Thoughts on a Master

                 Now that I have provided a base of valuable information on Lester Horton, I would like to evaluate what this artist means to me. A short time ago, the mention of his name would have brought me to thoughts of a grueling technique class, complete with flat backs, primitive squats, and coccyx balances. While I had always appreciated that his technique was built upon his knowledge of human anatomy, and through that understanding was meant to aid the dancer by increasing their strength and flexibility, I now recognize the value in how it was created. Horton was not a doctor, nor a professor, nor even a college graduate, who already had a deep awareness of anatomy and of how to accomplish this. Instead, he was simply a man who had an interest –an interest in dance, and culture, and the body- and took this curiosity and turned it into something completely unique and worthwhile. As the man himself said, “I am sincerely trying now to create a dance technique based entirely upon corrective exercises, created with a knowledge of human anatomy; a technique which will correct physical faults and prepare a dancer for any type of dancing he may wish to follow; a technique having all the basic movements which govern the actions of the body; combined with a knowledge of the origin of movement and a sense of artistic design” (Pierre 36). This approach is meaningful to me, as a dance student, because his technique is meant to neutralize the dancer and make them ready to take up any style, and I feel immensely lucky to have been able to take classes based on this technique in my past.

            Horton’s role in art is also significant to me, as well as dancers everywhere, because he set a new standard for who could dance and where they could do it. At a time when civil rights tensions pervaded American culture, Horton created the first racially integrated dance company. He established a mindset that guides choreographers to this day, that if he liked what the dancer could do, he wanted them, regardless of ethnic background. Also, by creating his company in California, when much of the dance realm was focused in New York, he pushed the boundaries of where dance could be appreciated by audiences and achieve success. Now dance companies are dispersed across the nation, and I believe that a part of the reason for this can be attributed to the bravery, boldness, and determination of Lester Horton. Through these actions he has opened up opportunities for this art form, as well as given us a batch of artists, including students such as Alvin Ailey, that have made further unforgettable contributions. Lastly, in his constant struggle to make his endeavors work, despite shortages of money and such obstacles, Horton demonstrated an unrelenting sense of perseverance and is an inspiration for many.

Works Cited: Pierre, Dorathi Bock. From Primitive to Modern. “American Dancer.” 1937. Print.

A Muse for Horton

“The apprenticeship I had with Lester happened when I was quite young. I was in my teens and I thought everyone learned technique, learned to dance and to perform in this fashion. What I didn’t realize was that this man was building a technique directly on my body. I had no prior experience that would have prepared me to make a judgment about how I was learning. Because the technique was built on me, it felt extremely comfortable. Then he made ballets for me and I thought that was the way everybody grew in the world of dance. I didn’t know it was extraordinary.” 

–Bella Lewitzky (Friedler and Glazer 17)

The daughter of Russian-Jewish immigrants, when Bella Lewitzky moved to Los Angeles as a teenager, she was introduced to modern dance by Lester Horton. The young girl had valued dance before this, however, she was not a fan of the constraints that came along with ballet. Horton and Lewitzky were instantly a perfect match, and they became a dynamic team, with Horton eventually using her as his primary body for experimenting and creating his technique. Their collaboration lasted for fifteen years, during which Lewitzky served as Horton’s “stellar protégé who could embody his wildly imaginative movement ideas” (jwa.org). According to Lewitzky, “Lester never said, ‘Bella, I’m developing you’. We never had that kind of dialogue. He created approximately fifteen ballets for me which I took as a matter of course. I became Lester’s tool, his physical voice, both for a technique and for his repertory. At the end of the fifteenth year of working with him I could extend what he would start because I knew where he would want to go” (Friedler and Glazer 17).

Together, Horton and Lewitzky cofounded the Dance Theater with William Bowne, as well as composed dances based on “religious fanaticism, bigotry, the violent anti-Semitism of Nazi Germany, and the abuse of women” (jwa.org). However, time took its toll, and eventually the pair was strongly disagreeing with one another over the company’s artistic mission and finances. Lewitzky left the company in 1950, and the partnership was dissolved forever.

 Lewitzky would go on to lead a life outside of Dance Theater, directing the Lewitzky Dance Company for over thirty years. As noted in a review of a Lewitzky Dance Company performance, she was a leading figure in the West Coast dance world. She achieved many successes with her choreography, ultimately creating over fifty major pieces. Lewitzky was also the recipient of several awards over her lifetime, including earning Lester Horton Dance Awards from the Dance Resource Center of Greater Los Angeles on multiple occasions. Though Lewitzky left an unforgettable impact of her own, we cannot forget the impact that Horton left through her as well, as it is probably safe to say that the Horton technique, and everything else we know about him today, would not have been the same without Bella Lewitzky. 

Works Cited: jwa.org,

Friedler, Sharon E. and Susan B. Glazer. Dancing Female: Lives and Issues of Women in Contemporary Dance. G + B Science Publishers, 1997. Print.

The Legend Lives On

Alvin Ailey is undoubtedly one of Horton’s most well known students in popular culture. As a member of the Lester Horton Dance Group, Ailey clung to what he had learned from his teacher, and held on to it long after Horton’s passing. Ailey himself is one of the reasons that the Horton technique and the legend of his mastery lives on today, as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and School are strongly identified with their use of the Horton technique.

Ailey was first introduced to dance as a teenager when he saw a performance by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. He also witnessed a performance by Katherine Dunham, and went on to be taught by one of her company members. Leaving behind his academic studies at the University of California Los Angeles, in 1949 Ailey started studying under Lester Horton. He began dancing with Horton’s company in 1953 and upon his death, Ailey was the one who took on the leadership role of the company. Not too long after his memorable mentor’s death, Ailey ventured to New York, and with Martha Graham and other artists, he dove deeper into his studies of ballet, modern dance, and acting. Ailey also had many roles in different Broadway and off-Broadway plays throughout his performing years, as well as jobs choreographing for them. In 1958, Ailey first debuted with his soon to be famous company, as a group of African American dancers at the 92^nd Street YM-YWHA in New York City. Then, in 1960, Ailey choreographed his instant classic, Revelations. By 1962 his company was going on international tours.

The instant fame that accompanied the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has never really deteriorated since its initiation, as it is now one of the most acclaimed modern dance companies in the world. At the heart of its popularity lies Ailey’s choreography, which draws upon his memories from a childhood in the South, African American history, observations of human movement, and uses musical influences from Gospel music, jazz and blues. Sometimes, however, his choreography was purely abstract as well. Ailey has been criticized of his dances being too theatrical, but his influence from Horton could not be more clearly seen than in his defense that, “his performances were based on the concept of total dance theater.” Demonstrated by the continued success of his company, both while he was the director, and after his death, Ailey clearly achieved his goal of putting "something on stage that will have a very wide appeal without being condescending; that will reach an audience and make it part of the dance; that will get everybody in the theater" (Monsho).

You can read more about Alvin Ailey's choreography in this journal article from Project Muse.

Works Cited: alvinailey.org, artsedge.kennedy-center.org, 
Kharen Monsho, "AILEY, ALVIN," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fai03), accessed December 06, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.