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:35,400 {\an1}♪ Go, I gotta let it go ♪ 295 00:20:35,433 --> 00:20:38,766 {\an1}-They have this information stored in their body. 296 00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:46,800 {\an8}♪♪♪ 297 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:59,133 {\an1}-When the Lord gets ready, child, you got to move. 298 00:20:59,166 --> 00:21:02,100 {\an1}When the Lord gets ready, 299 00:21:02,133 --> 00:21:07,200 You got to move. You got to move. 300 00:21:07,233 --> 00:21:09,133 ♪♪♪ 301 00:21:09,166 --> 00:21:11,633 -Every Sunday, we were at church. 302 00:21:11,666 --> 00:21:13,700 {\an8}♪♪♪ 303 00:21:13,733 --> 00:21:16,300 {\an1}Praise God to the almighty. 304 00:21:16,333 --> 00:21:21,466 {\an8}♪♪♪ 305 00:21:21,500 --> 00:21:24,333 {\an1}Our beautiful Black songs from the churches. 306 00:21:24,366 --> 00:21:25,700 {\an1}The joy of these people, 307 00:21:25,733 --> 00:21:28,433 {\an1}of my aunts and uncles exploding in the church 308 00:21:28,466 --> 00:21:32,666 is something that was always with me. 309 00:21:32,700 --> 00:21:34,100 I remember there was 310 00:21:34,133 --> 00:21:36,666 this procession of people all in white. 311 00:21:36,700 --> 00:21:40,366 {\an8}♪♪♪ 312 00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:42,033 {\an1}They sang "Wade in the Water." 313 00:21:42,066 --> 00:21:50,066 {\an1}-♪ Wade in the water ♪ 314 00:21:51,733 --> 00:21:54,000 {\an1}-I came up with a piece, 315 00:21:54,033 --> 00:21:56,433 an evening-long saga 316 00:21:56,466 --> 00:21:58,733 {\an1}of the Black experience. 317 00:22:02,766 --> 00:22:06,366 -♪ I've been 'buked ♪ 318 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:12,266 {\an7}♪ And I've been scorned ♪ 319 00:22:12,300 --> 00:22:17,100 {\an7}♪ Yes, I've been 'buked 320 00:22:17,133 --> 00:22:20,466 {\an1}♪ And I've been scorned ♪ 321 00:22:20,500 --> 00:22:27,133 ♪ Children ♪ 322 00:22:27,166 --> 00:22:30,633 ♪ I've been 'buked ♪ 323 00:22:30,666 --> 00:22:38,666 {\an1}♪ And I've been scorned ♪ 324 00:22:39,366 --> 00:22:44,033 {\an1}♪ I've been talked about ♪ 325 00:22:44,066 --> 00:22:51,266 {\an1}♪ Show's you're born ♪ 326 00:22:51,300 --> 00:22:56,166 {\an1}♪ There is trouble all over this world ♪ 327 00:22:56,200 --> 00:23:01,100 {\an1}♪ Yes, there is trouble all over this world ♪ 328 00:23:01,133 --> 00:23:09,133 ♪ Children ♪ 329 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:13,700 ♪ I've been 'buked ♪ 330 00:23:13,733 --> 00:23:21,733 {\an1}♪ And I've been scorned ♪ 331 00:23:25,066 --> 00:23:30,900 {\an1}♪ I've been talked about ♪ 332 00:23:30,933 --> 00:23:36,666 ♪ Show's you're ♪ 333 00:23:36,700 --> 00:23:44,700 ♪ Born ♪ 334 00:23:44,766 --> 00:23:49,233 -I was moved to tears seeing "Revelations." 335 00:23:49,266 --> 00:23:51,333 {\an7}I was studying ballet. 336 00:23:51,366 --> 00:23:55,500 {\an7}I was studying modern... Modern dance, 337 00:23:55,533 --> 00:24:00,033 and this was more of 338 00:24:00,066 --> 00:24:03,500 {\an1}a reenactment of life. 339 00:24:03,533 --> 00:24:11,300 {\an1}-♪ Oh, fix me, Jesus ♪ 340 00:24:11,333 --> 00:24:19,333 ♪ Oh, fix me, Jesus ♪ 341 00:24:19,400 --> 00:24:26,933 ♪ Oh, fix me, God ♪ 342 00:24:26,966 --> 00:24:34,833 {\an1}♪ Fix me, Jesus, fix me ♪ 343 00:24:34,866 --> 00:24:36,200 -♪ Fix me ♪ 344 00:24:36,233 --> 00:24:40,633 {\an8}-Here was something where these were human beings, 345 00:24:40,666 --> 00:24:42,966 {\an8}and they were dancing with joy and passion 346 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:44,900 and anger and sorrow. 347 00:24:44,933 --> 00:24:48,666 {\an1}I thought to myself, "Wow, this is what I want to do." 348 00:24:48,700 --> 00:24:52,800 -♪ Oh, sinner man ♪ 349 00:24:52,833 --> 00:24:56,500 {\an1}♪ Where you gonna run to? ♪ 350 00:24:56,533 --> 00:25:00,633 ♪ All on that day ♪ 351 00:25:00,666 --> 00:25:03,900 - ♪ Run ♪ - ♪ Run ♪ 352 00:25:03,933 --> 00:25:07,266 -♪ Run to the rock, rock, won't you hide me? ♪ 353 00:25:07,300 --> 00:25:10,733 {\an1}♪ Run to the rock, rock, won't you hide me? ♪ 354 00:25:10,766 --> 00:25:14,400 ♪ Run to the rock, rock, won't you hide me? ♪ 355 00:25:14,433 --> 00:25:16,866 ♪ All on that day ♪ 356 00:25:16,900 --> 00:25:19,100 - ♪ Run ♪ - ♪ Run, run, run ♪ 357 00:25:19,133 --> 00:25:22,400 {\an1}-♪ The Lord said, sinner man, the rock will be melting ♪ 358 00:25:22,433 --> 00:25:25,766 {\an1}♪ The Lord said, sinner man, the rock will be melting ♪ 359 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:26,966 {\an1}♪ The Lord said, sinner man ♪ 360 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:30,033 -Alvin entertained my thoughts and dreams 361 00:25:30,066 --> 00:25:35,500 {\an8}that a Black boy could actually dance. 362 00:25:35,533 --> 00:25:39,566 {\an8}♪♪♪ 363 00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:43,066 -♪ Wade in the water, wade in the water ♪ 364 00:25:43,100 --> 00:25:46,566 {\an1}-♪ Wade in the water ♪ 365 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:50,033 {\an1}♪ Wade in the water, children ♪ 366 00:25:50,066 --> 00:25:53,533 ♪ Wade in the water ♪ 367 00:25:53,566 --> 00:25:55,800 ♪ God's a-gonna trouble the water ♪ 368 00:25:55,833 --> 00:25:57,166 {\an1}-♪ Why don't you wade ♪ 369 00:25:57,200 --> 00:25:58,566 {\an1}-♪ Wade in the water ♪ 370 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:03,900 -All the familiarity of my African-American-ness 371 00:26:03,933 --> 00:26:08,500 was all identified in "Revelations." 372 00:26:08,533 --> 00:26:13,000 {\an1}The narrative of church, that was important to me. 373 00:26:13,033 --> 00:26:16,600 {\an8}But what took me away was the prowess 374 00:26:16,633 --> 00:26:18,466 {\an8}and the technique and the fluidity 375 00:26:18,500 --> 00:26:24,800 {\an7}and the excellence in the dance that I saw, in the dance. 376 00:26:24,833 --> 00:26:27,466 {\an8}That was the miracle. 377 00:26:27,500 --> 00:26:29,966 {\an1}-♪ Trouble the water ♪ 378 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:33,366 ♪ God is gonna trouble the water ♪ 379 00:26:33,400 --> 00:26:37,533 {\an1}♪ God is gonna trouble the water ♪ 380 00:26:37,566 --> 00:26:39,933 {\an1}-That really was the beginning of the company. 381 00:26:39,966 --> 00:26:46,400 -♪ The water ♪ 382 00:26:59,700 --> 00:27:03,166 {\an1}-I came to New York to be in a ballet called "The Four Marys" 383 00:27:03,200 --> 00:27:06,366 with the American Ballet Theater. 384 00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:14,000 {\an8}♪♪♪ 385 00:27:14,033 --> 00:27:17,000 It was a wonderful place to be in, 386 00:27:17,033 --> 00:27:19,800 {\an1}but when "The Four Marys" was over, 387 00:27:19,833 --> 00:27:21,800 {\an1}there were no more positions. 388 00:27:21,833 --> 00:27:25,966 {\an1}You were very specially a guest artist there. 389 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:28,500 {\an1}You know, you could move into this neighborhood for a minute, 390 00:27:28,533 --> 00:27:32,933 {\an1}but after you finish doing your gig, please move out. 391 00:27:32,966 --> 00:27:38,033 {\an1}But what was coming next, I did not know. 392 00:27:38,066 --> 00:27:41,600 {\an8}♪♪♪ 393 00:27:41,633 --> 00:27:44,866 {\an1}-I was sitting on the steps watching an audition. 394 00:27:44,900 --> 00:27:50,166 {\an1}And Judi was one of many girls doing these bar exercises. 