AileyCamp

Nasha Thomas with Newark AileyCamper in Personal Development Class
Please Credit Photo: Nasha Thomas with Newark AileyCamper in Personal Development Class. Photo by Joe Epstein
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Founded by Alvin Ailey and the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey in 1989, AileyCamp targets students with academic, social and domestic challenges—criteria that often determine a child's risk of dropping out of school—but also welcomes students who have little opportunity to develop their artistic interests. An important aspect of the program's success is in providing positive adult and peer role models, and giving campers an invaluable opportunity to explore their creativity, learn to master their bodies, and strengthen their respect for themselves and others within a supportive framework that gives them an important foundation for the future.

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AileyCamp NY 2018 Final Performance
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New York AileyCampers and Nasha Thomas
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New York AileyCampers in Percussion
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New York AileyCamp Director Darius Williams and Campers
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Nasha Thomas with Newark AileyCampers
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AileyCamp Newark Creative Communications Class
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AileyCamp NY 2018 Final Performance
New York AileyCampers and Nasha Thomas
New York AileyCampers in Percussion
New York AileyCamp Director Darius Williams and Campers
Nasha Thomas with Newark AileyCampers
AileyCamp Newark Creative Communications Class
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Featured Video

AileyCamp Overview
AileyCamp Overview
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Featured News Releases

AileyCamp Launches in Partnership with Purpose Built Schools Atlanta to Inspire and Transform Area Students Among 10 Cities Nationwide

ATLANTA – January 10, 2023 – AileyCamp, the nationally acclaimed summer program that uses dance as a means to stretch the minds, bodies, and spirits of middle-school students, is coming to Atlanta this summer from June 5 – July 14 at Luther J. Price Middle School in partnership with Purpose Built Schools Atlanta. The six-week, full scholarship program helps students ages 11-14 reach their full potential with classes in dance, personal development, creative communications, and inspiring daily affirmations. Founded by Alvin Ailey and Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey in 1989, AileyCamp develops self-esteem, self-discipline, creative expression, critical-thinking and goal-setting skills in a supportive environment.

Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey Invites All To Join In The Dance During A Season Of Ailey With Workshops, Performances, And More

DECEMBER 12, 2022 – Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey (KCFAA) announces an exciting season of Ailey that launches this week with free workshops for the public and features a residency by a trio of Ailey’s extraordinary dancers, the glorious return of the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for the first time since 2017, and the life-changing summer program AileyCamp, and more.

AileyCamp Renews Transformative In-Person Activation This Summer To Positively Impact Youth In Nine Cities Nationwide With The Theme 'Faith'

New York, NY – JULY 5, 2022 – For six weeks this summer, AileyCamp will provide middle school students in nine cities nationwide the opportunity to explore their creativity, be themselves and utilize dance as a transformative vehicle to positively impact their lives. Founded by Alvin Ailey and Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey in 1989, the innovative full-scholarship program focuses on developing self-esteem, self-discipline, creative expression, and critical-thinking skills. After two summers of AileyCamp operating in a hybrid of in-person and virtual sessions, AileyCamp 2022 renews a fully in-person activation this year with the guiding theme of “faith” at all nine camps in: Baltimore, MD; Berkeley, CA; Chicago, IL; Kansas City, KS and MO; Miami, FL; New York, NY; Newark, NJ and Seattle, WA.

Featured Press Coverage

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NJ Spotlight News - A Camp Founded By Alvin Ailey Teaches Kids Dance – And Life Skills

Newark is one of nine cities where AileyCamp is being held. Instead of going swimming or playing sports at a typical summer camp, some kids in Newark are spending their weeks out of school a little differently. They’re learning various forms of dance and creative skills at AileyCamp, a six-week program that was started by the legendary dancer Alvin Ailey just before his passing in 1989.

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Dance Teacher - What My Teacher Taught Me: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Solomon Dumas On Lisa Johnson-Willingham

When I was in high school, my friends at The Chicago Academy for the Arts told me about Lisa Johnson-Willingham, an impressive former Ailey dancer who was teaching Horton at Joel Hall Dancers & Center on Thursday nights. I decided I ought to give her class a try. The first time I went, I didn’t even pay for class. In fact, I don’t think I ever paid for her class. She was tough as nails, but she was always generous. The room was packed with people from all over the city. From modern dancers to professional ballet dancers to young students—everyone wanted to learn from her. Her classroom got so hot from sweaty bodies that the windows completely fogged up and contrasted the cold night outside.