"I take it almost like a mission," Yannick Lebrun of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater said of performing "Sinner Man" from "Revelations," Ailey's 1960 masterpiece set to African-American spirituals. " 'Sinner Man' is a very powerful, propulsive section of 'Revelations' that shows who we are as Ailey men, but it definitely also has a deeper story: You're running for your life."
Jawole Willa Jo Zollar's 'Shelter,' a work about homelessness, speaks strongly to the anxieties of the moment.
In 1960, America was in the midst of a social transformation. The Supreme Court had ruled "separate but equal" unconstitutional six years prior, but the country's response was slow and turbulent as desegregation incited violent responses. Surrounded by powerful civil rights momentum, a 29-year-old Alvin Ailey created an ode to the resilience of the human spirit: Revelations.
Yes, she's small, but the word "mighty" doesn't even begin to get to the root of Linda Celeste Sims' startling magnetism. She joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1996 and now, at 41, it's as if her luminous dancing has entered another realm.
Elaine Wynn admits she knew nothing about dance the first time she saw the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. "It made something come alive in a way for me," Wynn recalls. "I saw the extraordinary work of the brilliant Alvin Ailey and I thought, look at this unique, new, American, authentic dance form. I was inspired, and from then on I tried to find the company whenever I could."
Members Don't Get Weary, @alvinailey's newest work choreographed by @jmar82, is described as "a response to the current social landscape in America... an abstract look into the notion of one 'having the blues.'"
MIAMI - Jamar Robers has been around the world as a leading dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. But in a week after Hurricane Irma swept through Miami, he was back where he started, at Dance Empire, a studio in a suburban strip of warehouses here.
WATCH: Refinery29's own Lucie Fink takes on the challenge of learning traditional African Dance for the very first time! Press play to see if she can master the art of this dance.
Before there was Scatman John and his eponymous hit “Scatman,” there was Ella Fitzgerald’s scat, an unequivocally better take on the improvisational, wordless jazz singing. This holiday season, Alvin Ailey is honoring Ella Fitzgerald’s centennial...
Judith Jamison became the most recognized dancer in the U.S. under the tutelage of Alvin Ailey and then succeeded him as artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the country's leading modern dance company. Now 74, she is artistic director...