395 00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:51,766 {\an1}I couldn't help but notice her. 396 00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:55,533 {\an1}The length of the legs, the feet, that back, 397 00:27:55,566 --> 00:27:57,666 {\an1}those arms, that head. 398 00:27:57,700 --> 00:28:01,100 {\an1}I said "Oh, my God. She's here!" 399 00:28:01,133 --> 00:28:08,433 {\an8}♪♪♪ 400 00:28:08,466 --> 00:28:11,200 {\an1}-I failed that audition so miserably. 401 00:28:11,233 --> 00:28:13,600 I was so terrible. 402 00:28:13,633 --> 00:28:15,400 {\an1}And I ran up these steps, 403 00:28:15,433 --> 00:28:16,909 and there was a man sitting on the steps 404 00:28:16,933 --> 00:28:18,533 who I didn't even see who it was. 405 00:28:18,566 --> 00:28:19,933 It was Alvin Ailey. 406 00:28:19,966 --> 00:28:21,566 {\an1}And he called me and asked me 407 00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:25,033 {\an1}to join the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Boom. 408 00:28:25,066 --> 00:28:26,366 That was it. 409 00:28:26,400 --> 00:28:29,700 {\an1}-And 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4 410 00:28:29,733 --> 00:28:34,300 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 1, 2.1. 411 00:28:34,333 --> 00:28:36,833 {\an1}1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 1, 2. 412 00:28:36,866 --> 00:28:39,133 {\an8}♪♪♪ 413 00:28:39,166 --> 00:28:42,766 {\an1}-Dancing with Alvin was hard. 414 00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:47,100 {\an1}-3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1. 415 00:28:47,133 --> 00:28:49,000 - Wait. - Aah! 416 00:28:49,033 --> 00:28:51,166 - [ Laughs ] - [ Speaks indistinctly ] 417 00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:53,200 -Yeah, yeah. 418 00:28:53,233 --> 00:28:55,366 {\an1}Count 18 and then stop. 419 00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:57,533 {\an1}-He would give you that look. 420 00:28:57,566 --> 00:29:00,300 {\an1}"You were wrong. You did wrong." 421 00:29:00,333 --> 00:29:01,900 This is the look. 422 00:29:01,933 --> 00:29:04,033 [ Chuckles ] 423 00:29:04,066 --> 00:29:07,433 And that was Alvin. 424 00:29:07,466 --> 00:29:10,166 {\an8}♪♪♪ 425 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:12,966 -He would say things famously like, 426 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:16,533 {\an1}"Would you do my choreography?" 427 00:29:16,566 --> 00:29:20,700 But he was also terribly encouraging. 428 00:29:20,733 --> 00:29:23,000 {\an1}The exchanges that all of us had 429 00:29:23,033 --> 00:29:28,166 {\an1}were full of large embraces. 430 00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:31,033 {\an1}If he was talking to you from 50 feet away, 431 00:29:31,066 --> 00:29:32,966 {\an1}you would feel that embrace. 432 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:34,500 {\an1}You would feel that comfort 433 00:29:34,533 --> 00:29:38,533 {\an7}in knowing that you could make an absolute fool of yourself, 434 00:29:38,566 --> 00:29:41,533 {\an7}you know? You would feel safe 435 00:29:41,566 --> 00:29:44,833 {\an7}to extend yourself enough 436 00:29:44,866 --> 00:29:47,233 {\an7}so that you felt free. 437 00:29:47,266 --> 00:29:49,366 -Right. 438 00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:53,133 {\an1}I'm sorry, to your left. 439 00:29:53,166 --> 00:29:56,833 {\an1}I love the idea of people coming and working together. 440 00:29:56,866 --> 00:29:58,833 {\an8}♪♪♪ 441 00:29:58,866 --> 00:30:01,600 I love the idea of the discipline. 442 00:30:01,633 --> 00:30:03,933 {\an8}♪♪♪ 443 00:30:03,966 --> 00:30:06,866 {\an1}Open but very quickly. 444 00:30:06,900 --> 00:30:09,766 {\an8}♪♪♪ 445 00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:12,533 {\an1}You and I, as choreographers, start with an empty space 446 00:30:12,566 --> 00:30:13,666 and a body or two, 447 00:30:13,700 --> 00:30:17,400 {\an1}and we say "Carve this space." 448 00:30:17,433 --> 00:30:20,633 {\an1}I love creating something where there was nothing before. 449 00:30:20,666 --> 00:30:28,666 {\an8}♪♪♪ 450 00:30:31,300 --> 00:30:35,966 -♪ I've been low, I've been high ♪ 451 00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:40,533 {\an1}♪ I've been sold all my lies ♪ 452 00:30:40,566 --> 00:30:45,233 ♪ I've got nothing left to pray ♪ 453 00:30:45,266 --> 00:30:48,533 {\an1}♪ I've got nothing left to say ♪ 454 00:30:48,566 --> 00:30:54,166 {\an1}-As choreographers, we are the ones that are reaching out. 455 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:55,200 Mr. Ailey, 456 00:30:55,233 --> 00:30:57,333 he used to train moving through spaces 457 00:30:57,366 --> 00:31:02,366 {\an1}and shifting geographies and people. 458 00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:06,233 {\an1}And we needed that bullet train. 459 00:31:06,266 --> 00:31:08,733 -♪ I'm a black man in a white world ♪ 460 00:31:08,766 --> 00:31:11,033 ♪ I'm a black man in a white world ♪ 461 00:31:11,066 --> 00:31:13,300 ♪ I'm a black man in a white world ♪ 462 00:31:13,333 --> 00:31:15,666 ♪ I'm a black man in a white world ♪ 463 00:31:15,700 --> 00:31:18,066 ♪ I'm a black man in a white world ♪ 464 00:31:18,100 --> 00:31:20,233 ♪ I'm a black man in a white world ♪ 465 00:31:20,266 --> 00:31:22,900 ♪ I'm a black man in a white world ♪ 466 00:31:22,933 --> 00:31:24,609 {\an1}-I wanted to do a kind of dance that could be done 467 00:31:24,633 --> 00:31:27,500 {\an1}for the man on the streets, the people. 468 00:31:27,533 --> 00:31:29,066 {\an1}I wanted to show Black people 469 00:31:29,100 --> 00:31:31,533 {\an1}that they could come down to these concert halls, 470 00:31:31,566 --> 00:31:35,833 {\an1}that it was part of their culture being done there, 471 00:31:35,866 --> 00:31:37,633 {\an1}and that it was universal. 472 00:31:39,866 --> 00:31:47,866 {\an8}♪♪♪ 473 00:31:48,866 --> 00:31:51,966 {\an1}-The upcoming major, major event 474 00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:55,200 {\an7}was like a seven- or nine-week tour of one-nighters 475 00:31:55,233 --> 00:31:57,866 {\an7}throughout the United States, 476 00:31:57,900 --> 00:32:02,700 {\an8}and Alvin was in a frenzied state. 477 00:32:02,733 --> 00:32:06,966 {\an7}-A friend of mine recommended me as a stage manager to Alvin. 478 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:09,800 {\an8}And I said, "How much do they pay?" 479 00:32:09,833 --> 00:32:12,766 {\an8}And she said, "Oh, they don't have any money." 480 00:32:12,800 --> 00:32:15,833 I said, "Okay, well, you know, I'll volunteer 481 00:32:15,866 --> 00:32:19,533 and see how it goes." 482 00:32:19,566 --> 00:32:25,366 {\an1}And right after that, all of us, including Alvin, were on a bus. 483 00:32:25,400 --> 00:32:26,700 -One bus. 484 00:32:26,733 --> 00:32:31,766 Costumes, lighting, everything, one bus. 485 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:34,466 -The ladder was down the center isle. 486 00:32:34,500 --> 00:32:37,266 {\an1}The stools for "Revelations" were underneath. 487 00:32:37,300 --> 00:32:39,833 {\an1}-The luggage, fans, everything. 488 00:32:39,866 --> 00:32:42,700 {\an1}We travelled 6, 7 hours a day. 489 00:32:42,733 --> 00:32:47,600 -And you were doing a state a night. 490 00:32:47,633 --> 00:32:50,000 And you drive up, and you get there, 491 00:32:50,033 --> 00:32:52,366 {\an1}and you jump off and rehearse. 492 00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:58,533 {\an8}♪♪♪ 493 00:32:58,566 --> 00:33:03,533 {\an1}-Perform, find some place to eat after the performance. 494 00:33:03,566 --> 00:33:06,300 -This was before fast food, really, you know? 495 00:33:06,333 --> 00:33:09,633 We were like, "Truck stops, there we go." 496 00:33:09,666 --> 00:33:13,000 -Go to bed, get up the next morning. 