Arthur Aviles
Encyclopedia
Arthur Aviles is an American
Bessie Award-winning dancer and choreographer of Puerto Rican
descent. Aviles was born in Queens
, New York
, and raised in Long Island
and the Bronx. He graduated from Bard College
, a liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. After graduating from Bard, he became a member of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company
, and toured internationally with the company for eight years 1987 to 1995.
Mr. Aviles began his own company, the Arthur Aviles Typical Theatre (AATT), in 1996 in Paris
, France
, and moved the company to the Bronx that same year. In addition to his work with AATT, Aviles became the company choreographer for the Paris-based theatrical company Faim de Siecle, and has choreographed a series of productions that have been performed in the United States and in France.
In December 1998, he co-founded BAAD! - The Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, a new performance and workshop space in the legendary American Banknote Building, a warehouse in the Hunts Point
section of the Bronx. The New York Times
has said that BAAD! is "a funky and welcoming performance space." In addition to the Bessie Award, Aviles received an Arts and Letters Award from his alma mater in 1995, a BRIO
(Bronx Recognizes Its Own) Award from the Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) in 1999, a PRIDE (Puerto Rican Initiative to Develop Empowerment) Award honoring outstanding contributions and services to the Puerto Rican, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT
) Communities, a 2004 New York Foundation for the Arts
Fellowship, and in 2008 he received an award from NYC Comptroller Bill Thompson and a NYC Mayor's Arts Award. In 2005, AATT was among 406 New York City
arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation, which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg
.
Anna Kisselgoff
of The New York Times wrote, "If you don’t know Mr. Aviles, you haven’t seen one of the great modern dancers of the last 15 years." Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times dance critic, described his work as follows: "Arthur Aviles has developed an individual voice and style that might be compared to bold street theater and poster art, communicating his truths about life as seen as a gay male Puerto Rican through simple narratives that are always colorful and often poignant and amusing."
Since 1991, Aviles has collaborated extensively with his first cousin
, the comedian
and performer Elizabeth Marrero
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Bessie Award-winning dancer and choreographer of Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
descent. Aviles was born in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and raised in Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
and the Bronx. He graduated from Bard College
Bard College
Bard College, founded in 1860 as "St. Stephen's College", is a small four-year liberal arts college located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.-Location:...
, a liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. After graduating from Bard, he became a member of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company
Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company
The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company is an American dance company based out of Harlem in New York City. Founded in 1983 by Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane, the company made its debut performance at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with the world premiere of Intuitive Momentum with lauded drummer...
, and toured internationally with the company for eight years 1987 to 1995.
Mr. Aviles began his own company, the Arthur Aviles Typical Theatre (AATT), in 1996 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and moved the company to the Bronx that same year. In addition to his work with AATT, Aviles became the company choreographer for the Paris-based theatrical company Faim de Siecle, and has choreographed a series of productions that have been performed in the United States and in France.
In December 1998, he co-founded BAAD! - The Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, a new performance and workshop space in the legendary American Banknote Building, a warehouse in the Hunts Point
Hunts Point, Bronx
Hunts Point is a low-income neighborhood located on a peninsula in the South Bronx in New York City. It is the location of one of the largest food distribution facilities in the world. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 2. Its boundaries are the Bruckner Expressway to the west and...
section of the Bronx. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
has said that BAAD! is "a funky and welcoming performance space." In addition to the Bessie Award, Aviles received an Arts and Letters Award from his alma mater in 1995, a BRIO
Bronx Recognizes Its Own Award
The Bronx Recognizes Its Own Award honors Bronx artists in a number of categories. It is given yearly by the Bronx Council on the Arts. Winners must be residents of the Bronx and are expected to do community service for a local arts organization as part of the award...
(Bronx Recognizes Its Own) Award from the Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) in 1999, a PRIDE (Puerto Rican Initiative to Develop Empowerment) Award honoring outstanding contributions and services to the Puerto Rican, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
) Communities, a 2004 New York Foundation for the Arts
New York Foundation for the Arts
The New York Foundation for the Arts was created in conjunction the in 1971. The organization gives grants to individual artists and writers and developing arts organizations with a mission to '.'-NYFA's Programs:...
Fellowship, and in 2008 he received an award from NYC Comptroller Bill Thompson and a NYC Mayor's Arts Award. In 2005, AATT was among 406 New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation, which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
.
Anna Kisselgoff
Anna Kisselgoff
Anna Kisselgoff is a dance critic and cultural news reporter for the New York Times. She began at the Times as a dance critic and cultural news reporter in 1968, and became its Chief Dance Critic in 1977, a role she held until 2005...
of The New York Times wrote, "If you don’t know Mr. Aviles, you haven’t seen one of the great modern dancers of the last 15 years." Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times dance critic, described his work as follows: "Arthur Aviles has developed an individual voice and style that might be compared to bold street theater and poster art, communicating his truths about life as seen as a gay male Puerto Rican through simple narratives that are always colorful and often poignant and amusing."
Since 1991, Aviles has collaborated extensively with his first cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
, the comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and performer Elizabeth Marrero
Elizabeth Marrero
Elizabeth Marrero is a Puerto Rican performance artist, comedian, and drag king who is best known as Macha, the "papi chulo drag king," a character she created in 1999. Her solo and collaborative work is characterized by her open exploration of lesbian and Puerto Rican issues in a working-class or...
.
External links
- http://www.arthuravilestypicaltheatre.org/history.htm Arthur Aviles Theatre Company
- http://www.bronxacademyofartsanddance.org/ BAAD! Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance
Additional Bibliography
- La Fountain-Stokes, Lawrence. "A Naked Puerto Rican Faggot from America: An Interview with Arthur Avilés." CENTRO: Journal of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies 19.1 (Spring 2007): 314-29.
- Rivera-Servera, Ramón. "Latina/o Queer Futurities: Arthur Aviles Takes on the Bronx." Ollantay Theater Magazine 15.29-30 (2007): 127-46.