About Ailey

2023-2024 Season Image. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Constance Stamatiou
Please Credit Photo: 2023-2024 Season Image. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Constance Stamatiou. Photo by Dario Calmese 
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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 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

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Announces 2023 New York City Center Season November 29 - December 31

NEW YORK, July 27, 2023— Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York City Center’s Principal Dance Company and America’s cultural ambassador to the world, announces a much-anticipated 65th anniversary season at its New York City Center “home” from November 29 - December 31. The engagement features world premieres by Artistic Director Robert Battle, former Ailey company member Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish and the versatile Amy Hall Garner— the first awardee of a new Ailey Artist in Residence program. New productions of Ronald K. Brown’s Dancing Spirit, Alonzo King’s Following the Subtle Current Upstream, Jamar Roberts’s Ode, and Hans van Manen’s Solo will be staged. A dozen works by Alvin Ailey will be represented, including highlights programs of Ailey Classics and Ailey & Jazz with live music. Mr. Ailey’s must-see masterpiece Revelations will be performed throughout the season, with soul-stirring live music on the opening night and first weekend.

Ailey Moves NYC! Free Summer Dance Celebration Returns To Deliver Dance To The People In All Five Boroughs July 31 - August 5, 2023

New York, NY, June 29, 2023—Embracing people everywhere in the city that is its home, the Ailey organization will once again offer Ailey Moves NYC!, presenting six days of free performances, dance classes, and workshops throughout the city’s five boroughs. Presented for the second year, this summer dance celebration takes place July 31-August 5, featuring performances by the rising stars of Ailey II, as well as classes and workshops led by highly regarded teaching artists from The Ailey School’s renowned training programs, Ailey Extension’s dance and fitness classes for the general public, and Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs, which fulfill Alvin Ailey’s belief that “dance is for everybody.”

Five of New York’s Most Celebrated Companies, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Hispánico, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and New York City Ballet, Return for Five Nights as part of Summer for the City at Lincoln Center

New York, NY (June 21, 2023) – Five of NYC’s most iconic dance companies—Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem—return for the third annual BAAND Together Dance Festival, sharing the spotlight and an outdoor stage as a part of Lincoln Center’s second annual Summer for the City.

Featured Press Coverage

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The Scotsman - Edinburgh International Festival Preview: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Programme 1 and 2

American choreographer and dancer Joyce Trisler was just 45 years old when she died. Her untimely death in 1979 felt like a tragedy no good could ever come from. But shortly after, still in the midst of grief and looking for a way to capture the impact Trisler had on her colleagues, students and friends, Alvin Ailey created a new work in her honour. Memoria allowed Ailey to pay tribute to a friendship spanning more than 30 years and to portray the true essence of Trisler.

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The Kansas City Star - 'Always been a dream of mine': Kansas Citian lands spot in prestigious dance company

As De’Anthony Vaughan concludes another long day at dance rehearsal, he navigates his way through the bright lights, bustling crowds and honking horns of New York City. One thing is for sure, he is not on Vine Street anymore. For many of us, working at our dream job is a far-off fantasy; for Vaughan, his lifelong ambition of becoming a member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater became a reality earlier this month. “I was ecstatic. I am still in shock. I was overwhelmed, but I am still so happy,” says Vaughan, a Kansas City native. “My family is more excited than me. I feel like I was still processing it and they were crying and happy because everyone knows it has always been a dream of mine.”