Press Coverage

May 05, 2020

Dance Spirit - Jamar Roberts Writes A Letter To His Teenage Self

Jamar Roberts is an Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater icon. He's danced with the company for more than 15 years, and at 6' 4", he cuts a powerful and immediately recognizable figure onstage. As a choreographer, he is prolific, passionate, and political—his most recent, instantly iconic piece for Ailey, Ode, is a meditation on the fragility of life in the age of gun violence. Though several of Roberts' planned premieres have been postponed because of the COVID-19 outbreak, we can't wait to see his works performed again.

April 17, 2020

The New York Times - Out There, Waiting To Be Explored: Dark Resilience

Rennie Harris is one of the great dance makers of our time. In adapting hip-hop dance to the concert stage, he is at once authentic, imaginative and affecting. Critics have been saying that for decades, but in all that concert stages were pretty much the only places you could see what we meant. The availability of his work on video or online has been close to nil. That changes this weekend, briefly, as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater streams his "Lazarus" on its website.

April 07, 2020

ABC2 Midday Maryland: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Offers Ailey All Access

The Ailey organization manifests founder Alvin Ailey’s belief that “dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people” with Ailey All Access, a series of digital dance offerings including online streaming of performances, dance and fitness classes, educational programs and original short films created by the Ailey dancers.

April 02, 2020

The New York Times - Dancing With Myself: How Artists Stay In Shape Without A Stage

For most performing artists, the daily routine is roughly the same: rehearse, perform, rinse and repeat. But with the coronavirus shuttering live shows around the world, musicians, dancers, actors and others have had to adapt to a new reality — without an audience to prepare for. We talked to some about how they’re staying in shape and honing their craft while working from home. ‘You can’t sit still for long.’ – Constance Stamatiou, dancer, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

March 31, 2020

CNN - Ailey Artistic Director Robert Battle Answers The Question: What Drives You?

Robert Battle has been charged with continuing Alvin Ailey's formidable legacy, bringing mesmerizing, educational dance to audiences around the world.

March 29, 2020

The Boston Globe - Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Kicks Off Free Streaming Series

There may not be a crowd of folks gathering around a birthday cake. But make no mistake — Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is celebrating the anniversary of the company’s very first performance, on March 30, 1958, and we’re all invited. The organization is launching Ailey All Access (www.alvinailey.org/ailey-all-access) to share free online streaming of performances, classes, workshops, conversations, and short original films by company dancers.

March 24, 2020

The Washington Post - How Dancers Cope When They Can't Dance: They Imrpovise

In this uncertain time, dancers have a useful perspective: Gently loosen those joints and muscles as much as you can, firm your self-discipline, calm your mind. Dancer wisdom teaches us that life is live theater, forever an improv performance, and we can feel our way through it by establishing a routine, caring for our whole selves and also turning outward, to care for those around us. Yet performing careers are brief, and no dancer can afford to lose time — or money. The recently interrupted tours, canceled premieres, locked studios and social distancing requirements have hit the financially fragile, socially enmeshed dance world hard. When your life revolves around lifting, leaping, catching, jumping and otherwise spending time (often literally joined at the hip) with your dance partners, how do you deal with solitary confinement?

March 21, 2020

The New York Times - Realigning For A Eurythmic Convergence

As the lyrics go in “I Been ’Buked” — the opening section of Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece, “Revelations” — “There is trouble all over this world.” Don’t we know it. Last week after Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater abruptly ended its tour and sent its dancers home, Danica Paulos — who creates content on Instagram for the group — asked her fellow company members if they were, she said, “down to create some positivity and some inspiration.”

March 06, 2020

Voice Of OC - After Living Her Dream, Dancer Danica Paulos Plans To Photograph The World

As a young girl growing up in Huntington Beach, Danica Paulos pursued two passions: dance and photography. She never dreamed at the time that she would excel in both before she even turned 20. Paulos, now 26, will perform with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Los Angeles later this month. One of America’s pre-eminent dance troupes, it has been her home since shortly after she graduated from high school and this season will be her last with the company.

March 06, 2020

Chicago Tribune - Storied Company Stays Vital While Not Forgetting Its Past

Ailey has rightly earned its stripes as one of the nation's best dance companies, not just because of its history, but not in spite of it either. The company doesn't ignore its founder or allow itself to fade into antiquity... Apart from "Revelations," Ailey's 1960 masterpiece that comes standard at the end of every show the late choreographer's company performs in Chicago, this was an entirely new-to-us program of Chicago premieres... It starts with "Busk," by Canadian choreographer Aszure Barton, made in 2009 and added to Ailey's rep last year... Second on the bill, "Ode" (2019) is the latest work from Jamar Roberts, a company dancer recently named choreographer-in-residence (the first in the company's history to hold that title).