The Black Excellence of Ulysses Dove

In 1984, Bad Blood by Ulysses Dove made its world premier at Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal.  The  powerful performance choreographs the "emotional passion and kinetic energy encapsulating the powerful yet extremely tender war between the sexes." Still an audience favorite in the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre reproduction, one of its original cast members and Ailey vet, Renee Robinson, retells a candid moment of rehearsals, with Dove saying:

“don't add anything more, don't take anything away… every movement, every single step that I've put in, I know exactly what it's for and I'm going to get you to understand how to convey that to the audiences.”

Described by Artistic Director, Robert Battle, as “the minimal language to say the maximum thing,” the Emmy-award winning Ulysses Dove was invited to the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre by Ailey, himself, in 1973. Quickly becoming a principle dancer for his ability to dramatically impact the stage with a clear message, Dove left the 'Dance Theatre in 1980 for the world that had become his oyster. Two years after his last dance, Twilight, Ulysses Dove succumbed to an AIDS-related illness on June 11, 1996. He remains one of the most stimulating contemporary choreographers of the latter half of the 20th century.