Peaceful founder of Durham African American dance group dies

Chuck Davis, national African dancer and founder of the African American Dance Ensemble in Durham, died Sunday.

Posted 6:52 p.m. May 14, 2017 — Updated 6:59 p.m. May 14, 2017

DURHAM, N.C. — Chuck Davis, national dancer and founder of the African American Dance Ensemble in Durham, died Sunday morning surrounded by family, friends and loved ones.

Davis founded the African American Dance Ensemble in Durham in 1983, but his legacy of tolerance and respect is recognized worldwide. In his lifetime, Davis visited Africa more than 50 times and traveled to other countries as well, taking his message of peace and through dance and theater.

Davis once said his niche is carrying on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream. “Let us all come together as a people,” he said. “It doesn’t mean we have to be the same, but we can respect each other, and we can learn from each other, which is what it’s all about anyway."

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