497 00:33:13,033 --> 00:33:16,000 {\an1}Same thing all over again in another town. 498 00:33:16,033 --> 00:33:23,066 {\an8}♪♪♪ 499 00:33:23,100 --> 00:33:25,600 {\an8}[ Applause ] 500 00:33:25,633 --> 00:33:29,500 {\an8}♪♪♪ 501 00:33:29,533 --> 00:33:33,800 {\an7}-As a multiracial company, 502 00:33:33,833 --> 00:33:36,933 {\an8}I was very concerned about the treatment 503 00:33:36,966 --> 00:33:41,133 {\an7}arriving at a hotel or motel. 504 00:33:41,166 --> 00:33:43,366 {\an8}I don't want to hear anything about, 505 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:46,300 {\an7}"We don't have any rooms." 506 00:33:46,333 --> 00:33:49,533 {\an8}-One time in Kirksville, Missouri, 507 00:33:49,566 --> 00:33:56,233 {\an8}this hotel was absolutely dreadful. 508 00:33:56,266 --> 00:33:58,666 After the performance the next day, 509 00:33:58,700 --> 00:34:01,233 {\an1}we passed a Holiday Inn. 510 00:34:01,266 --> 00:34:05,333 I'm wondering, "Why weren't we in that hotel?" 511 00:34:05,366 --> 00:34:08,033 {\an8}♪♪♪ 512 00:34:08,066 --> 00:34:10,466 {\an1}-I sent pictures and reviews 513 00:34:10,500 --> 00:34:12,833 to the hotels where the company's going 514 00:34:12,866 --> 00:34:16,766 {\an1}so it won't be a surprise when they get there. 515 00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:19,866 I didn't want them to have to go through that. 516 00:34:19,900 --> 00:34:26,800 {\an8}♪♪♪ 517 00:34:26,833 --> 00:34:29,400 -It was whirlwind. 518 00:34:29,433 --> 00:34:31,833 {\an1}And the tours came in. 519 00:34:31,866 --> 00:34:34,200 {\an1}[ Man announcing in French ] 520 00:34:34,233 --> 00:34:36,866 European tours. 521 00:34:36,900 --> 00:34:39,400 Paris. 522 00:34:39,433 --> 00:34:40,866 London after that. 523 00:34:40,900 --> 00:34:43,566 {\an1}-This is our first performance anyway with a new group. 524 00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:45,000 -Are you nervous? 525 00:34:45,033 --> 00:34:46,500 {\an1}-Uh... Well, of course not. 526 00:34:46,533 --> 00:34:47,666 [ Laughs ] 527 00:34:47,700 --> 00:34:50,766 [ Man speaking foreign language ] 528 00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:53,266 {\an1}-In the studio with me, I have Alvin Ailey, 529 00:34:53,300 --> 00:34:55,966 the artistic director of the American Dance Theater. 530 00:34:56,000 --> 00:34:57,276 -Thank you very much. It's nice to be here. 531 00:34:57,300 --> 00:34:59,866 {\an8}-The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater 532 00:34:59,900 --> 00:35:02,000 {\an7}is one of the most important 533 00:35:02,033 --> 00:35:04,300 {\an1}contemporary dance companies in the world. 534 00:35:04,333 --> 00:35:07,000 [ Applause ] 535 00:35:07,033 --> 00:35:10,000 {\an1}-People were just, "Oh, my God!" 536 00:35:10,033 --> 00:35:13,233 They'd never seen anything like it. 537 00:35:13,266 --> 00:35:15,466 {\an1}They loved the company. 538 00:35:15,500 --> 00:35:18,366 They really did. 539 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:23,066 {\an1}In Stuttgart, Germany, they wouldn't let us off the stage. 540 00:35:23,100 --> 00:35:26,533 {\an1}We had to do 80-something bows. 541 00:35:26,566 --> 00:35:29,333 {\an1}I'd never seen people stand up, 542 00:35:29,366 --> 00:35:32,000 take their shoes off, and hit the wall. 543 00:35:32,033 --> 00:35:35,466 {\an1}They were going to stay there all night if possible. 544 00:35:37,033 --> 00:35:42,000 {\an8}♪♪♪ 545 00:35:42,033 --> 00:35:43,400 {\an1}-They were wonderful times, 546 00:35:43,433 --> 00:35:47,466 because we were kind of a family. 547 00:35:47,500 --> 00:35:51,000 {\an8}♪♪♪ 548 00:35:51,033 --> 00:35:54,733 -We all loved Alvin. 549 00:35:54,766 --> 00:35:58,000 {\an1}But we weren't around Alvin during the day. 550 00:35:58,033 --> 00:36:00,200 {\an8}♪♪♪ 551 00:36:00,233 --> 00:36:06,000 {\an1}It was like Alvin was here, the company was here. 552 00:36:06,033 --> 00:36:08,300 {\an8}♪♪♪ 553 00:36:08,333 --> 00:36:11,166 {\an1}Something was happening with him. 554 00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:13,333 {\an8}♪♪♪ 555 00:36:13,366 --> 00:36:15,933 {\an1}-One time, I came up onstage, 556 00:36:15,966 --> 00:36:18,300 {\an1}and Alvin came up onstage, 557 00:36:18,333 --> 00:36:19,933 and he grabbed me, 558 00:36:19,966 --> 00:36:23,233 and he rolled up into the curtain. 559 00:36:23,266 --> 00:36:24,900 The curtain was... We rolled up... 560 00:36:24,933 --> 00:36:27,966 {\an1}I said "Alvin, what are do... What is wrong with you? 561 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:32,800 {\an1}What is wrong with you?" He said, "I don't know. 562 00:36:32,833 --> 00:36:35,700 I don't know." 563 00:36:35,733 --> 00:36:40,866 {\an1}It's like another person inside the person. 564 00:36:40,900 --> 00:36:45,600 It wasn't the Alvin that we see all the time. 565 00:36:45,633 --> 00:36:48,266 -He needed a person that he could talk to, 566 00:36:48,300 --> 00:36:52,200 {\an1}a partner or a someone. 567 00:36:52,233 --> 00:36:56,033 {\an1}Alvin did not have that. 568 00:36:56,066 --> 00:36:59,766 {\an1}-He would have relationships but intermittent. 569 00:36:59,800 --> 00:37:02,100 {\an8}♪♪♪ 570 00:37:02,133 --> 00:37:07,600 {\an1}That kind of one-on-one relationship, he didn't have, 571 00:37:07,633 --> 00:37:10,500 {\an1}except with his mother. 572 00:37:10,533 --> 00:37:15,666 {\an1}I was an only child also, the same as Alvin. 573 00:37:15,700 --> 00:37:18,033 So I understood that. 574 00:37:18,066 --> 00:37:21,066 {\an8}♪♪♪ 575 00:37:21,100 --> 00:37:25,966 {\an1}My relationship was always with the company, 576 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:27,433 {\an1}with the Ailey company. 577 00:37:27,466 --> 00:37:31,900 {\an1}That became family to me, 578 00:37:31,933 --> 00:37:34,333 as it was to Alvin. 579 00:37:34,366 --> 00:37:42,366 {\an8}♪♪♪ 580 00:37:50,866 --> 00:37:55,833 He had this idea and this vision. 581 00:37:55,866 --> 00:37:59,900 {\an1}Alvin was driven to work. 582 00:37:59,933 --> 00:38:07,933 {\an8}♪♪♪ 583 00:38:09,566 --> 00:38:12,800 {\an8}-♪ There is a house ♪ 584 00:38:29,400 --> 00:38:33,900 {\an1}♪ It's been the ruin ♪ 585 00:38:33,933 --> 00:38:38,533 {\an1}[ Crowds chanting indistinctly ] ♪ Of many a girl ♪ 586 00:38:38,566 --> 00:38:42,466 {\an1}♪ And God, I know I'm one ♪ 587 00:38:42,500 --> 00:38:45,900 {\an1}-We didn't have to go out on the street and protest. 588 00:38:45,933 --> 00:38:48,233 {\an1}Our protest was on the stage. 589 00:38:48,266 --> 00:38:53,866 -♪ If had listened ♪ 590 00:38:53,900 --> 00:38:59,100 ♪ What my mama said ♪ 591 00:38:59,133 --> 00:39:02,600 {\an1}♪ I'd be at home today ♪ 592 00:39:02,633 --> 00:39:04,866 {\an1}-This was Alvin's part. 593 00:39:04,900 --> 00:39:08,100 {\an1}This was what he took up as his crusade. 594 00:39:08,133 --> 00:39:11,833 -♪ But being young ♪ 595 00:39:11,866 --> 00:39:14,833 ♪ And foolish ♪ 596 00:39:14,866 --> 00:39:16,833 {\an8}♪♪♪ 597 00:39:16,866 --> 00:39:20,166 {\an1}-This was our march to freedom. 598 00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:28,200 -♪ New Orleans ♪ 599 00:39:32,566 --> 00:39:40,566 {\an8}♪♪♪ 600 00:39:45,300 --> 00:39:48,966 {\an1}-The death of Fred Hampton. 601 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:52,533 The police had just broken into his apartment 602 00:39:52,566 --> 00:39:56,366 {\an1}in the middle of the night and shot him point-blank range. 