Alvin Ailey Dance Theater Performances Across 66 Countries, 1958-1989

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Performance Dataset documents 4,143 performances in 505 cities across 66 countries from 1958 to 1989. Curated by Kate Elswit and Harmony Bench, it was compiled from over 30,000 archival documents for the Whitney Museum's 'Edges of Ailey' exhibition.

Use Cases

• Analyze the geographic spread of performances across 505 cities and 66 countries to map the company's touring history.
• Study the evolution of repertory titles and their performance frequency over the 31-year time range.
• Investigate venue types and locations to understand the institutional growth from a touring company to a global presence.
• Cross-reference performance dates with repertory titles to identify programming patterns and artistic eras.

Strengths

• Contains 4,143 detailed performance records, providing a substantial basis for historical analysis.
• Data was verified using over 30,000 archival documents and personal materials, ensuring a high degree of accuracy.
• Covers a wide geographic scope of 505 cities and 66 countries, capturing the company's global reach.
• Focuses on a specific 31-year period (1958-1989), offering a coherent longitudinal study of the company.

Limitations

• Excludes performances by related troupes and solo performances not officially billed as AAADT, limiting scope.
• The dataset's structure and specific columns are not detailed in the provided input, requiring user investigation.
• As a historical archive ending in 1989, the data does not cover the company's more recent activities.

Provenance

Source

ICPSR Harvested Dataverse

Collection Method

Compiled and verified from over 30,000 archival documents and personal materials, with consultation from company legacy holders.

Time Range

1958 to 1989

Freshness

null

Geography

505 cities across 66 countries