If you created a word cloud around Alvin Ailey, items sure to pop up would be “dance theater,” “Judith Jamison,” “Revelations,” “Duke Ellington,” “Scripps Award” and any number of superlatives that trailed the famed choreographer and dancer since the late 1950s to his death from AIDS-related complications on December 1, 1989, and beyond. Joining the Ailey stratosphere this year is “Fight HIV Your Way,” a contest that will give individuals a chance to express how they meet the challenges of living with HIV/AIDS. Thanks to a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Bristol-Myers Squibb and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, dance will become part of this edition of the HIV-themed contest, which is now in its third year.

In an effort to raise awareness about the pandemic among the general public and inspire those impacted by HIV/AIDS to continue their fight, the 2011 REYATAZ (atazanavir sulfate) “Fight HIV Your Way” contest seeks essay-plus-photos by those impacted by HIV/AIDS. The visual and verbal expressions of the fight against HIV will be evaluated by an expert panel of judges and ten first-place winning entries will become the inspiration for a new dance by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, created by a renowned choreographer selected by the dance theater’s artistic director designate Robert Battle. The work will then world-premiere during Ailey’s New York City Center season in December 2011 and delight audiences across the country as part of a 2012 national tour.

Calls for entries started on December 1, 2010. Entries will be accepted until February 28, 2011. The winners will be announced in July 2011.

For more information about the contest, including official rules, guidelines, and entry forms, visit www.fightHIVyourway.com. For more information about Alvin Ailey and the dance legacy he founded, log on to www.alvinailey.org.
—Chael Needle

Chael Needle is Managing Editor of A&U.

January 2011