Dance revolutionary Alvin Ailey strove for inclusion and accessibility in the arts. He is credited with setting the foundation for modern Black dance, work he championed through his multi-racial dance troupe, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He founded his troupe in 1958 and became so popular that the U.S. State Department sponsored his tour in the 1960s. He was also among the first to bring attention about apartheid in South Africa when he choreographed Masakela Language, debuting in 1969. Today, more 30 years after his death, the company continues to celebrate Ailey’s vision of maintaining Black expression through movement.