Título: Maya Angelou
Seção: Adulthood and early career: 1951-61
Background: Maya Angelou ( ( listen); born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 - May 28, 2014) was an American poet, singer, memoirist, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and was credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences.

Conteúdo: In 1951, Angelou married Greek electrician, former sailor, and aspiring musician Tosh Angelos, despite the condemnation of interracial relationships at the time and the disapproval of her mother. She took modern dance classes during this time, and met dancers and choreographers Alvin Ailey and Ruth Beckford. Angelou and Ailey formed a dance team, calling themselves "Al and Rita", and performed modern dance at fraternal black organizations throughout San Francisco, but never became successful. Angelou, her new husband, and her son moved to New York City so she could study African dance with Trinidadian dancer Pearl Primus, but they returned to San Francisco a year later.  After Angelou's marriage ended in 1954, she danced professionally in clubs around San Francisco, including the nightclub the Purple Onion, where she sang and danced to calypso music. Up to that point she went by the name of "Marguerite Johnson", or "Rita", but at the strong suggestion of her managers and supporters at the Purple Onion she changed her professional name to "Maya Angelou" (her nickname and former married surname), a "distinctive name" that set her apart and captured the feel of her calypso dance performances. During 1954 and 1955, Angelou toured Europe with a production of the opera Porgy and Bess. She began her practice of learning the language of every country she visited, and in a few years she gained proficiency in several languages. In 1957, riding on the popularity of calypso, Angelou reco

user: Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?

assistant: In 1951, Angelou married Greek electrician, former sailor, and aspiring musician Tosh Angelos,

user: How was their marriage?

assistant: Angelou's marriage ended in 1954,

user: When did her writing career start?

assistant: Angelou met novelist John Oliver Killens in 1959 and, at his urging, moved to New York to concentrate on her writing career.

user: What was her first work in New York?

assistant: She joined the Harlem Writers

user: What other members of the Harlem Writers were there?

assistant: John Henrik Clarke, Rosa Guy, Paule Marshall, and Julian Mayfield,

user: What works from that period is she known for?

assistant: CANNOTANSWER

user: Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?

assistant: She took modern dance classes during this time, and met dancers and choreographers Alvin Ailey and Ruth Beckford.

user: What other interests did she develop while in New York?

assistant: after meeting civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and hearing him speak, she and Killens organized "the legendary" Cabaret for Freedom

user: What was the Cabaret for Freedom?

assistant: to benefit the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (

user: Did she participate in the Civil Rights movement?

assistant: her contributions to civil rights as a fundraiser and SCLC organizer were successful and "eminently effective".