Ulysses Dove (January 17, 1947 in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-largest ...

– June 11, 1996 in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

) was a choreographer. Dove began his dance training at Boggs Academy in Georgia. Dove gave up his premedical studies at

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

to transfer to the University of Wisconsin and study dance with Xenia Chilistwa of the

Kirov Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet (russian: Балет Мариинского театра) is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russ ...

. He then transferred to

Bennington College Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont. Founded in 1932 as a women's college, it became co-educational in 1969. It claims to be the first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in ...

where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in dance in 1970. He then moved to New York City and was offered a scholarship to

Merce Cunningham Mercier Philip "Merce" Cunningham (April 16, 1919 – July 26, 2009) was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of American modern dance for more than 50 years. He frequently collaborated with artists of other discipl ...

School as well as a position in the company. While in New York he performed for

Mary Anthony Mary Anthony (11 November 1916, in Newport, Kentucky – 31 May 2014, in Manhattan) was an American choreographer, modern dancer, and dance teacher. Both her work as a dancer and choreographer were highly influenced by Martha Graham and Hanya Holm ...

, Pearl Lang, and

Anna Sokolow Anna Sokolow (February 9, 1910, Hartford, Connecticut – March 29, 2000, Manhattan, New York City) was an American dancer and choreographer known for the social justice focus and theatricality of her work, and for her support of the developm ...

Alvin Ailey Alvin Ailey Jr. (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989) was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Alvin Ailey American Dance Center ...

asked Dove to join his company in 1973 after seeing Dove perform in Sokolow's Rooms. Dove soon became Alvin Ailey's principal dancer and became renowned for his ability to command the stage with a powerful and dramatic clarity. His choreographic debut came in 1979 with the piece "I see the moon…. and the moon sees me." He then left Alvin Ailey the following year and became the assistant director at the Groupe de Recherche Choreographique de l'Opéra de Paris from 1980 to 1983. Dove then became a freelance choreographer, working for companies such as the

Dutch National Ballet The Dutch National Ballet (Dutch: Het Nationale Ballet) is the official and largest ballet company in the Netherlands. History The Dutch National Ballet was formed in 1961 when the Amsterdam Ballet and the Nederlands Ballet merged. The company h ...

, the Basel Ballet, American Ballet Theatre,

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...

, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) and the

London Festival Ballet English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin as London Festival Ballet and based in London, England. Along with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scottis ...

. Dove's choreography is famous for its speed, force and eroticism.DeFrantz, Thomas F
Ulysses Dove, biographical essay
PBS. Some of his more famous works are ''Night Shade'' (1982), ''Bad Blood'' (1984), ''Vespers'' (1986) originally set on DCDC, and ''Episodes'' (1987). ''Red Angels'' (1994) was created for and premiered at New York City Ballet. ''Twilight'', which was performed on May 23, 1994, with ''Red Angels'', was Dove's final creation. Dove died on June 11, 1996, at the age of 49, at St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan of an AIDS-related illness.

References

External links

Archive film of Ulysses Dove's Episodes (Living in the Present Moment)performed in 2000 at Jacob's PillowArchive film of Ulysses Dove's Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven performed in 1997 at Jacob's Pillow
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dove, Ulysses 1947 births 1996 deaths American male dancers American choreographers Howard University alumni People from Columbia, South Carolina AIDS-related deaths in New York (state) New York City Ballet Diamond Project choreographers University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Primetime Emmy Award winners Bennington College alumni