Blog 5: Why It Matters To Me...

When I first entered Peck School of the Arts as a dance major, I had no technical training whatsoever.  My first modern dance teacher was Andre Tyson, who was an Ailey dancer in his prime and who taught Horton technique.  My first roots in the field of modern dance lie with Lester Horton.  After that semester, I have always wanted to continue studying and training in Horton technique because of the values that I believe it holds.  I never felt stronger, more grounded and focused, than I did in that technique.  Lester Horton’s fortifications were hard, but the results that they yielded unto me were undeniable.  I would love nothing more than to do them after all these years and see the improvement in myself.  Even more, Lester Horton was a pioneer of his times.  Reading about him was inspiring and I felt, often times, that I had things in common with him, specifically his love and appreciation for various arts, skills and crafts.  He was uniquely gifted in many aspects of crafts and it was because of this that I think he was so brilliant.  He was able to take in everything and be inspired by it, but at the same time offer it back to the world in a way that was ultimately Horton.  I think people should take note on this because so many times I have seen works of art by people who are following a style, but not making it their own.  And what is even more amazing is he did not sacrifice the authenticity of the things that he was doing, such as when he made the dances and costumes based off of Native American traditions.  He was submersed in the things that he was interested in, which made him almost an expert about them.  He knew what was right and what wasn’t right, and what went and what didn’t and he made those details clear in his work.  He was devoted to his dancers and his goals, which I found very uplifting.  It makes me want to have the same kind of mindset about my ambitions.  He is an excellent role model for me and it is because he was so dedicated to achievement.  I think that in today’s world, remnants of Horton can still be seen in the Ailey Company, definitely.  He was such a major influence in Alvin Ailey’s life and since many of the company’s dances are Ailey’s original works, the influence still lingers.