603 00:39:56,400 --> 00:39:58,366 {\an8}♪♪♪ 604 00:39:58,400 --> 00:39:59,842 {\an1}-There was a photograph in the newspaper 605 00:39:59,866 --> 00:40:04,333 {\an1}of this young, Black man in this tiny room like a rat 606 00:40:04,366 --> 00:40:07,066 {\an1}with all these police holes around him. 607 00:40:07,100 --> 00:40:09,766 {\an8}♪♪♪ 608 00:40:09,800 --> 00:40:12,142 {\an1}-I mean, I can't get over that. I'm a Black man living in this, 609 00:40:12,166 --> 00:40:14,966 you know what I mean? 610 00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:18,200 - "Masekela" came from a very deep feeling 611 00:40:18,233 --> 00:40:21,500 {\an1}of, you know, rage and anger, about the situation. 612 00:40:21,533 --> 00:40:23,066 -Nice. 613 00:40:23,100 --> 00:40:25,400 {\an8}♪♪♪ 614 00:40:25,433 --> 00:40:27,900 {\an1}Nice. Stop the music, would you? 615 00:40:27,933 --> 00:40:29,066 Yeah. [ Music stops ] 616 00:40:29,100 --> 00:40:31,966 Now let's try the... 617 00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:36,900 {\an1}I want to feel like you're in jail, like you're behind bars. 618 00:40:36,933 --> 00:40:39,800 {\an1}And I want to feel all the anger and the cutting. 619 00:40:39,833 --> 00:40:41,766 I want to feel like you're being pressed down 620 00:40:41,800 --> 00:40:43,166 {\an1}when you take the arabesque. 621 00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:47,000 {\an1}I want to feel a sense of cursing at the outside world. 622 00:40:47,033 --> 00:40:49,666 Let's try it again. 623 00:40:49,700 --> 00:40:51,009 Now you just go through on the floor! 624 00:40:51,033 --> 00:40:52,733 It's... Yes. 625 00:40:52,766 --> 00:41:00,766 {\an8}♪♪♪ 626 00:41:09,633 --> 00:41:12,566 {\an7}-Choreography was his catharsis. 627 00:41:12,600 --> 00:41:14,733 {\an7}And a lot of times I felt 628 00:41:14,766 --> 00:41:18,566 {\an7}that even the woman in the black dress was really him. 629 00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:26,600 {\an8}♪♪♪ 630 00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:44,833 {\an1}-The character he created on me dies in the arms of the patron. 631 00:41:44,866 --> 00:41:49,033 {\an1}And Alvin's saying, "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen." 632 00:41:49,066 --> 00:41:51,900 {\an1}There was deadly silence. 633 00:41:51,933 --> 00:41:53,566 -Thank you. 634 00:41:53,600 --> 00:41:57,000 Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. 635 00:41:57,033 --> 00:41:58,600 Thank you. 636 00:41:58,633 --> 00:42:04,133 Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. 637 00:42:04,166 --> 00:42:06,066 Thank you. 638 00:42:06,100 --> 00:42:10,933 Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. 639 00:42:10,966 --> 00:42:13,600 Thank you. 640 00:42:13,633 --> 00:42:18,666 Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. 641 00:42:18,700 --> 00:42:21,133 Thank you. 642 00:42:21,166 --> 00:42:25,766 Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. 643 00:42:28,600 --> 00:42:30,866 {\an1}-[Bleep] it, you know? 644 00:42:30,900 --> 00:42:34,833 {\an1}You came here to be entertained. 645 00:42:34,866 --> 00:42:38,333 {\an1}But I have to tell my truth. 646 00:42:38,366 --> 00:42:42,733 {\an8}♪♪♪ 647 00:42:42,766 --> 00:42:45,166 -Shh. 648 00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:53,200 {\an8}♪♪♪ 649 00:43:30,966 --> 00:43:34,000 {\an1}-To me, it's not back then. 650 00:43:34,033 --> 00:43:37,166 {\an1}Everything I'm talking about is actually happening today. 651 00:43:37,200 --> 00:43:44,833 {\an8}♪♪♪ 652 00:43:44,866 --> 00:43:48,333 {\an1}I'm still feeling the same way, as anyone would feel 653 00:43:48,366 --> 00:43:51,733 {\an1}if you felt like you were unwanted as a culture. 654 00:43:51,766 --> 00:43:59,766 {\an8}♪♪♪ 655 00:44:31,400 --> 00:44:37,066 {\an8}♪♪♪ 656 00:44:47,966 --> 00:44:55,966 {\an8}♪♪♪ 657 00:45:03,500 --> 00:45:08,800 {\an8}♪♪♪ 658 00:45:08,833 --> 00:45:10,976 {\an1}-Did Mama have something to do with your going into dance, 659 00:45:11,000 --> 00:45:12,166 {\an1}or did she support this? 660 00:45:12,200 --> 00:45:13,933 -When the dance bug bit me, she said, 661 00:45:13,966 --> 00:45:15,766 "You go and do whatever you want to do." 662 00:45:15,800 --> 00:45:17,166 {\an1}-You enjoy seeing his company? 663 00:45:17,200 --> 00:45:20,233 {\an1}-Oh, boy, it's the biggest thrill of my life. 664 00:45:20,266 --> 00:45:22,433 {\an1}And he still has farther to go, 665 00:45:22,466 --> 00:45:26,100 so that's why he's just keeping on. 666 00:45:26,133 --> 00:45:34,133 {\an8}♪♪♪ 667 00:45:36,566 --> 00:45:41,500 {\an1}-Mrs. Cooper worked in somebody's house, cleaning, 668 00:45:41,533 --> 00:45:45,333 {\an7}and decided to go to Los Angeles to make life for him. 669 00:45:45,366 --> 00:45:48,500 {\an8}You know, that... Alvin knows that. 670 00:45:48,533 --> 00:45:56,533 {\an8}♪♪♪ 671 00:45:59,333 --> 00:46:03,466 -♪ Been on a train ♪ 672 00:46:03,500 --> 00:46:06,333 {\an1}-The Black women who would encourage you... 673 00:46:06,366 --> 00:46:08,833 -♪ The whistle blow ♪ 674 00:46:08,866 --> 00:46:10,700 {\an1}-...who would be there always... 675 00:46:10,733 --> 00:46:13,800 {\an1}-♪ Been on a train north ♪ 676 00:46:13,833 --> 00:46:17,400 {\an1}-...who were so supportive, I mean, that you could not fail. 677 00:46:17,433 --> 00:46:23,100 {\an8}-♪ The whistle blow ♪ 678 00:46:23,133 --> 00:46:25,400 {\an8}♪ I saw a man ♪ 679 00:46:25,433 --> 00:46:30,600 {\an8}♪♪♪ 680 00:46:30,633 --> 00:46:32,466 {\an1}-I'd get these images. 681 00:46:32,500 --> 00:46:34,700 {\an8}♪♪♪ 682 00:46:34,733 --> 00:46:40,800 -♪ Die slow ♪ 683 00:46:40,833 --> 00:46:44,333 {\an1}-He would say things like, "You're scrubbing floors." 684 00:46:44,366 --> 00:46:46,633 {\an8}♪♪♪ 685 00:46:46,666 --> 00:46:51,633 {\an1}"You're attending a baby. You're a queen." 686 00:46:51,666 --> 00:46:57,966 {\an1}-♪ And I'm never gonna be the same ♪ 687 00:46:58,000 --> 00:47:01,700 {\an8}♪♪♪ 688 00:47:01,733 --> 00:47:04,400 -I had no inclination that this was dedicated 689 00:47:04,433 --> 00:47:07,333 to all Black women, especially our mothers, 690 00:47:07,366 --> 00:47:10,333 and that this was a birthday gift to his mom. 691 00:47:10,366 --> 00:47:14,166 -♪ Home ♪ 692 00:47:14,200 --> 00:47:19,533 -But you could hear the importance in the music. 693 00:47:19,566 --> 00:47:27,566 {\an1}-♪ Gonna soothe my pain ♪ 694 00:47:29,433 --> 00:47:31,133 {\an1}-The angst in her voice. 695 00:47:31,166 --> 00:47:35,166 -♪ No ♪ 696 00:47:35,200 --> 00:47:38,033 ♪ No ♪ 697 00:47:38,066 --> 00:47:39,900 ♪ Damn you, mister ♪ 698 00:47:39,933 --> 00:47:44,100 ♪ And I dragged him out the door ♪ 699 00:47:44,133 --> 00:47:46,700 ♪ No, no ♪ 700 00:47:46,733 --> 00:47:50,200 ♪ Damn you, mister, and I dragged him out the door ♪ 701 00:47:50,233 --> 00:47:54,133 -And you just survive inside of what he's giving you 702 00:47:54,166 --> 00:47:56,133 and what the music is telling you, 703 00:47:56,166 --> 00:47:59,200 you know? You live in those moments. 704 00:47:59,233 --> 00:48:03,600 {\an8}♪♪♪ 705 00:48:03,633 --> 00:48:08,333 ♪ I suspect there's a train going north ♪ 706 00:48:08,366 --> 00:48:12,866 ♪ In a month or two ♪ 707 00:48:12,900 --> 00:48:16,500 ♪ I still hear his words he said ♪ 708 00:48:16,533 --> 00:48:22,500 {\an1}-Identity was a strong message. 709 00:48:22,533 --> 00:48:27,833 Being able to say through the choreography, 710 00:48:27,866 --> 00:48:30,400 "I am," 711 00:48:30,433 --> 00:48:35,333 {\an1}was a very, very important theme 712 00:48:35,366 --> 00:48:39,600 {\an1}that ran through the dances. 