Was Lady Gaga paying tribute to Alvin Ailey at the 2011 Grammys?

When Lady Gaga performed her new single Born this Way, at the 2011 Grammys I thought her costume seemed rather simple in comparison to mystic pod she climbed out of. Most of all...I didn't understand the hat. Why the yellow hat?



As she continued to perform with her fellow dancers it started to click. And after the clicks came the questions. Could it be?



Was she paying tribute to Alvin Ailey?



There she stood with her famous monster claw in the air. But it certainly was reminiscent of the upward palm of the performers in Alvin Ailey's most famous dance piece, Revelations.



To my knowledge the Gaga herself has not admitted to the Ailey reference but it seems to be there. For those of you who are wondering what the hell I'm talking about, Ailey was a modern dance choreographer who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York.

Revelations was Ailey's signature piece and my personal favorite. It spoke to the hardship of slavery and the freedom of the human spirit.

If you missed the Lady Gaga performance here it is..