Courtney Celeste Spears

COURTNEY CELESTE SPEARS (Baltimore, MD), of Bahamian descent, began formal training at the Baltimore School for the Arts under the direction of Norma Pera. She was the 2015 Denise Jefferson Memorial Scholar and graduated summa cum laude with honors from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in Dance with degrees in dance and communications. Ms. Spears attended summer intensives at The Juilliard School and American Ballet Theatre. She is a 2015 Princess Grace Award recipient, the 2020 Shirley Hall Bass Legacy Award recipient, and the Co-Founder & Director of ArtSea Dance, an outreach and dance management company based in the Bahamas. Ms. Spears is currently signed with Wilhelmina Models and graduated from Harvard Business School’s “Crossover Into Business” program. She continues to serve as a mentor by Co-Directing the Ailey Student Ailey Professional Mentor Program for The Ailey School. She was a member of Ailey II and joined the Company in 2018. Instagram: @bahamaballerina 

Featured News Releases

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater National Tour January 28 - May 8 Celebrates A Decade Of Robert Battle's Leadership And 50th Anniversary Of Alvin Ailey's Cry

NEW YORK – JANUARY 27, 2022 – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, America’s beloved cultural ambassador to the world, returns to stages on a coast-to-coast National Tour starting January 28 in Philadelphia, kicking off Black History Month at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on February 1 , and traveling to cities like Atlanta, Miami, Berkeley, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles before the finale in Newark on May 8. Marking a decade of leading the Company forward, Artistic Director Robert Battle presents Ailey’s renowned artists in a diverse repertory of premieres, new productions, and Ailey classics. Highlights include a Battle 10th Anniversary program; two world premieres adapted from video to stage, For Four by Robert Battle and Holding Space by Ailey Resident Choreographer Jamar Roberts; the return of hip-hop innovator Rennie Harris’s acclaimed Lazarus; 50 Years of Cry commemorating Ailey’s beloved classic dedicated to “all Black women everywhere—especially our mothers;” and Ailey & Ellington, spotlighting cherished classics from the series of more than a dozen ballets that Alvin Ailey created celebrating the musical genius of the eminent American composer Duke Ellington. Alvin Ailey’s American masterpiece Revelations, which has inspired generations through its powerful storytelling and soul- stirring spirituals since its creation in 1960, will reach all cities on the North American tour.

Ailey Extension And AREA Atlanta Join Forces To Host Classes Led By Stars Of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater During First-Ever Virtual Ailey Experience Destination Dance Atlanta Workshop Series

(New York) January 27, 2021 – For the first time in the five-year history of its collaboration, Ailey Extension and AREA Atlanta are coming together to make the multi-day Ailey Experience Destination Dance Atlanta event into a virtual affair. This year’s participants are in for a unique treat, as the workshops will be taught by current Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Company members. The three-day weekend experience immerses greater Atlanta residents in the spirit of Ailey with classes in Horton, contemporary, and West African techniques, while introducing dancers to the exciting world of choreography, creativity, and fun in a non-competitive environment. These classes and the preceding panel discussion allow participants to learn the rich history of Ailey’s signature style and how he changed the perception of American modern dance.

Featured Press Coverage

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Shondaland - Head Turners: Dancer Courtney Celeste Spears Creates Her Own Rhythm

The Alvin Ailey company member talks to Shondaland about how she choreographed herself a new destiny during the most difficult time in her life. In the ongoing Shondaland series Head Turners, we meet interesting women from every facet of life who are crushing it in their careers. From artists and tech mavens to titans of the boardroom, these women are breaking barriers, and they’ll share how you can too.

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All Arts - Ailey Dancer Courtney Celeste Spears On Books And The Power Of Versatility

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater member Courtney Celeste Spears corresponded with Ballerina Book Club for “Friend Picks” about her favorite books, how reading informs character development, dancing at Ailey and her Bahamas-based organization ArtSea, which she started to share her love of dance and give back to the local community. Follow her on Instagram at bahamaballerina.