Katherine Jimenez

Blavity - Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Company Members On Expanding Its Legacy With Afro-Latino And Afro-Caribbean Dance

Blavity - Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Company Members On Expanding Its Legacy With Afro-Latino And Afro-Caribbean Dance

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s holiday season is underway at New York City Center through Jan. 4. This season marks more than just another year of the artistic phenomenon that uses dance as a catalyst for spiritual and cultural expression. It also marks the dawn of a new chapter under the guidance of Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack, whose inaugural season embraces both the company’s foundational Black roots and its evolving commitment to diversity, now including the Afro-Latino diaspora.

El Diario - Latin rhythms are part of the new season of Alvin Ailey

El Diario - Latin rhythms are part of the new season of Alvin Ailey

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre kicked off its annual season at New York City Center, the first under the leadership of Alicia Graf Mack, which will run from this week until January 2026. And while this historically African American company has always been a symbol of excellence in modern dance, its present is deeply marked by the presence and talent of Latino artists who find here a home for their identity and their movement. Among them are Afro-Brazilian dancer Leonardo Brito and AILEY Extension mambo instructor Katherine Jiménez, two voices that represent the cultural and spiritual expansion of Alvin Ailey's legacy.

PIX 11 - Dancers Learn A Few New York-Style Mambo Moves At NYC Theater

PIX 11 - Dancers Learn A Few New York-Style Mambo Moves At NYC Theater

HELL’S KITCHEN, Manhattan (PIX11) — A fun, New York-style mambo class represents the best of National Dance Day and Hispanic Heritage Month. At the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Manhattan Saturday, Katharine Jimenez led a packed studio of enthusiastic mambo dancers. Jimenez, an Ailey extension director, began taking lessons at the theater 20 years ago when she was just 6 years old. And now she’s the leader of this New York-style mambo.