Opening Night Gala at New York City Center

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The Ailey School's co-director ... (Read More) The Ailey School's co-director Tracy Inman and Ryan Jamaal Swain at Ailey's 2019 Opening Night Gala (Hide)

Alvin Ailey American Dance ... (Read More) Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Khalia Campbell and Darrell Grand Moultrie at Ailey's 2019 Opening Night Gala (Hide)

Gala Co-Chair and Board ... (Read More) Gala Co-Chair and Board Chairman Daria L. Wallach and Artistic Director Robert Battle at Ailey's 2019 Opening Night Gala (Hide)

Honoree Elaine Wynn and Ailey's ... (Read More) Honoree Elaine Wynn and Ailey's Artistic Director Robert Battle at Ailey's 2019 Opening Night Gala (Hide)

Lorraine Toussaint at Ailey's ... (Read More) Lorraine Toussaint at Ailey's 2019 Opening Night Gala (Hide)

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Featured News Releases

December 17, 2021

Ailey Shares Holiday Revelations With Free Broadcast Of #ReunitedWeDance Opening Night Gala Benefit Premiering Wednesday, December 22

NEW YORK – December 17, 2021 —The Ailey organization is sharing the gift of Holiday Revelations with a free broadcast of the #ReunitedWeDance Opening Night Gala on Wednesday, December 22 at 10am ET. Viewable via Ailey All Access, YouTube and Facebook through Dec. 28, this first-ever streaming of a one-night-only gala performance builds upon a cornucopia of Ailey All Access online programing that has inspired millions of people in over 121 countries since March 30, 2020.

December 02, 2019

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Opening Night Gala Benefit Performance And Party Honors Philanthropist Elaine Wynn & The Elaine P. Wynn Family and Foundation Wednesday, December 4 at 7pm

NEW YORK – UPDATED December 2, 2019 —Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will launch a five-week holiday season on December 4 with a star-studded gala benefit performance at New York City Center and party at the New York Hilton Midtown Grand Ballroom. The special evening celebrates philanthropist Elaine Wynn and the Elaine P. Wynn & Family Foundation. Wynn’s generous contributions have supported the creation of new works as well as the Elaine Wynn & Family Education Wing, which in 2017 added three floors – featuring four dance studios and two classrooms – to The Joan Weill Center for Dance, New York’s largest building dedicated to dance. Actress and singer Renée Elise Goldsberry will serve as the evening’s Honorary Chair. Goldsberry, a Tony and Grammy Award winner, is best known for originating the role of Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway musical Hamilton, and can currently be seen starring in the new critically acclaimed film, Waves.

October 25, 2018

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 60th Anniversary Opening Night Gala Benefit Performance And Party - Wednesday, November 28 at 7pm

October 25, 2018 (NEW YORK CITY) – As a centerpiece to its yearlong Ailey Ascending 60th Anniversary celebration and a kickoff to its five-week holiday season, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will host a star-studded gala benefit on Wednesday, November 28th at 7pm, complete with a performance for the ages at New York City Center and party at the New York Hilton Midtown Grand Ballroom. The Honorary Chairs for the evening are screen icons Angela Bassett and Cicely Tyson. Bassett, a Golden Globe Award winner, stars in the hit television series 9-1-1, and was most recently featured in the 2018 blockbusters Black Panther and Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Tyson – known for a myriad of roles across television and film, including Roots, Fried Green Tomatoes, and most recently How to Get Away With Murder – has received three Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and on November 18th will make history as the first black woman to receive an Honorary Academy Award.

Featured Press Coverage

January 07, 2022

Essence - How Attending Alvin Ailey's Opening Night Gala Reminded Me About The Beauty Of Black People

Our editor attended Ailey’s Opening Night Gala in NYC and This is a personal account about her experience: The night of the Alvin Ailey Opening Night Gala was not only a beautiful piece of nostalgia following their return to the stage after two years, but a reminder that COVID had completely ripped me from my sense of personal style. Though the invitation clearly read “gala,” I found myself consistently second, third, and fourth guessing my choices of outfits, fragrance, lip color, and shoes. Anyone who knows me personally can attest to the fact that casualwear is my best friend – mom jeans, an oversized tee and some kicks are typically my way to go. But don’t let the clean Air Forces fool you; I can put a piece together in a hot second.

December 23, 2021

The New York Times: Scene City

The Metropolitan Museum of Art honored its new acquisitions, including Ronald S. Lauder’s promised gift, at a black-tie gala on Dec. 7. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater celebrated Robert Battle’s 10 years as artistic director at its opening night gala on Dec. 1, held at the Ziegfeld Ballroom. And the New York Philharmonic held a concert and benefit dinner at Lincoln Center on Dec. 2.

December 02, 2021

Bloomberg - Omicron Fears Fail To Stop New Yorkers At Favorite Time Of Year

New Yorkers had a message for omicron on Wednesday night: We got this. We’re not letting a new variant stop us. It came from the throngs who gathered to see the tree lighting at Rockefeller Center, and from the ticket-holders for opening night of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s season at City Center, its first since 2019.