American dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey was BOTD in 1931. Born in Rogers, Texas, he had a turbulent childhood: abandoned by his father, Ailey and his mother worked in cotton fields and in domestic service, eventually moving to Los Angeles in 1941. He studied dance with Lester Horton, forming a nightclub act with Maya Angelou. He jointed Horton’s dance company in 1953, taking over as artistic director and choreographer after Horton’s sudden death later that year. After choreographing for Broadway productions, he formed the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in 1958. His work fused theatre, modern dance, ballet and jazz, presenting his vision of honouring Black culture through dance. His most famous work Revelations debuted in 1960, a panorama of African-American history set to spirituals, gospel and blues music. After a triumphant 1970 tour of Russia, the company took up residence in New York, where Ailey choreographed more than 100 works. He also founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Centre, to provide access to the arts to under-resourced communities. A champion of Black dancers and choreographers, he was renowned for employing dancers with a variety of body types. Discreetly gay, Ailey kept his personal relationships private and struggled with mental illness and drug abuse for much of his life. He died in 1989 of an AIDS-related illness, aged 58.