Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Founded in 1958, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is recognized by U.S. Congressional resolution as a vital American “Cultural Ambassador to the World.”  Ailey’s artists have performed for an estimated 25 million people in 71 countries on 6 continents.   Led by Robert Battle, Ailey’s performances celebrate the human spirit through the African-American cultural experience and the American modern dance tradition.

Featured News Releases

Portrait Of Ailey, A New Eight-Part Documentary Series Available For Free On PBS LearningMedia

NEW YORK – February 29, 2024 – The compelling story of the life, work, and legacy of dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey, founder of the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, is the subject of Portrait of Ailey, a new eight-part documentary series premiering in February 2024, during Black History Month, and rolling out through September on PBS LearningMedia, a free website with thousands of classroom-ready resources for preK-12 teachers. The series was created by Sylvia Waters, director emerita of the Ailey II company, with archivist Dominique Singer and adapted for use on PBS LearningMedia by The WNET Group’s Kids’ Media & Education team. Portrait of Ailey uses rare historical film and still images as well as contemporary footage to create a sweeping narrative of Mr. Ailey as a performer, choreographer, celebrity, teacher, social activist, arts advocate, and creator of an enduring institution that is currently celebrating its 65th anniversary.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater 2024 United States Tour Brings Celebratory 65th Anniversary Season To 21 Cities, January 25 - May 12 With Exciting New Works And Alvin Ailey's Timeless Revelations

NEW YORK – January 24, 2024 — After an acclaimed 65th Anniversary season launch in New York City, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – beloved as one of the world’s most popular dance companies – will continue to grace stages during a 21-city United States tour starting January 25 in Atlanta and continues coast-to-coast to cities like Washington, D.C., Miami, Boston, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles, before culminating with a Mother’s Day performance in Newark on May 12. The passionate spirit and extraordinary technique of Ailey’s dancers will be showcased in a diverse repertory of new works, repertory favorites, and Ailey classics.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Returns to Atlanta's Fox Theatre January 25-27, 2024 With Four Show-Stopping Performances

ATLANTA – December 15, 2023 – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, beloved as one of the world’s most popular dance companies, announces a return to the Fox Theatre, January 25-27 as part of its 65th Anniversary United States tour. The 2024 Atlanta engagement will showcase the unparalleled artistry and technique of Ailey’s extraordinary dancers in four show-stopping performances featuring dazzling premieres, new productions, and repertory favorites sure to thrill returning fans and first-timers alike. Amy Hall Garner debuts her first work for the Company as an Ailey Artist in Residence with CENTURY, inspired by her grandfather's 100th birthday, and Kyle Abraham's returning hit Are You in Your Feelings?, which celebrates Black culture and music. The timeless finale of all programs is Alvin Ailey's must-see masterpiece, Revelations, which has captivated audiences globally since 1960.

Featured Press Coverage

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Thirteen - Connecting Dancer Alvin Ailey’s Life Story With Classrooms

Acclaimed choreographer Alvin Ailey infused his life story and Black cultural roots into his modern dance works, which have been enjoyed by millions since he first founded Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1958 in New York City. Early dances such as Revelations remain favorites in the company repertory today, but many people don’t know the background of the artist, who died in 1989.

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Houston CityBook - In Homecoming Show, Isabel Wallace-Green Dances Her Way Back to Jones Hall with Alvin Ailey Company

Houston-born dancer and arts educator Isabel Wallace-Green vividly recalls seeing a performance of Alvin Ailey’s landmark 1960 dance work Revelations as a child, peering over a high balcony in Jones Hall. “The dancers were pretty small!” laughs Wallace-Green, who nevertheless was captivated, especially by a section in Revelations titled “Wade in the Water,” where translucent white, cobalt, and aquamarine cloths are stretched across the stage to evoke baptismal waters and — for African American slaves — the riverbed as a pathway to freedom. “I’d never seen anything like that.”

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The Leader - Heights Dancer Returns To Houston With The Acclaimed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

This March, audiences in Houston will have the opportunity to experience a historic dance company and a historic work of art. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater was founded by its namesake, dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey, in 1958. Soon after, drawing upon music from gospel, spirituals, and blues, he started creating a work that evoked childhood images of his family and of attending church in Rogers, Texas, which he called “blood memories.” The result was his iconic work, Revelations, that premiered in New York in 1960. In over six decades, the work has been performed all over the world. In 1968, it was part of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies and has been presented numerous times at the White House.