Bennett Rink became Executive Director of Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation in January 2013. Prior to that time, Mr. Rink served the Ailey organization in a number of roles. He first joined Ailey as Manager of Special Events in 1994, became Development Director in 1998 and then worked as Senior Director of Development and External Affairs from 2007 to 2012. In his tenure overseeing Ailey’s development and fundraising efforts, Mr. Rink led a $75 million capital campaign that supported the construction of Ailey’s first permanent home, The Joan Weill Center for Dance which opened in 2005, and established an endowment to support major program areas. When the Company celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008, Mr. Rink supervised an 18-month celebration, including events, promotions, collaborations and special performances, bringing public awareness of the Ailey organization to new heights. In conjunction with the anniversary, Mr. Rink also oversaw “The Next Step Campaign,” which grew the organization’s endowment to $50 million.
As Executive Director, Mr. Rink launched a five-year strategic plan in 2014 to realize Artistic Director Robert Battle’s creative vision for the Company, expand the impact of Ailey’s educational offerings, and enhance technology to extend the reach of all aspects of the organization. Central to the plan has been the expansion of The Joan Weill Center for Dance, which attracts more than 200,000 visitors each year. In the fall of 2017, Ailey unveiled the Center’s Elaine Wynn and Family Education Wing, providing much- needed additional studios and classroom space to meet the growing demand for Ailey’s programs. The building now comprises 87,000 square feet and is the largest destination for dance in New York City. Mr. Rink also conceived The Campaign for Ailey’s Future, which has raised more than $50 million to support the Center’s expansion and the ongoing implementation of other long-range strategic priorities.
During Mr. Rink’s tenure as Executive Director, the Company has deepened its presence in New York City by establishing a spring season at Lincoln Center to complement its annual winter season at New York City Center, while also extending its role as America’s “Cultural Ambassador to the World” with tours to Africa, Europe and South America. In order to reach audiences beyond the realm of live performances, the Company has broadened its commitment to creating film, video and digital content, including its first-ever theatrical movie release as part of “Lincoln Center at the Movies: Great American Dance.”
Mr. Rink is a graduate of Syracuse University and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theater.
NEW YORK, NY, October 19, 2017 — At a festive ribbon-cutting, celebrated on the evening of October 18, leaders of the Ailey organization joined with dancers, students, donors, and friends from New York City’s dance community to open The Elaine Wynn & Family Education Wing, a 10,000-square-foot expansion of Ailey’s permanent home, The Joan Weill Center for Dance.
Leaders of the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation today celebrated the expansion of Ailey’s permanent home, The Joan Weill Center for Dance, with a ceremonial roof-breaking to mark the company’s upward growth. The event featured an unveiling of the design for the expanded building and performances by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Jacqueline Green, Ailey II and students from The Ailey School.
Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation has been selected for the New York-based Wallace Foundation’s Building Audiences for Sustainability effort – a new, six-year, $52-million initiative aimed at developing practical insights into how exemplary performing arts organizations can successfully expand their audiences, the foundation announced today.
"You can see this tremendous need for people to connect to their sense of creativity... their sense of how to find hope... and I think the arts are crucial to keeping us feeling that we do have hope... at times when we are really in need of that." Bennett Rink, Exec. Dir. of Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation speaks to the role of dance and the arts today.
Alvin Ailey Dance Theater already has deep roots in Atlanta. It has been touring through the city for more than 40 years and hosts a summer camp for underserved youth through the Atlanta Ballet. But Ailey is about to become even more ingrained in Atlanta’s art community through an initiative called Destination Dance.
When Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater comes to town Tuesday night to perform at the Kentucky Center for the Arts, they’ll bring along their executive director, Bennett Rink. For the Ailey company, it’s the 10th stop on a 20-city tour, but for for Rink, it’s a journey home.
