About Ailey

Ailey All Access. Still, We Dance
Photo by Normand Maxon.
Add to Download Cart

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, recognized by U.S. Congressional resolution as a vital American “Cultural Ambassador to the World,” has performed for over 25 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 Launches First-Ever Virtual Program To Connect With And Inspire Inner-City Youth In Seven Cities Nationwide While Celebrating Love

New York, NY – July 8, 2020 – AileyCamp is proud to continue to provide inner-city youth in seven cities nationwide the opportunity to be themselves and explore their creativity with its first-ever virtual summer program. Founded by Alvin Ailey and Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey in 1989, this innovative full-scholarship day camp for middle school students uses dance as a vehicle for developing self-esteem, self-discipline, creative expression, and critical-thinking skills. Driven by Alvin Ailey’s belief that dance was for everyone, AileyCamp will be held over four weeks virtually this summer in Baltimore, MD; Kansas City, KS; Kansas City, MO; Miami, FL; New York, NY; Newark, NJ and Seattle, WA.

The Ailey Spirit Benefit, Still, We Dance, To Be Presented For The First Time As A Global Broadcast Thursday, June 11 At 7:30pm ET

New York – Updated June 10, 2020 – The Ailey organization continues its mission of using dance to uplift and unite all people with the first-ever Ailey Spirit Benefit global broadcast on Thursday, June 11 at 7:30pm ET featuring the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, rising stars of Ailey II, young dancers from The Ailey School and students from AileyCamp. The Ailey All Access special program will include guest appearances by Angela Bassett, Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom, Jr., Timothy Shriver, Lorraine Toussaint and remarks by Bryan Stevenson, who has been at the forefront of confronting injustice, poverty and discrimination. “Just Mercy,” his bestselling book that was recently adapted into a feature film, tells the powerful true story of his creation of the Equal Justice Initiative, which will receive a designated donation from the evening’s proceeds.

The Ailey Spirit Gala First-Ever Global Broadcast Thursday, June 11 at 7:30pm ET

New York – May 26, 2020 – The Ailey organization is proud to continue its mission of using dance to uplift and unite all people with the first-ever Ailey Spirit Gala global broadcast on Thursday, June 11 at 7:30pm ET featuring the incomparable Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the rising stars of Ailey II, gifted young dancers from The Ailey School and talented students from the AileyCamp, along with special guest appearances.

Featured Press Coverage

VOGUE_AAADT_AileyAllAccess_AileySpiritVirtualGala_Feature_6.12.20

Vogue - Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Hosted Its Spirit Gala Online — And You Can Watch It Through June 18

This spring has seen ballet leap into the digital world... Hosted last night on YouTube, the night raised funds for the Ailey company as well as the Equal Justice Initiative (a non-profit organization providing legal representation to the wrongly convicted and the disadvantaged). The night would bring a world premiere, archival footage of one of Mr. Ailey’s first-ever performances, and an expanded reimagining of Revelations. With cameos and kind words delivered by Ailey fans like Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom, Jr., Timothy Shriver (whose own daughter was student at The Ailey School), Angela Bassett, and more, it was a celebration of the dance company’s rich history and a moment of much-needed togetherness in honor of Black Lives Matter.

WallStreetJournal_AAADT_AileyAllAccess_Revelations_Feature_Print_6.3.20

The Wall Street Journal - 'Revelations' For Trying Times

Since 2013, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has appeared annually at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater. This year is the exception, somewhat. As part of its Ailey All Access series of online presentations, begun March 30 in the wake of the pandemic, the troupe has been working on ways to still offer a June season of a sort. Before the theater shutdown, live performances had been scheduled for June 10 to 14. Instead, starting this Thursday at 8 p.m. EDT, viewers at home will be able to stream a four-part mixed bill, performed on the Koch stage, the was filmed in 2015.

NewYorkTimes_AAADT_JamarRoberts_GuggenheimWorks_Process_Cooped_Feature_6.2.20

The New York Times - A Dance About The State Of Emergency We're In

When Jamar Roberts, the resident choreographer of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, got a call from Works & Process at the Guggenheim Museum inviting him to contribute a video, he had been sheltering for a few weeks in a friend’s basement outside New York, not dancing or feeling at all inspired to dance. Since the museum closed, Works & Process, a long-running performance series, has been commissioning its alumni to make videos no longer than five minutes. Each Sunday and Monday, another installment is posted on YouTube. The playlist now includes more than a dozen, with dozens more on the way.