About Ailey

AAADT in Alvin Ailey's Revelations
Please Credit Photo: AAADT in Alvin Ailey's Revelations. Photo by Paul Kolnik
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Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, recognized by U.S. Congressional resolution as a vital American “Cultural Ambassador to the World,” has performed for over 23 million people in 48 states and in 71 countries on 6 continents, celebrating the African-American cultural experience and the American modern dance tradition. Ailey’s permanent home is The Joan Weill Center for Dance, the largest building dedicated to dance in New York City,  the dance capital of the world.

The Ailey Organization includes: Ailey II (a second performing company of young dancers and emerging choreographers), The Ailey School (one of the world's most extensive dance training programs), Ailey Arts in Education & Community Programs (which bring dance into classrooms and communities), and Ailey Extension (offering dance and fitness classes to the public). 

Featured News Releases

AileyCamp Keeps Inner-City Youth Dancing And Discovering This Summer In 10 Cities Nationwide

Now in its 28th year, AileyCamp is now underway this summer in 10 cities nationwide - inspiring students in challenging situations to discover their underlying potential, as well as the paths to set and achieve positive goals. Founded in 1989 by Alvin Ailey, the full-scholarship day camp uses the art of dance as a means to stretch the mind, body and spirit of more than 1,000 underserved students ages 11 to 14.

Ailey Extension Hosts Summer Workshops For Kids & Teens

Ailey Extension opens its doors this summer to kids and teens, offering three immersive, multi-day training workshops taught by New York City’s top choreographers and master teachers. Ailey Experience NYC Jr., Ailey Experience NYC, and Fabrice Herrault’s Ballet Summer Intensive allow young dancers to learn technique, musicality, and artistry.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s 2017 International Tour Brings Uplifting Artistry To Paris, Basel, Copenhagen & Five German Cities July 4 – September 10

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, recognized by U.S. Congress as “a vital American cultural ambassador to the world,” returns to Paris, Basel, five German cities, and Copenhagen to perform 15 ballets from July 4 – September 10. The Paris engagement (July 4 – 22) kicks off the tour, and marks the debut dance performance at La Seine Musicale, a new state of the art concert hall on an island in the Seine River, which opened in April 2017.

Featured Press Coverage

TF1 - Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

There is still time to vibrate with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater troupe on our big scene in the cadre of dance! The first one packed up yesterday with a standing ovation of more than 10 minutes.

Financial Times - Alvin Ailey Brings Its Perfectly Calibrated Dance To Paris

Paris isn’t lacking for new music venues. After the Philharmonie, another major construction project was completed in April: La Seine Musicale, in the south-western suburb of Boulogne. Designed by Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastines, it occupies a third of the tiny Seguin Island on the Seine, hugging its shoreline; the flagship auditorium sits on one end like an oversized Fabergé egg, with rotating solar panels curving over it.