713 00:48:39,633 --> 00:48:42,200 "I am." 714 00:48:42,233 --> 00:48:43,866 {\an1}-♪ There's nothing left to say or do ♪ 715 00:48:43,900 --> 00:48:48,633 {\an1}-Stand in your own being no matter what. 716 00:48:48,666 --> 00:48:50,833 It's very important to have that, 717 00:48:50,866 --> 00:48:55,200 {\an1}because it transcends dance, 718 00:48:55,233 --> 00:48:58,066 {\an1}and it opens the person 719 00:48:58,100 --> 00:49:02,366 {\an8}to a new realization or consciousness 720 00:49:02,400 --> 00:49:05,266 {\an8}of who they are 721 00:49:05,300 --> 00:49:09,066 {\an7}and how to be who they are. 722 00:49:09,100 --> 00:49:17,100 {\an8}♪♪♪ 723 00:49:24,266 --> 00:49:27,466 -♪ I wanna go where the north wind blows ♪ 724 00:49:27,500 --> 00:49:31,833 {\an1}-♪ Wind blows, wind blows ♪ 725 00:49:31,866 --> 00:49:36,166 {\an1}-That whole last section, I didn't know how I did it. 726 00:49:36,200 --> 00:49:38,166 {\an1}'Cause I couldn't feel anything from here down. 727 00:49:38,200 --> 00:49:39,900 {\an1}I mean, it was like okay, 728 00:49:39,933 --> 00:49:42,300 {\an1}I know there's something there holding me up 729 00:49:42,333 --> 00:49:44,100 {\an1}and just plow on through. 730 00:49:44,133 --> 00:49:46,400 {\an1}-♪ Ain't no time to be afraid ♪ 731 00:49:46,433 --> 00:49:51,233 {\an1}-♪ Yeah, yeah, mother, save your child ♪ 732 00:49:51,266 --> 00:49:52,933 -And when it comes to that last step, 733 00:49:52,966 --> 00:49:55,666 you dig down in there like you have never dug before. 734 00:49:55,700 --> 00:49:59,300 {\an1}-♪ In the sky, in the sky ♪ 735 00:49:59,333 --> 00:50:05,866 {\an8}♪♪♪ 736 00:50:05,900 --> 00:50:09,066 -♪ I want the clouds over my head ♪ 737 00:50:09,100 --> 00:50:12,733 {\an1}-♪ Over my head, over my head ♪ 738 00:50:12,766 --> 00:50:16,766 -♪ I don't want no store-bought bed, yeah ♪ 739 00:50:16,800 --> 00:50:19,700 -♪ Store-bought bed, store-bought bed ♪ 740 00:50:19,733 --> 00:50:24,533 {\an1}-No matter what others may think of you... 741 00:50:24,566 --> 00:50:27,333 -♪ Till I'm dead, till I'm dead ♪ 742 00:50:27,366 --> 00:50:28,700 {\an1}-...this is who you are. 743 00:50:28,733 --> 00:50:32,100 {\an1}-♪ Mother, mother, mother, mother, save your child ♪ 744 00:50:32,133 --> 00:50:34,200 {\an1}-How important is that to you 745 00:50:34,233 --> 00:50:37,933 to be able to say through your movement, 746 00:50:37,966 --> 00:50:42,266 {\an1}through your being, "I am." 747 00:50:42,300 --> 00:50:45,100 {\an1}[ Cheers and applause ] 748 00:50:47,133 --> 00:50:49,600 Thunderous applause. 749 00:50:49,633 --> 00:50:53,133 {\an1}Alvin stood right next to me. 750 00:50:53,166 --> 00:50:54,776 {\an1}The curtain had been down for a little bit, 751 00:50:54,800 --> 00:50:57,733 and people were still applauding. 752 00:50:57,766 --> 00:51:00,500 {\an1}I'm, like, dripping in sweat, 753 00:51:00,533 --> 00:51:04,700 {\an1}I'm going, like, "Oh, wow, phew, got through that one." 754 00:51:04,733 --> 00:51:09,500 {\an1}And he says to me, "Now what?" 755 00:51:09,533 --> 00:51:13,866 Like what is he going to do next. 756 00:51:13,900 --> 00:51:15,566 What next? 757 00:51:15,600 --> 00:51:23,600 {\an8}♪♪♪ 758 00:51:42,333 --> 00:51:45,433 {\an8}-You have the anxiety of creating. 759 00:51:45,466 --> 00:51:51,333 {\an8}You have the euphoria of a creation being successful. 760 00:51:51,366 --> 00:51:55,433 {\an8}♪♪♪ 761 00:51:55,466 --> 00:51:59,633 {\an8}Alvin, I think he took on too much. 762 00:51:59,666 --> 00:52:02,500 {\an7}-Some say the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater 763 00:52:02,533 --> 00:52:05,466 {\an7}is the most innovative dance company in the world. 764 00:52:05,500 --> 00:52:08,133 {\an7}Its popularity and dazzling performances 765 00:52:08,166 --> 00:52:10,833 have been experienced by 10 million people, 766 00:52:10,866 --> 00:52:15,400 {\an1}43 states, 44 countries, on 6 continents. 767 00:52:15,433 --> 00:52:17,933 {\an1}Our guest is the world renowned choreographer 768 00:52:17,966 --> 00:52:20,033 and artistic director Alvin Ailey. 769 00:52:20,066 --> 00:52:21,200 {\an1}Good to have you here. 770 00:52:21,233 --> 00:52:22,676 -Thank you, Dennis. It's nice to be here. 771 00:52:22,700 --> 00:52:25,166 {\an1}[ Speaking foreign language ] 772 00:52:25,200 --> 00:52:26,566 -Alvin Ailey, 773 00:52:26,600 --> 00:52:29,400 {\an1}director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, 774 00:52:29,433 --> 00:52:32,000 who has just returned from a very successful tour 775 00:52:32,033 --> 00:52:33,166 in the Soviet Union. 776 00:52:33,200 --> 00:52:36,366 -We are adding Mr. Ailey's piece. 777 00:52:36,400 --> 00:52:41,600 {\an1}-Every fall, every springtime, every season, 778 00:52:41,633 --> 00:52:46,466 {\an1}there you are, at the mill, grinding it out. 779 00:52:46,500 --> 00:52:49,066 {\an8}♪♪♪ 780 00:52:49,100 --> 00:52:52,333 {\an7}-The problem is that if you're a Black anything in this country, 781 00:52:52,366 --> 00:52:55,533 {\an7}people want to put you into a bag. 782 00:52:55,566 --> 00:52:58,133 {\an7}People sometimes say, "Well, you know, why is he doing that now? 783 00:52:58,166 --> 00:53:01,033 {\an1}Why can't he stick to the blues and to the spirituals?" 784 00:53:01,066 --> 00:53:04,333 {\an1}I'm also a 20th century American, and I respond to Bach 785 00:53:04,366 --> 00:53:05,866 {\an8}and Ellington and Benjamin Britten 786 00:53:05,900 --> 00:53:08,833 {\an8}and Samuel Barber, and why shouldn't I? 787 00:53:08,866 --> 00:53:11,100 {\an8}♪♪♪ 788 00:53:11,133 --> 00:53:14,700 {\an7}So I don't like to be pinned down as a choreographer. 789 00:53:14,733 --> 00:53:22,566 {\an8}♪♪♪ 790 00:53:22,600 --> 00:53:28,566 -Oftentimes, isolated Black creators are used. 791 00:53:28,600 --> 00:53:31,900 {\an1}Everybody used him as, "See? 792 00:53:31,933 --> 00:53:34,766 This is the progress we're making. 793 00:53:34,800 --> 00:53:37,433 {\an1}See? We're not racist. 794 00:53:37,466 --> 00:53:39,366 We have Alvin Ailey." 795 00:53:39,400 --> 00:53:47,400 {\an8}♪♪♪ 796 00:53:48,600 --> 00:53:49,942 {\an8}-When you were making "Revelations," 797 00:53:49,966 --> 00:53:51,833 {\an7}did you know that you'd be doing it forever? 798 00:53:51,866 --> 00:53:53,733 {\an8}-[ Chuckling ] No. 799 00:53:53,766 --> 00:53:55,200 -Does it bother you? 800 00:53:55,233 --> 00:53:57,300 -In a way, it does, isn't that strange? 801 00:53:57,333 --> 00:54:00,666 {\an1}Maybe I can't... Every time I see "Revelations" now, 802 00:54:00,700 --> 00:54:03,333 {\an1}after all these years, man, since 1960... 803 00:54:03,366 --> 00:54:05,733 {\an1}I mean, I saw it in Atlanta the other night, and everybody 804 00:54:05,766 --> 00:54:09,666 {\an1}had come to see "Revelations," and it still worked. 805 00:54:09,700 --> 00:54:12,700 {\an8}♪♪♪ 806 00:54:12,733 --> 00:54:17,866 {\an1}-They wanted something that they could feel uplifted by. 807 00:54:17,900 --> 00:54:20,200 {\an7}What about the troubled artist, 808 00:54:20,233 --> 00:54:23,400 {\an8}who is oftentimes turned in and barbed, 809 00:54:23,433 --> 00:54:28,566 {\an8}who is confused and looking for form? 810 00:54:28,600 --> 00:54:30,600 Looking for form. 811 00:54:30,633 --> 00:54:38,633 {\an8}♪♪♪ 812 00:54:45,800 --> 00:54:48,333 {\an1}-Let's go to the ballet. 813 00:54:48,366 --> 00:54:50,333 {\an8}♪♪♪ 814 00:54:50,366 --> 00:54:55,533 {\an1}-You have this creature, this wounded animal. 815 00:54:55,566 --> 00:54:56,933 {\an1}She's angry at herself. 816 00:54:56,966 --> 00:55:00,433 She's angry probably at her creative forces... 