SHORT TAKES : Ailey Memorialized at Rites

Famed dancer-choreographer Alvin Ailey was remembered for his innovations and artistic passion as a modern dance pioneer during a funeral ceremony in Artesia, attended by more than 100 friends and relatives.

“Alvin’s vision was painted on the vast canvas of the world. The colors he chose were vibrant. He painted broad encompassing strokes for all to see,” Alan Gray, a friend and associate of the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey, said at the Tuesday night ceremony.

Ailey died at 58 on Dec. 1 of a blood disorder. Associates have reported he had been treated for complications related to acquired immune deficiency syndrome during the past year.

The open-casket funeral at the First Baptist Church of Artesia followed a memorial service in New York City on Friday attended by 5,000 people. Ailey was scheduled for burial this morning at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier.