News Releases

October 23, 2018

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Ailey Ascending 60th Anniversary Celebration Includes A Landmark Season At New York City Center November 28 - December 30

October 23, 2018 (NEW YORK CITY) — Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York City Center’s Principal Dance Company, returns to the theater’s stage from November 28 – December 30, 2018 for a milestone season. During the Company’s Ailey Ascending 60th Anniversary celebration, Artistic Director Robert Battle leads Ailey’s 32 extraordinary dancers during this five-week holiday engagement that will elevate a legacy of excellence in artistry with premieres by some of today’s most revered and prolific choreographers, including world premieres by Rennie Harris and Ronald K. Brown; a company premiere by Wayne McGregor; a new production of by Robert Battle; the return of a recent premiere by Jessica Lang, and special performances of rarely seen works by Alvin Ailey himself.

September 25, 2018

Ailey Ascending 60th Anniversary Celebration Continues With Choreography Unlocked October 12-14 & 26-28

September 25, 2018 (NEW YORK CITY) —As part of the “Ailey Ascending” 60th Anniversary celebration, the Choreography Unlocked Festival of performance, conversation, and master classes will take place at Ailey’s home across two weekends – October 12 – 14 & 26- 28. Building on the success of the New Directions Choreography Lab, created by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Artistic Director Robert Battle in 2011, the festival will elevate The Joan Weill Center for Dance’s role in the community as a hub for creating and presenting new work and fostering the next generation of choreographers.

July 31, 2018

Ailey Ascending 60th Anniversary Celebration Honors Groundbreaking Founder While Taking Bold New Leaps To Elevate Organization's Reach And Impact

August 1, 2018 (NEW YORK CITY) —When Alvin Ailey and a small group of African American modern dancers first took the stage in 1958, appearing at New York City’s 92nd Street Y, the engagement was for one night only—but it turned out to be the start of a new era in the performing arts. Mr. Ailey became one of the groundbreaking greats in African American history, while the work of his Company grew beyond the limits of the stage to encompass education at all levels, community outreach and cultural diplomacy. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater now embodies six decades of achievement, celebrating the human spirit with performances that unite and inspire all.

July 20, 2018

Step Up Your Dance Moves This Summer At Ailey Extension With Performance Workshop Series & Master Classes

(New York) July 20, 2018 – Ailey Extension invites dancers to find their summer groove with exciting workshops and master classes. In addition to its annual Summer Performance Workshop series, Ailey Extension will offer an Alonzo King LINES Ballet Master Class with Meredith Webster and a “Werk That Twerk” workshop with famed hip-hop instructor TweetBoogie. These opportunities allow students to refine their technique, boost stage presence, and perform movement highlighting their personal style while learning from some of New York City’s top instructors at The Ailey Studios.

July 11, 2018

Ailey Extension Brings Dance To Future Generations With Summer Workshops & Weekly Classes

(New York) July 11, 2018 – This summer, Ailey Extension is offering a variety of unique dance programs for young, aspiring dancers. With one or two-week performance intensives and weekly training classes taught by New York City’s premiere choreographers and instructors, kids and teens can enjoy developing technique, enhancing musicality, and releasing creative expression. All classes take place at The Joan Weill Center for Dance – home of the world-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, and The Ailey School.

July 09, 2018

AileyCamp Celebrates 30 Year Milestone of Enriching And Inspiring Inner-City Youth Nationwide

New York, NY – July 9, 2018 – As Ailey enters its sixth decade, AileyCamp, the organization’s innovative full-scholarship day camp, marks its 30th anniversary reaching over 1,000 inner-city students in 10 cities nationwide with a life- changing experience. Founded by Alvin Ailey and Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey in 1989, AileyCamp is being implemented in collaboration with local organizations in Kansas City, MO; Kansas City, KS; Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Berkeley, CA; Chicago, IL; Miami, FL; Seattle, WA; Bronx, NY and Newark, NJ. The valuable summer program gives underserved students ages 11 to 14 a supportive environment to use dance as a vehicle for developing self-esteem, self- discipline, creative expression and critical-thinking skills.

May 30, 2018

Ailey Extension Brings Dance To The People With Free Classes During NYC Dance Week & At City Parks This Summer

(New York) May 30, 2018 – As the Ailey organization heads into its 60th year, Ailey Extension will offer a variety of indoor and outdoor dance classes free to the public this summer. In collaboration with the NYC Parks, Ailey Extension brings dance to public parks in Brooklyn and the Bronx from June 5-July 14, offering eight technique and choreography workshops, including events dedicated to Alvin Ailey’s acclaimed masterpiece Revelations. To celebrate NYC Dance Week, a citywide festival from June 14-23, Ailey Extension welcomes new students* to try over 30 free classes at The Ailey Studios in Manhattan, New York City’s largest building dedicated to dance.

April 05, 2018

Learn International Dance Styles and Rhythms at Ailey Extension’s World Dance Celebration

(New York) April 5, 2018 — Dance lovers of all experience levels are invited to learn traditional dance styles and rhythms from around the globe at Ailey’s annual World Dance Celebration. This popular eight-week workshop series – beginning on Saturday, April 21 and culminating with on stage performances – combines folkloric dance styles and live accompaniment native to Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East into a “life-affirming celebration” (W42St magazine).

January 30, 2018

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Announces Programming For 21-City North American Tour January 30 - May 13, 2018

New York, NY – January 30, 2018 – Following an acclaimed five-week season launch in New York City, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will continue to grace stages from coast to coast during a 21-city North American tour beginning January 30th in Chapel Hill, NC. On February 6th, a week-long engagement at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. opens with a gala to benefit Ailey's D.C. programs, including the creation of new works, arts-in- education activities, and scholarships to talented young area dancers to attend The Ailey School in New York. Black History Month performances kick off in Memphis – where the heroic Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated 50 years ago – before spreading Ailey’s legacy of uniting, enlightening, and educating people of all backgrounds throughout the month in Washington D.C., Birmingham, Miami, Atlanta, Jacksonville, and Charlotte. Other highlights on the tour include Chicago, Houston, Boston and Berkeley, culminating with a Mother’s Day performance in Newark on May 13th.

January 25, 2018

Ailey II - The Next Generation Of Dance - Returns To The Ailey Citigroup Theater March 14-15

January 25, 2018 (New York, NY) – On the heels of a 32-city world tour, Ailey II returns to The Ailey Citigroup Theater from March 14 – 25 for its annual New York season. The 12 talented young dancers will prove that they are “second to none” (Dance magazine) in dynamic works by some of the most exciting emerging choreographers, including premieres by Juel D. Lane, Renee I. McDonald, and Darrell Grand Moultrie, and returning favorites by Jae Man Joo, Bridget L. Moore, and former Ailey dancer Marcus Willis.