817 00:55:00,466 --> 00:55:02,900 {\an1}like all creatives, not doing exactly with herself 818 00:55:02,933 --> 00:55:04,100 {\an1}what she wanted to do. 819 00:55:04,133 --> 00:55:06,933 {\an1}She's angry at the world that allowed this thing 820 00:55:06,966 --> 00:55:08,566 to happen to her, whatever it is. 821 00:55:08,600 --> 00:55:10,866 {\an1}She's angry at the weakness in herself. 822 00:55:10,900 --> 00:55:13,166 {\an8}♪♪♪ 823 00:55:13,200 --> 00:55:18,733 {\an1}-This was a very vulnerable thing to witness. 824 00:55:18,766 --> 00:55:23,333 {\an1}But I saw him really trying to go in search of, I believe, 825 00:55:23,366 --> 00:55:25,933 what had probably made him a choreographer. 826 00:55:25,966 --> 00:55:28,533 He wanted a poetry. 827 00:55:28,566 --> 00:55:32,566 {\an8}♪♪♪ 828 00:55:32,600 --> 00:55:36,733 {\an7}-Creation is a very long and lonely place, 829 00:55:36,766 --> 00:55:41,266 {\an8}lonely in the fact that nobody can help you. 830 00:55:41,300 --> 00:55:43,300 {\an8}♪♪♪ 831 00:55:43,333 --> 00:55:45,666 He was possessed, 832 00:55:45,700 --> 00:55:49,366 {\an1}and he had to serve that god. 833 00:55:49,400 --> 00:55:57,400 {\an8}♪♪♪ 834 00:55:59,200 --> 00:56:01,433 {\an1}-Alvin was very private. 835 00:56:01,466 --> 00:56:03,800 {\an8}♪♪♪ 836 00:56:03,833 --> 00:56:05,233 {\an1}I worked with him long time, 837 00:56:05,266 --> 00:56:10,500 and he invited me to his house only once. 838 00:56:10,533 --> 00:56:16,066 {\an1}He wanted to open up the door for me to more close to him. 839 00:56:16,100 --> 00:56:20,866 Somehow I feel I wanted him to be up, 840 00:56:20,900 --> 00:56:23,300 {\an1}to put on a pedestal, you know. 841 00:56:23,333 --> 00:56:25,133 I mean, I wanted him to be there. 842 00:56:25,166 --> 00:56:27,833 {\an1}It's not here with me. 843 00:56:27,866 --> 00:56:31,366 {\an8}♪♪♪ 844 00:56:31,400 --> 00:56:35,466 -Sometimes your name becomes bigger than yourself. 845 00:56:35,500 --> 00:56:37,666 {\an8}"Alvin Ailey." 846 00:56:37,700 --> 00:56:41,300 {\an7}Do you really know who that is or what it is? 847 00:56:41,333 --> 00:56:44,866 {\an8}♪♪♪ 848 00:56:44,900 --> 00:56:47,433 You see a name, but I don't see a man. 849 00:56:47,466 --> 00:56:55,466 {\an8}♪♪♪ 850 00:58:33,100 --> 00:58:39,533 {\an8}♪♪♪ 851 00:59:12,533 --> 00:59:20,533 {\an8}♪♪♪ 852 00:59:32,400 --> 00:59:38,166 {\an8}♪♪♪ 853 00:59:38,200 --> 00:59:40,666 -He was working at a feverish pitch. 854 00:59:40,700 --> 00:59:44,133 {\an1}This stream of consciousness. 855 00:59:44,166 --> 00:59:47,166 {\an8}♪♪♪ 856 00:59:47,200 --> 00:59:50,933 {\an1}He was totally immersed. 857 00:59:50,966 --> 00:59:58,966 {\an8}♪♪♪ 858 01:00:04,400 --> 01:00:05,666 {\an8}-I... 859 01:00:09,333 --> 01:00:14,666 {\an8}♪♪♪ 860 01:00:17,633 --> 01:00:25,633 {\an8}♪♪♪ 861 01:01:17,233 --> 01:01:25,233 {\an8}♪♪♪ 862 01:01:38,000 --> 01:01:42,966 {\an8}♪♪♪ 863 01:01:55,333 --> 01:02:03,333 {\an8}♪♪♪ 864 01:02:17,366 --> 01:02:22,833 {\an8}♪♪♪ 865 01:02:39,633 --> 01:02:43,200 {\an8}-He was exhausted from trying to meet 866 01:02:43,233 --> 01:02:46,800 {\an7}the demands of the board, the community, everything. 867 01:02:46,833 --> 01:02:48,766 {\an1}"Oh, do another ballet. Oh, do this. 868 01:02:48,800 --> 01:02:50,966 Oh, do that." 869 01:02:51,000 --> 01:02:53,133 [ Heartbeat ] 870 01:02:53,166 --> 01:02:56,233 {\an1}-He talked to me at times about the company 871 01:02:56,266 --> 01:03:02,400 {\an1}not being the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. 872 01:03:02,433 --> 01:03:05,733 It could be the American Dance Theater. 873 01:03:05,766 --> 01:03:08,466 {\an1}And I remember saying to him, "What are you talking about? 874 01:03:08,500 --> 01:03:10,466 Where are you going?" 875 01:03:22,133 --> 01:03:30,133 {\an8}♪♪♪ 876 01:03:55,633 --> 01:03:57,933 {\an1}-One day, my telephone rang. 877 01:03:57,966 --> 01:04:02,766 {\an1}A voice said, "You know, Alvin is running around, 878 01:04:02,800 --> 01:04:04,100 {\an1}throwing things around, 879 01:04:04,133 --> 01:04:07,966 {\an1}and everybody has cleared out of the office." 880 01:04:08,000 --> 01:04:11,566 {\an8}♪♪♪ 881 01:04:11,600 --> 01:04:14,533 {\an1}Alvin pushed the door open. 882 01:04:14,566 --> 01:04:18,200 He just looked at me, 883 01:04:18,233 --> 01:04:22,633 {\an1}a look that I had never seen from him before. 884 01:04:22,666 --> 01:04:26,500 I said, "Alvin, 885 01:04:26,533 --> 01:04:30,866 {\an1}what do you want me to do?" 886 01:04:30,900 --> 01:04:33,200 So he said, 887 01:04:33,233 --> 01:04:37,066 "All I want you to do is take care of the company." 888 01:04:37,100 --> 01:04:42,300 {\an1}So I said, "Well, I am always 889 01:04:42,333 --> 01:04:45,333 {\an1}going to do just that. 890 01:04:45,366 --> 01:04:48,900 {\an1}You don't have to worry about it." 891 01:04:48,933 --> 01:04:50,933 Then he disappeared. 892 01:04:50,966 --> 01:04:54,266 {\an8}♪♪♪ 893 01:04:54,300 --> 01:04:56,866 Alvin's not well. 894 01:04:56,900 --> 01:05:03,466 {\an8}♪♪♪ 895 01:05:03,500 --> 01:05:05,600 [ Siren wails ] 896 01:05:05,633 --> 01:05:08,800 {\an8}♪♪♪ 897 01:05:46,733 --> 01:05:54,733 {\an8}♪♪♪ 898 01:05:56,333 --> 01:06:00,933 {\an1}-I believe that there is always something, one's gift, 899 01:06:00,966 --> 01:06:06,833 {\an1}one's genius, separates one from his colleagues, his community. 900 01:06:06,866 --> 01:06:09,333 I believe that he had that demon, 901 01:06:09,366 --> 01:06:12,933 {\an1}that demon that says that, "If I have gotten this far, 902 01:06:12,966 --> 01:06:18,200 {\an1}it's because I have pulled one over on somebody 903 01:06:18,233 --> 01:06:23,600 {\an1}and that, any day now, I'm going to be found out." 904 01:06:23,633 --> 01:06:26,566 {\an1}I think it's kind of something like a self-loathing 905 01:06:26,600 --> 01:06:30,400 that comes with not feeling worthy, 906 01:06:30,433 --> 01:06:31,866 {\an1}even though you've proven it. 907 01:06:31,900 --> 01:06:33,533 {\an1}If you look at "Revelations," 908 01:06:33,566 --> 01:06:37,100 {\an1}it's one of the great dances of the 20th century. 909 01:06:37,133 --> 01:06:41,700 {\an8}♪♪♪ 910 01:06:41,733 --> 01:06:43,866 -Who could love him, 911 01:06:43,900 --> 01:06:48,033 or were they loving what he represented... 912 01:06:48,066 --> 01:06:51,000 His gift, his fame, what-have-you? 913 01:06:51,033 --> 01:06:59,033 {\an8}♪♪♪ 914 01:07:00,533 --> 01:07:03,300 Who could love him? 915 01:07:03,933 --> 01:07:11,933 {\an8}♪♪♪ 916 01:08:07,566 --> 01:08:11,466 {\an8}♪♪♪ 917 01:08:11,500 --> 01:08:13,700 {\an1}-He made a nice duet for me. 918 01:08:13,733 --> 01:08:15,700 {\an8}♪♪♪ 919 01:08:15,733 --> 01:08:18,366 It was so much fun. 920 01:08:18,400 --> 01:08:21,600 I think he discovered a different way. 921 01:08:21,633 --> 01:08:23,166 {\an8}It's not new Alvin, 922 01:08:23,200 --> 01:08:27,966 {\an8}but something like winter passed, you know? 923 01:08:28,000 --> 01:08:29,700 Took off the jacket. 924 01:08:29,733 --> 01:08:31,933 {\an8}♪♪♪ 925 01:08:31,966 --> 01:08:34,066 -See, if I had known about this television thing, 926 01:08:34,100 --> 01:08:35,933 {\an1}I would have done my hair like yours, Rodney. 927 01:08:35,966 --> 01:08:37,066 [ Laughter ] 928 01:08:37,100 --> 01:08:38,800 {\an1}Would've been up till 5:00 in the morning 929 01:08:38,833 --> 01:08:40,133 twisting and turning. 930 01:08:40,166 --> 01:08:41,709 {\an1}-Well, I just wash it. I don't do anything to it. 931 01:08:41,733 --> 01:08:43,900 {\an1}-You don't do anything to it? And you did it yourself? 932 01:08:43,933 --> 01:08:45,609 -I don't do anything. I just don't comb it. 933 01:08:45,633 --> 01:08:47,042 -No, but, I mean, how did it get that way? 934 01:08:47,066 --> 01:08:48,266 -I just... 935 01:08:48,300 --> 01:08:49,933 - You twisted it? - No. 936 01:08:49,966 --> 01:08:53,200 {\an1}-Rodney, now, no, no, no. 937 01:08:53,233 --> 01:08:54,966 You're among friends. 938 01:08:55,000 --> 01:09:00,433 {\an8}♪♪♪ 939 01:09:00,466 --> 01:09:03,866 {\an1}-It was a sense of renewal. 940 01:09:03,900 --> 01:09:09,133 {\an1}The only direction to go is forward into the future. 941 01:09:09,166 --> 01:09:16,000 {\an8}♪♪♪ 942 01:09:16,033 --> 01:09:19,633 {\an1}-What are the aims and goals of the American Dance Theater? 943 01:09:19,666 --> 01:09:22,266 {\an1}-To provide a place of beauty and excitement, 944 01:09:22,300 --> 01:09:25,233 {\an1}a place for other choreographers to experiment, 945 01:09:25,266 --> 01:09:27,933 to provide a place where people can come 946 01:09:27,966 --> 01:09:29,833 {\an1}and feel like they can add themselves 947 01:09:29,866 --> 01:09:32,800 {\an1}and then reap the benefits of what they put in. 948 01:09:32,833 --> 01:09:35,066 {\an8}♪♪♪ 949 01:09:35,100 --> 01:09:38,700 {\an1}I want it to be easier than it was for me. 950 01:09:38,733 --> 01:09:44,066 {\an8}♪♪♪ 951 01:09:44,100 --> 01:09:46,800 {\an7}-I had been invited to come and make a work 952 01:09:46,833 --> 01:09:50,500 {\an1}for the Ailey Company. 953 01:09:50,533 --> 01:09:54,666 {\an1}Around this time, Arnie Zane, my companion, and I 954 01:09:54,700 --> 01:09:57,400 {\an1}were already on the cover of Dance Magazine. 955 01:09:57,433 --> 01:10:00,633 {\an1}Many people were saying we were the flavor of the month 956 01:10:00,666 --> 01:10:04,966 of the downtown avant-garde dance. 957 01:10:05,000 --> 01:10:07,966 {\an7}More than anything, I think he wanted to stay in touch 958 01:10:08,000 --> 01:10:10,300 {\an8}with new developments in the field, 959 01:10:10,333 --> 01:10:13,800 {\an7}and I'm proud to say he took me seriously in that regard. 960 01:10:16,933 --> 01:10:20,300 {\an1}-I remember him coming in and seeing the roughhousing, 961 01:10:20,333 --> 01:10:23,533 gestural language of "Fever Swamp" 962 01:10:23,566 --> 01:10:25,066 and him saying to me 963 01:10:25,100 --> 01:10:27,366 {\an1}something that moves me very much right now... 964 01:10:27,400 --> 01:10:30,533 He said, "Don't hurt my boys, Bill. 965 01:10:30,566 --> 01:10:33,933 Don't hurt my boys." 966 01:10:33,966 --> 01:10:37,600 When he said boys, it meant that he loved them. 967 01:10:37,633 --> 01:10:41,400 {\an1}He loved them because he was no longer lonely, 968 01:10:41,433 --> 01:10:44,166 {\an1}and he had actually been given the wherewithal 969 01:10:44,200 --> 01:10:49,533 {\an8}to open up this field to people like himself. 970 01:10:49,566 --> 01:10:51,366 {\an8}"My boys." 971 01:10:51,400 --> 01:10:53,533 {\an7}[ Indistinct conversations ] 972 01:10:53,566 --> 01:10:55,466 {\an1}-Let's have you here, Michael. 973 01:10:55,500 --> 01:10:58,766 You here. You're facing this way. 974 01:10:58,800 --> 01:11:02,533 {\an1}Jackie, bring you here, okay. 975 01:11:02,566 --> 01:11:06,033 So, here's the deal. You guys are blades of grass. 976 01:11:06,066 --> 01:11:08,333 You're Black folk who have been murdered. 977 01:11:08,366 --> 01:11:09,966 {\an1}You become part of the soil, 978 01:11:10,000 --> 01:11:12,400 {\an1}and then the gatherers come and step over you, 979 01:11:12,433 --> 01:11:14,933 and they start gathering the souls, right? 980 01:11:14,966 --> 01:11:18,566 Gathering them back so they can regenerate. 981 01:11:18,600 --> 01:11:20,633 Got me? Alright, so that's what's happening. 982 01:11:20,666 --> 01:11:23,766 {\an1}So... And so this is slow... 983 01:11:23,800 --> 01:11:27,400 Right, right. 984 01:11:27,433 --> 01:11:29,733 Resurrection. 985 01:11:29,766 --> 01:11:34,166 {\an1}Every time a dancer walks in, 986 01:11:34,200 --> 01:11:37,833 {\an1}there's another piece of him being resurrected. 987 01:11:37,866 --> 01:11:39,833 {\an8}♪♪♪ 988 01:11:39,866 --> 01:11:43,633 {\an1}Mr. Ailey was just watching this whole cycle happening 989 01:11:43,666 --> 01:11:46,700 and helping to guide and helping to push through. 990 01:11:47,400 --> 01:11:55,400 {\an8}♪♪♪ 991 01:12:17,400 --> 01:12:21,433 -I was walking across 57th Street, 992 01:12:21,466 --> 01:12:24,200 and I saw Alvin. 993 01:12:24,233 --> 01:12:28,566 I said, "Hi, Alvin. How's everything?" 994 01:12:28,600 --> 01:12:30,300 {\an1}He said, "It's alright, it's alright." 995 01:12:30,333 --> 01:12:33,200 But he didn't speak about anything. 996 01:12:33,233 --> 01:12:36,933 {\an1}It was like, that's all. I said, "Well, okay. 997 01:12:36,966 --> 01:12:38,466 I hope to see you. 998 01:12:38,500 --> 01:12:41,400 {\an1}I'll come to the season," like that. 999 01:12:43,466 --> 01:12:47,166 {\an1}He just looked thinner to me and a little drawn. 1000 01:12:47,200 --> 01:12:52,733 He wasn't reacting in a way that I was used to. 1001 01:12:56,166 --> 01:12:59,833 -People's appearances were changing. 1002 01:12:59,866 --> 01:13:02,600 {\an1}They were getting thinner, 1003 01:13:02,633 --> 01:13:04,966 and... 1004 01:13:07,600 --> 01:13:11,133 {\an1}And they were dying around you. 1005 01:13:11,166 --> 01:13:14,700 And I guess all you could hope for... 1006 01:13:14,733 --> 01:13:17,400 That it wasn't you. 1007 01:13:21,066 --> 01:13:27,566 {\an1}And you prayed that it wasn't anybody close to you. 1008 01:13:30,866 --> 01:13:35,966 {\an8}♪♪♪ 1009 01:13:36,000 --> 01:13:41,000 {\an1}-Alvin wanted me to meet him at this restaurant. 1010 01:13:41,033 --> 01:13:44,466 {\an7}We were picking over stuff, you know, this food 1011 01:13:44,500 --> 01:13:47,600 {\an8}that I wasn't eating, that he wasn't eating. 1012 01:13:47,633 --> 01:13:50,366 Both of us knew what we were there for. 1013 01:13:50,400 --> 01:13:53,633 {\an8}♪♪♪ 1014 01:13:53,666 --> 01:13:56,400 {\an1}But he had to declare it anyway. 1015 01:13:56,433 --> 01:13:59,666 He said, "Would you take over the company?" 1016 01:13:59,700 --> 01:14:07,700 {\an8}♪♪♪ 1017 01:14:08,466 --> 01:14:12,800 {\an1}I had been told ahead of time that he was very ill. 1018 01:14:12,833 --> 01:14:15,666 {\an8}♪♪♪ 1019 01:14:15,700 --> 01:14:20,133 {\an1}At that time, people were retreating from saying anything 1020 01:14:20,166 --> 01:14:23,466 {\an1}about AIDS-related illnesses. 1021 01:14:23,500 --> 01:14:28,000 {\an8}♪♪♪ 1022 01:14:28,033 --> 01:14:30,900 {\an1}-There were probably people he would imagine 1023 01:14:30,933 --> 01:14:33,033 {\an1}they would react disfavorably 1024 01:14:33,066 --> 01:14:38,200 {\an1}to having "this guilty disease." 1025 01:14:38,233 --> 01:14:42,033 This disease is, in some people's minds, 1026 01:14:42,066 --> 01:14:44,400 {\an1}"You get what you deserve. 1027 01:14:44,433 --> 01:14:46,300 And we have loved you all these years 1028 01:14:46,333 --> 01:14:49,600 {\an1}and given you this platform to go out and do that dancing, 1029 01:14:49,633 --> 01:14:52,300 and then, look at your dirty life." 1030 01:14:52,333 --> 01:14:55,433 {\an1}And as we used to hear when I was as a child, 1031 01:14:55,466 --> 01:14:58,566 {\an1}"What's done in the dark will come to the light." 1032 01:14:58,600 --> 01:15:02,566 {\an1}And I'm purposely taking on the voice of a Southern Baptist, 1033 01:15:02,600 --> 01:15:04,200 because I'm sure, 1034 01:15:04,233 --> 01:15:07,000 be that his mother, be that many people around him, 1035 01:15:07,033 --> 01:15:10,833 {\an1}there was this feeling that, as I say, 1036 01:15:10,866 --> 01:15:12,866 {\an1}men are men on the Ailey stage 1037 01:15:12,900 --> 01:15:14,800 and women are women on the Ailey stage, 1038 01:15:14,833 --> 01:15:17,266 {\an1}and they are exemplary, 1039 01:15:17,300 --> 01:15:21,133 {\an1}and they are the survivors of racism and slavery, 1040 01:15:21,166 --> 01:15:23,100 {\an1}and they are beautiful, and they are strong, 1041 01:15:23,133 --> 01:15:25,733 {\an1}and they will live forever and leap higher and higher, 1042 01:15:25,766 --> 01:15:28,266 and you're telling me that they have sex? 1043 01:15:28,300 --> 01:15:32,066 And they have sex that could kill them? 1044 01:15:32,100 --> 01:15:34,966 Are you telling me Mr. Ailey himself? 