Vanoye William Aikens (27 November 1922 – 24 August 2013), also known as Van Aikens, was an American

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

r and

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. He was known for his work with fellow dancer

Katherine Dunham Katherine Mary Dunham (June 22, 1909 – May 21, 2006) was an African American dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and social activist. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers of the 20th century and directed her own dance compan ...

, with whom he danced internationally on stage and screen.

Biography

Aikens was born in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

on 27 November 1922. He attended

Morehouse College Morehouse College is a Private college, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, Men's colleges in the United States, men's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia, ...

but was unable to complete his degree due to financial issues. He went on to serve in the U.S. Navy. Afterwards, he traveled to New York City, where

Katherine Dunham Company The Katherine Dunham Company, a troupe of dancers, singers, actors and musicians, was the first African-American modern dance company. History Founded in Chicago, it grew out of Ballet Nègre, a student troupe founded in 1930 by Katherine Dunha ...

dancer Lenwood Morris encouraged him to audition for the dance troupe. He joined the troupe as a student in 1943. He went on to perform on Broadway with the company through the 1940s and 1950s, as well as tour through United States, Europe and South America until the troupe disbanded in 1963. After the dance group was disbanded, Aikens briefly worked in film as an actor, singer, and dancer. He then taught dance as a lecturer at the Danshögskolan in Sweden, as well as in Germany and Spain until the mid-1980s. Later, he returned to the United States, where he worked with Katherine Dunham and the

Alvin Ailey Dance Company Founded in 1958, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) is the largest modern dance company in the United States.Dance Data Project (October 2024) 2024 Largest Contemporary and Modern Companies Report Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater ...

in Los Angeles. Aikens died in Los Angeles on August 24, 2013. He is buried in

Jonesboro, Georgia Jonesboro () is a city in and the county seat of Clayton County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,235 in 2020. The city's name was originally spelled Jonesborough. During the American Civil War, the final skirmish in the Atlanta ...

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aikens, Vanoye 1922 births 2013 deaths 20th-century American dancers American male dancers Dancers from Georgia (U.S. state)