1958年，正值美国民权运动时期，来自德克萨斯州的一个黑人小伙在纽约组建了一个多种族的现代舞演出团，堪称石破天惊。舞蹈团的首场演出就在纽约第92街年轻希伯来人协会（92nd Street Young Men's Hebrew Association），也就是今天的第92街男女青年希伯来协会（92nd Street Y）。

    自此以后，这家名为阿尔文•艾利美国舞剧院（Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater）的公司已成为美国艺术界的一支生力军。2008年，美国国会（Congress）称其为“走向世界的文化大使”。

    因此，2011年7月接掌阿尔文•艾利美国舞剧院艺术总监一职的罗伯特•巴托无疑倍感压力。近日在接受《财富》杂志（Fortune）采访时，巴托讲述了他让一家现代舞公司持续保持先锋地位的种种挑战和收获。

《财富》: 你最初是怎么进入舞蹈这一行的？

    罗伯特•巴托：我生下来时完完全全就是罗圈腿。我一直说，我能取得这样的舞蹈成就真是个巨大的反讽。5岁左右时，我安装了矫正支架才把腿矫直了。

    大概就是在那个时候，我随全家搬到了迈阿密，与我的表姐们生活在一起。我舅公和舅姥抚养了我，而我的舅姥后来中风了。我的一位表姐，如今我依然管她叫妈妈，极其热爱艺术。我开始模仿她坐在钢琴前演奏，他们意识到我有音乐细胞。

    你知道，有些小孩在14岁前一直能唱很高的音。我小时候就这样。直到迈克尔•杰克逊的时代来临，我才开始变声。上世纪80年代，所有人都在模仿迈克尔•杰克逊，这也让我对跳舞产生了更加浓厚的兴趣。

    我在中学时参加了舞蹈选拔，最后成功入选。我热爱舞蹈。舞蹈让我如鱼得水。

你第一次接触阿尔文•艾利美国舞剧院的经历是怎样的？

    阿尔文•艾利的舞剧《启示录》（Revelations）到迈阿密演出时，我去看了。我太喜欢这个作品了。它就像是小孩子想往的圣诞节，你明白我的意思吗？一切都是那么令人目瞪口呆，难以置信。它让我更加热爱舞蹈，也开始更认真地对待舞蹈。

你认为阿尔文•艾利美国舞蹈团无以伦比的地方是什么？

    艾利先生1958年创立公司时正值美国民权运动时期。这个年轻的黑人小伙虽明知成功机会渺茫，但依然挺身而出，因为他觉得必须为自己的同胞和自己种族的文化发出声音。当时，在这个国家，黑人和黑人的文化并不总是能得到尊重。那时，环境有时候很恶劣。我们（黑人）不能参加某些芭蕾课程的学习，有时又不能入住某些酒店。有时舞蹈团巡演时，在首次入住的酒店还需要与人交涉，才能获得平等入住权。就是在这样的环境里，艾利先生却发出了这么积极的信号。

    想想当年艾利先生的破釜沉舟，再看看今天的舞蹈团：我们现在有了这么好的舞蹈中心，我们舞蹈团被美国国会授予了“走向世界的文化大使”的荣誉，而这一切都源于这位黑人小伙的梦想。一切令人难以置信。

    In 1958, in the midst of the civil rights movement, a young African American man originally from Texas formed a multi-racial modern dance troupe, a daring move. The group first performed in New York City at what was then called the 92nd Street Young Men's Hebrew Association (now the 92nd Street Y).

    That company, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, has since become a major force in American arts. In 2008, Congress named it a "cultural ambassador to the world."

    So the pressure is on Robert Battle, who took the helm as artistic director of the company in July 2011. He speaks with Fortune about the challenges and the payoff of keeping a modern dance company modern.

Fortune: How did you first get into dance?

    Robert Battle: I was born, completely bow-legged. I always say that because of the irony of being in dance in such a big way. When I was about five years old, I got braces and straightened my legs out.

    About that time, I moved with my family to Miami to live with my cousins because my great aunt and uncle raised me and my great aunt had a stroke. My cousin, who's still the one I call mother, was into the arts. I started imitating her on the piano, and they realized I had an ear for music.

    You know those kids with a high voice until they are 14? I was that child. My voice changed around Michael Jackson time -- everybody was imitating Michael Jackson in the 80s, and that got me more interested in dance.

    I auditioned for dance in my high school and I got in. I loved it. Dance was the one discipline where I felt comfortable.

What was you first experience with the Alvin Ailey dance company?

    I saw Alvin Ailey's Revelations when it came to Miami. I just fell in love with that work. It was like, Christmas for a young person, do you know what I mean? When your eyes are wide open and everything was unbelievable. That got me more into dance, more serious about it.

What would you say makes the Alvin Ailey company unique?

    When Mr. Ailey started the company in 1958, during the time of the civil rights movement, he was this young African American stepping out on a wing and a prayer because he felt he had something to say about his people and about his culture in a country that didn't always value either of those things. He created such a positive message out of a sometimes very negative environment where we weren't allowed to take certain ballet classes over here, or be in the same hotel over there. Sometimes when the company traveled, they were integrating the hotels where they stayed for the first time.

    You think about Mr. Ailey stepping out on that precipice and you look at the company now: we're sitting in this wonderful center for dance and we've been named by Congress as cultural ambassadors to the world, all because of the vision of this young black man. It's incredible.