Mel Alexander Tomlinson was born on Jan. 3, 1954, in Raleigh, N.C., to Tommy and Marjorieline (Henry) Tomlinson.
His mother was a homemaker; his father worked for Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and as a delivery man for a jeweler.

While most children had bicycles, Mel rode a unicycle. It was a Christmas gift his father had saved up for when Mel was 9.

One of six siblings, Mel had no formal training in acrobatics or gymnastics but was the sports mascot of his high school. A local ballet teacher saw one of his halftime performances and offered him free classes.

Claudia Folts, a friend collaborated with Mr. Tomlinson on his 2018 memoir, “Beyond My Dreams”.
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He continued his training at North Carolina School of the Arts (now the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where the Mel Tomlinson Scholarship for dancers was recently established). He was spotted by the choreographer Agnes de Mille, who hired him for her Heritage Dance Theater.

Tall, flexible and long-legged, Mr. Tomlinson was well known for his performance as the Snake in Mr. Mitchell’s “Manifestations” (1975), a ballet about Adam and Eve. Karen Brown, a former member of Dance Theater and a friend, said Mr. Tomlinson had bought a snake for inspiration.
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He danced with Agnes de Mille Dance Theatre
Dance Theatre of Harlem
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
New York City Ballet
North Carolina Dance Theatre
Boston Ballet
He died on Feb. 5 in Huntersville, N.C. He was 65 years old.
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Top photograph: Dance Magazine dot com

Bottom photograph: Courtesy of The Academy at Terpsicorps

Narrative source: NYT Obituary, Wikipedia
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Mel Alexander Tomlinson (January 3, 1954 – February 5, 2019) was an American dancer and choreographer. At the time of his debut with the New York City Ballet in 1981, he was the only African-American dancer in the company.
Ballet choreographer Agnes de Mille referred to Tomlinson as "the most exciting black dancer in America."
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Throughout his ballet career, he danced with New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Agnes de Mille Dance Theatre, North Carolina Dance Theatre, and Boston Ballet.

In his later life, Tomlinson received a degree from Carolina University of Theology and was ordained as a Baptist minister.

Early life
Tomlinson was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, and grew up in the Chavis Heights public housing neighborhood in Southeast Raleigh. He began dancing while a student at Fred J. Carnage Junior High School, taking lessons from Betty Kovach.
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In the 1960s he attended the segregated John W. Ligon Senior High School, where he studied dance and gymnastics.
He went on to earn a B.F.A. in dance at the North Carolina School of the Arts.

Career
Tomlinson began his professional dance career as a principal dancer with Agnes de Mille Heritage Dance Theater, which was founded at the North Carolina School of the Arts.
In 1974 Tomlinson moved to New York City to join Dance Theatre of Harlem, choosing the company after also receiving invitations from Joffrey Ballet and Boston Ballet.

He was promoted to soloist with Dance Theatre of Harlem, performing in Manifestations, Swan Lake, and Scheherazade. He later took leave from Dance Theatre of Harlem to join Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; dancing in Pas de Duke and The Time Before the Time After.
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Tomlinson joined the New York City Ballet in 1981; at the time the only African-American dancer at the company.

He made his debut at New York City Ballet on November 27, 1981, in George Balanchine's Agon, dancing with Heather Watts.

In 1983, Tomlinson received the first annual North Carolina Prize for outstanding work in the visual or performing arts.

In 1987 Tomlinson retired from New York City Ballet, having reached the rank of soloist, and moved back to North Carolina to join the faculty at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
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He came out of retirement to dance as a principal dancer for the North Carolina Dance Theatre under the direction of Salvatore Aiello.

In 1991 he left North Carolina Dance Theatre and joined Boston Ballet as a principal dancer and master teacher in the CITYDANCE program, dancing with the company until 1994.

Tomlinson also taught at Boston Conservatory of Music, Harvard University, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the School at Greensboro Ballet, and Charlotte Ballet.
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Personal life
Tomlinson was openly gay. He was diagnosed with HIV in the 1990s and developed AIDS.

On December 8, 1998, Tomlinson was admitted into the House of Mercy, a ministry of the Catholic Sisters of Mercy in Belmont, North Carolina that assists people in the final stages of AIDS. Shirley Stowe, director of nursing at the House of Mercy, expected Tomlinson to die within six months after being admitted.

He made a slow recovery and was eventually released from the house on September 10, 2000.
-Wikipedia
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Here is a link to his NYT Obituary:
https://www.nytimes.com/.../obi.../mel-a-tomlinson-dead.html
Tomlinson received a Ph.D. from Carolina University of Theology and was ordained as a Baptist minister.

Tomlinson later lived in Charlotte, North Carolina,[8] and was a dance teacher and director of The Hallelujah Dance Corps at St. Paul Baptist Church.
He died on February 5, 2019, at the age of 65