Alvin Ailey and Korean Dance: Writing Afro-Asian Relations into Korean Dance History

Abstract

A close examination of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s 1962 Seoul performance, as well as Ailey’s influence on Korean dancers’ training and choreography, reveals that Ailey’s impact on Korean contemporary dance is significant. Ailey’s exploration of African American experiences piqued local dancers’ and critics’ interest, and suggested commonalities between Koreans’ and African Americans’ histories of oppression. This article examines performances, interviews, and criticism across a span of four decades, and brings special consideration to similarities between Yuk Wan-sun's Heuginyeongga and Ailey's Revelations in order to reframe Korean contemporary dance’s connections to Ailey and to illuminate Afro-Asian affinity.