1045 01:15:35,000 --> 01:15:37,666 Oh, that's too much. That's too much. 1046 01:15:37,700 --> 01:15:40,266 We have to edit that out of the history. 1047 01:15:40,300 --> 01:15:45,533 And he participated in the editing of it. 1048 01:15:45,566 --> 01:15:47,266 He was alone. 1049 01:15:47,300 --> 01:15:50,866 {\an1}What community of gay people was he with 1050 01:15:50,900 --> 01:15:54,133 {\an1}that could say, "Alvin, this is happening to us"? 1051 01:15:54,166 --> 01:15:58,933 {\an8}♪♪♪ 1052 01:15:58,966 --> 01:16:04,466 -When he got ill, they put a couch in the studio. 1053 01:16:04,500 --> 01:16:06,333 {\an1}He wasn't really working with us anymore. 1054 01:16:06,366 --> 01:16:09,100 He couldn't. But he wanted to be around us. 1055 01:16:09,133 --> 01:16:12,666 {\an7}So as opposed to laying at home, he would just lay on the couch. 1056 01:16:12,700 --> 01:16:16,366 {\an7}He would just kind of lounge around and just be with us. 1057 01:16:16,400 --> 01:16:19,933 {\an8}♪♪♪ 1058 01:16:19,966 --> 01:16:23,800 {\an1}There's a denial that you want to have about your friend. 1059 01:16:23,833 --> 01:16:26,733 {\an1}You always want to think there could be a miracle. 1060 01:16:26,766 --> 01:16:29,733 {\an1}'Cause miracles do happen. 1061 01:16:29,766 --> 01:16:32,066 {\an1}Some people do get better. 1062 01:16:32,100 --> 01:16:35,166 People do heal. 1063 01:16:35,200 --> 01:16:37,066 So it is possible. 1064 01:16:37,100 --> 01:16:39,066 {\an8}♪♪♪ 1065 01:16:39,100 --> 01:16:41,666 It could happen. He could pull through this. 1066 01:16:41,700 --> 01:16:43,600 Miracles do happen. 1067 01:16:43,633 --> 01:16:46,133 {\an8}♪♪♪ 1068 01:16:46,166 --> 01:16:47,400 {\an1}-Hey, Alvin, what's up? 1069 01:16:47,433 --> 01:16:49,109 {\an1}Now, listen here. You gotta hurry up and get better. 1070 01:16:49,133 --> 01:16:52,300 {\an1}I'm waitin' on you, because, you know, I'm trying to do this, 1071 01:16:52,333 --> 01:16:53,900 {\an1}but I need to be inspired. 1072 01:16:53,933 --> 01:16:56,000 {\an1}I need your inspiration, brother. 1073 01:16:56,033 --> 01:16:58,433 {\an1}You got to get out here, you understand what I'm saying? 1074 01:16:58,466 --> 01:17:01,666 -Hi! We miss you! 1075 01:17:01,700 --> 01:17:04,433 {\an1}Hope you're feeling better! 1076 01:17:04,466 --> 01:17:06,566 {\an7}-We want you to get better so you can come back 1077 01:17:06,600 --> 01:17:08,233 {\an7}and reprimand us again. 1078 01:17:08,266 --> 01:17:09,500 {\an8}[ Laughs ] 1079 01:17:09,533 --> 01:17:11,900 {\an1}[ Cheers and applause ] 1080 01:17:11,933 --> 01:17:15,766 {\an8}♪♪♪ 1081 01:17:15,800 --> 01:17:17,933 -[ Laughing ] 1082 01:17:17,966 --> 01:17:25,966 {\an8}♪♪♪ 1083 01:17:32,200 --> 01:17:38,833 {\an1}-I remember we were opening on December the 3rd, I think. 1084 01:17:38,866 --> 01:17:42,333 {\an1}And Alvin died on the 1st. 1085 01:17:42,366 --> 01:17:43,766 {\an1}And I thought, "Oh, God. 1086 01:17:43,800 --> 01:17:47,666 I wish he'd been able to come to this opening." 1087 01:17:47,700 --> 01:17:49,333 But we put on a... 1088 01:17:53,300 --> 01:17:55,066 Oh. 1089 01:17:57,933 --> 01:18:00,200 {\an1}But I called George Faison. 1090 01:18:00,233 --> 01:18:02,400 I said, "George..." 1091 01:18:02,433 --> 01:18:04,266 [ Sighs ] 1092 01:18:08,066 --> 01:18:09,466 {\an1}It moved me a great deal. 1093 01:18:09,500 --> 01:18:13,200 I said, "We've got to celebrate Alvin." 1094 01:18:13,233 --> 01:18:18,166 And he put together a wonderful performance. 1095 01:18:18,200 --> 01:18:23,600 And at the end, after "Revelations" and bows, 1096 01:18:23,633 --> 01:18:26,566 all of a sudden, 1097 01:18:26,600 --> 01:18:29,233 I had let down a big picture of Alvin. 1098 01:18:29,266 --> 01:18:31,200 It was absolute quiet in the theater. 1099 01:18:31,233 --> 01:18:37,333 {\an1}[ Voice breaking ] And the entire theater rose at once 1100 01:18:37,366 --> 01:18:42,033 {\an1}and just quietly stood there. 1101 01:18:42,066 --> 01:18:46,200 And the dancers had been given flowers, 1102 01:18:46,233 --> 01:18:47,966 and they all turned 1103 01:18:48,000 --> 01:18:54,133 and put them in front of Alvin's picture. 1104 01:18:54,166 --> 01:18:56,700 And we brought the curtain down... 1105 01:18:59,633 --> 01:19:01,733 with a performance the next night. 1106 01:19:01,766 --> 01:19:03,166 We kept going. 1107 01:19:03,200 --> 01:19:04,866 [ Chuckles ] 1108 01:19:04,900 --> 01:19:12,900 {\an8}♪♪♪ 1109 01:20:08,500 --> 01:20:11,000 {\an1}-[ Echoing ] Mr. Ailey? 1110 01:20:11,033 --> 01:20:14,900 {\an8}♪♪♪ 1111 01:20:14,933 --> 01:20:17,666 Mr. Ailey! 1112 01:20:24,600 --> 01:20:28,000 {\an1}-You see in films that people do [Breathes deeply] 1113 01:20:28,033 --> 01:20:30,166 And there's this dramatic death rattle, 1114 01:20:30,200 --> 01:20:32,966 You know, it's like [Exhales shakily] like this. 1115 01:20:33,000 --> 01:20:37,666 Alvin breathed in and never breathed out. 1116 01:20:39,033 --> 01:20:41,166 That was it. 1117 01:20:41,200 --> 01:20:43,300 We're his breath out. 1118 01:20:43,333 --> 01:20:46,900 {\an1}We are his breath out. We are. 1119 01:20:46,933 --> 01:20:49,533 Yeah? So that's what we're floating on. 1120 01:20:49,566 --> 01:20:53,500 {\an1}That's what we're living on, that [Exhales deeply] 1121 01:20:53,533 --> 01:20:55,433 -♪ Alive ♪ 1122 01:20:55,466 --> 01:20:57,600 ♪ I know he is ♪ 1123 01:20:57,633 --> 01:21:01,100 {\an8}♪♪♪ 1124 01:21:01,133 --> 01:21:03,100 ♪ Alive ♪ 1125 01:21:03,133 --> 01:21:08,533 {\an8}♪♪♪ 1126 01:21:08,566 --> 01:21:11,266 -♪ He is risen ♪ 1127 01:21:11,300 --> 01:21:19,300 {\an8}♪♪♪ 1128 01:21:27,266 --> 01:21:34,666 ♪ He's alive ♪ 1129 01:21:34,700 --> 01:21:37,966 {\an8}♪♪♪ 1130 01:21:38,000 --> 01:21:41,133 {\an1}♪ Alive, alive, alive, alive ♪ 1131 01:21:41,166 --> 01:21:47,133 ♪ Alive, alive, alive, alive, alive ♪ 1132 01:21:47,166 --> 01:21:49,000 {\an8}♪♪♪ 1133 01:21:49,033 --> 01:21:50,833 - ♪ Hallelujah ♪ - ♪ Hallelujah ♪ 1134 01:21:50,866 --> 01:21:52,666 - ♪ Hallelujah ♪ - ♪ I am free ♪ 1135 01:21:52,700 --> 01:21:54,366 - ♪ I am free ♪ - ♪ Free indeed ♪ 1136 01:21:54,400 --> 01:21:55,633 -♪ Oh, free indeed ♪ 1137 01:21:55,666 --> 01:21:57,433 - ♪ Hallelujah ♪ - ♪ Oh, hallelujah ♪ 1138 01:21:57,466 --> 01:21:59,500 - ♪ Hallelujah ♪ - ♪ Hallelujah ♪ 1139 01:21:59,533 --> 01:22:03,433 -♪ It's a new life for me, yeah ♪ 1140 01:22:03,466 --> 01:22:06,366 {\an1}♪ It's a new life for me, yeah ♪ 1141 01:22:06,400 --> 01:22:10,900 ♪ It's a new dawn, it's a new day ♪ 1142 01:22:10,933 --> 01:22:14,100 {\an1}♪ It's a new life for me, yeah ♪ 1143 01:22:14,133 --> 01:22:16,800 ♪ It's a new dawn, it's a new day ♪ 1144 01:22:16,833 --> 01:22:20,466 {\an1}♪ It's a new life for me ♪ 1145 01:22:20,500 --> 01:22:22,200 ♪ Ooh ♪ 1146 01:22:24,966 --> 01:22:32,966 {\an8}♪♪♪ 1147 01:23:01,233 --> 01:23:07,433 {\an7}-♪ If you know, if you know, if you know he's alive ♪ 1148 01:23:07,466 --> 01:23:11,100 {\an8}♪ I can feel it, yes, I know it ♪ 1149 01:23:11,133 --> 01:23:14,966 {\an8}♪ Can you feel it? Yes, I feel it ♪ 1150 01:23:15,000 --> 01:23:18,966 {\an8}♪ He's alive, yeah ♪