Celebrating Ulysses Dove

In honor of Black History Month, PNB is highlighting Ulysses Dove (1947 – 1996), a trailblazing Black dancer and choreographer whose work is beloved by PNB audiences and artists alike.

UlyssesDove_portrait cr Kolnik, Paul_web

Ulysses Dove, photo © Paul Kolnik.

Biography

Ulysses Dove was born in Columbia, South Carolina. His mother was a teacher to blind students, and his father was a pastor and the owner of an upholstery business. As a child, Dove had little support for his dancing. He shared, ‘I have no idea why I wanted to dance; I just knew it was what I was going to do. I had nothing but parental disapproval.”

Due to this disapproval, Dove studied premed at Howard University. However, he couldn’t stay away from dance and later transferred to Bennington College, where he graduated with a degree in dance. Soon, Dove was performing with esteemed choreographers José Limon, Anna Sokolow, Mary Anthony, and Pearl Lang. In 1970, Dove joined Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Three years later, Alvin Ailey invited Dove to join his company after watching him perform in Anna Sokolow’s Rooms. Now, Dove is known as the only performer to dance with both companies.

Alvin Ailey encouraged Dove to choreograph, and he created the solo Inside for Judith Jamison in 1980. Also in 1980, Dove became the assistant director of Paris Opera’s Choreographic Research Group. He choreographed for many renowned dance companies, including ABT, NYCB, Dallas Contemporary Dance, Ballet France de Nancy, the Basel Ballet, the Cullberg Ballet of Sweden, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, and the Swedish National Ballet. In many instances, he was the first Black man to choreograph for these companies.

In both his dancing and choreography, Dove refused to be categorized. He wasn’t a modern dancer or a ballet dancer. Rather, he said, “I’m interested in pure movement that expresses pure emotion.” For instance, he created dances (such as Episodes) in bare feet and later restaged them to be performed in pointe shoes.

Still, certain themes emerge in Dove’s work. There is a simplicity, a clarity of line, and intensity to his choreography. Dove was demanding: Dwight Rhoden, Artistic Director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, remembers him saying, “make it legible” in rehearsal. Dove himself said, “If I weren’t so particular about what I do, I could be working all the time. But I don’t want to be the blue-plate special of the month. I don’t want every company in the world to have a Ulysses Dove ballet. Besides, I’m not easy to work with, because I want a lot.”

While Dove passed away at the age of 49 from AIDS, his creative voice lives on through his choreography. His brother, Alfred Dove, says, “He had a lot to say, but he said it on stage through dance. That was all cut short because of his illness, but I don’t think he was bitter about it. He focused on getting things done and worked up until the time he died.” In Dove’s work, we see dancers living life to the fullest extremes, full of vitality, a reminder to live fully in fleeting moments.

Ulysses Dove, photos © Paul Kolnik and Gilles Reichert.

PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal and Principal dancer Lucien Postlewaite reflect on Ulysses Dove’s life, legacy, and personal impact:

Peter Boal: “I was deeply honored to share the studio with Ulysses for two creations, Red Angels and Twilight. He was so wonderfully invested in the process. Sometimes he asked for the impossible and reveled in the attempt, failure and occasional mastery. He loved technique, extension, balance, …pirouettes!

Rehearsals were often one on one, or just Ulysses with Wendy and me. They were surprisingly intimate as we collectively uncovered choreography and concept. Ulysses was his own best audience – unable to sit still in his seat as he watched us. He often made sounds of delight and occasionally shrieked with joy. How he could laugh. Upon reflection, I believe he held these precious moments close to his heart knowing they would not last.”

Peter Boal gives notes to Lucien Postlewaite and PNB Company dancers. Lucien Postlewaite in Ulysses Dove’s Red Angels. Photos © Angela Sterling.

Lucien Postlewaite: “Ulysses’ work asks us to reach beyond the self, towards something just out of reach; toward a departed love one, our dreams, our higher self. Through this aspiration and in taking the leap, breath hangs suspended and spirit is revealed.

Whether it’s the fiery spirit of Red Angels, the other worldly embodiment for Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven, or the carnal thrust of Serious Pleasures, each of Ulysses’ unique works call us to explore something deeper in our humanity. I am humbled and grateful for the many chances I’ve had to explore myself through his impactful work.”