Uplifting Black voices, experiences, and successes have been at the core of EBONY’s legacy for 80 years. This year, as EBONY celebrates eight decades of dedication to the Black community, the 2025 Power 100 List continues that tradition by honoring Black artists, community crusaders, and leaders across industries.
When Sara Mearns was a young dancer with New York City Ballet, she says, she kept finding herself in a certain kind of role: “big dancing, dramatic, romantic, emotional.” It took her late coach Susan Hendl to imagine her in something different, casting Mearns in Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering. “She was the first person that took a chance on me doing something quieter,” says Mearns. “I’m so grateful to her, because once she did that, then everybody else saw it and was like, ‘Oh, wait, she can dance another way.’”
Trinidad and Tobago: A significant moment is set to shape Caribbean cultural history as one of the most revolutionary modern dance groups, the Alvin Ailey II dance company from the United States, takes center stage for the first time in Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday, August 26. According to the information, the performers are set to make their debut at Queen’s Hall, Port of Spain, presenting its celebrated repertoire including the iconic modern dance work Revelations, choreographed by Alvin Ailey.
When one thinks of the legendary dancer Sylvia Waters, excellence, poise, and artistry are among the first attributes that come to mind. But in the classroom, her heart, brilliance, and spirit are what have elevated and inspired thousands of dancers. Selected by Alvin Ailey himself to join Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and later to lead the newly formed Ailey II in 1974, Waters has helped to mentor and elevate countless dancers through the transition from student to professional, all the while shaping a junior company into a globally respected institution.
In 1989, renowned dancer Alvin Ailey launched AileyCamp to transform middle school students by building their confidence and introducing them to a variety of dance techniques. Now, AileyCamp is a six-week intensive dance program in 10 cities across the country, including in New York City.
Resilience is the theme of this summer’s AileyCamp. Named after Alvin Ailey, the renowned dancer and founder of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the camp has 10 locations around the country including one at Newark Arts High School. This summer, the Newark camp — which is free — is hosting 88 participants, who range in age from 11 to 14 years old.
AileyCamper Austin Fisher stood in a rehearsal room at Newark Arts High School with dozens of eyes on her, held the barre with her right hand, arched her left arm above her head, and ever so gracefully bent backward at the waist.
As CBS News New York's Dave Carlin reports, a vibrant combination of talent, teaching and tradition makes AileyCamp a game-changer.
Telemundo’s Yessi Hernández speaks with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancers Dandara Veiga and Leonardo Brito.
CBS News Miami’s Lisa Petrillo speaks with Jairo Ontiveros, the Arsht Center's vice president of art education, in addition to Wresley Wray, a former Ailey camper now performing on Broadway. Whether it's jazz, ballet, West African dance, or personal development, it's all about an artistic and safe program for Miami-Dade County public middle school students at AileyCamp Miami, a six week summer program at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.