Contribution:
A pioneering dancer, choreographer and teacher whose anthropological work wove the culture of Africans, African Americans and the people of the Caribbean into her performances with Alvin Ailey, with her own company, and in Broadway productions. Her major works include "Rock Daniel" (1943), "African Ceremonial" (1944), "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" (1944), "Strange Fruit" (1945), "Hard Time Blues" (1945), "Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore" (1979).