Press Coverage

February 20, 2020

Atlanta Journal Constitution - Alvin Ailey 'Revelations' Comes To Fox

For 21 years former Alvin Ailey principal dancer Nasha Thomas has traveled to Atlanta with a singular mission. In an age when many public schools have gutted or cut back on their arts programs, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Thomas - in a long and important collaboration with the city - haven shown the value of art in individual lives. The founder of the renowned New York City-based Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey, who died in 1989, was an advocate for the importance of arts education and believed that bringing the arts to underprivileged communities and to public schools was vital.

April 24, 2019

The Baltimore Sun - Ravens Defensive Tackle And Alvin Ailey Dancer Swap Moves To Launch New School Program

Few fans of football and modern dance will ever get to see the two worlds collide on stage. Tuesday afternoon at Henderson-Hopkins Partnership School, about 55 students from Henderson-Hopkins Partnership School and Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women witnessed just that as Ravens defensive tackle Brandon Williams cut the rug with Courtney Celeste Spears, a Baltimore native and a dancer with the acclaimed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

March 27, 2018

WBUR - So You Think You Can't Dance? The Alvin Ailey Company Has Other Ideas

In my head, I am a lovely dancer: graceful, elegant, deeply attuned to the music. My feet, however, tend to disagree. I was reminded of this tragic reality during a recent workshop with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The company is back in town celebrating the 50th anniversary of its first performance in Boston, and a key part of that celebration was to offer two community workshops last month. The opportunity was irresistible: Join scores of other people, some trained dancers and some not, to learn some of the movements from the Ailey company’s most famous piece, “Revelations.”

February 18, 2016

Miami Herald - Fifth-Graders Take Cues From Alvin Ailey Dancers

Dr. Contessa S. Bryant, principal of Lenora B. Smith Elementary, has always believed in the importance of integrating art into the education of her students. Throughout the school year, students are taken to see theater performances and musical presentations, but last week, it was their turn to make the moves and dance.

June 16, 2014

The Wall Street Journal - Video: So You Think You Can Dance Ailey's 'Revelations'?

Alvin Ailey's 1960 modern dance masterpiece "Revelations" has been performed in 71 countries, and it reliably brings audiences to their feet, even dancing in the aisles. The combination of modern dance and spirituals creates a sense of uplift so infectious that most people leave the theater either singing the music or trying to dance the steps. Last week, they got a chance to learn those steps for real.

October 10, 2013

All Alabama - Alvin Ailey Education Staff Teaching Students About Dance, Discipline And The World Around Them

Nasha Thomas-Schmitt, a former Alvin Ailey company member and now Ailey Arts In Education Master Teacher, was in residence Thursday at William J. Christian K-8 School to lead about 50 area middle school students in "Revelations: An Interdisciplinary Approach."

March 03, 2013

South Bend Tribune - Alvin Ailey Outreach Teaches Dance To Local Students

It's a moving experience when Nasha Thomas-Schmitt brings the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's program to schools. Thomas-Schmitt, a dancer now in charge of the company's outreach program, put students in the South Bend Community School Corporation's arts magnets and others through their paces last week.

February 14, 2013

The Miami Herald - Alvin Ailey Dance Workshop

Students from Charles Drew Middle School, in Liberty City, participated in a workshop held by Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, WEdnesday, February 13, 2013. The Ailey troupe is building stronger connections to Miami because their artistic director Robert Battle has roots here.

February 25, 2012

NPR - A Homecoming For Alvin Ailey's Artistic Director

The renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is currently on a national tour, and the company has brought Robert Battle, its new artistic director, back to where he started - a public school in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Miami.

February 09, 2012

The Miami Herald - Teens Take Journey Through Dance

As a 14-year-old Miami Northwestern student, Robert Battle piled onto a school bus and headed to the Jackie Gleason Theater, where for the first time, he saw dancers perform live "Revelations," a majestic journey through African-American spirituals and soulful blues.

Revelations Residencies