My Alvin Ailey Dancer Sketches

Currently starting work on the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater 2012 Apparel Collection, in collaboration with the Araca Group. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is a world renown dance company. The Alvin Ailey performing arts community plays a crucial social role using the beauty and humanity of the African American heritage and other cultures to unite people of all races, ages and backgrounds. A U.S. Congressional resolution designated Alvin Ailey as “a vital American cultural ambassador to the world,” one that celebrates the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance heritage.

They wanted this year’s collection to have a couple of hand-drawn visuals. Here are some hand sketches I drew to get the designs going. They are based on the Alvin Ailey’s latest photo shoot.