Press Coverage

December 02, 2019

National Museum Of African American History & Culture - Alvin Ailey Photography Collection Is Now Available To The Public

On World AIDS Day and the 30th anniversary of Alvin Ailey’s death (Dec. 1), the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture is making available the collection of more than 10,000 photographs chronicling the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from 1961 to 1994. The Jack Mitchell Photography of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Collection includes 8,288 black-and- white negatives, 2,106 color slides and transparencies, and 339 black-and-white prints depicting private photo sessions, repertory by Alvin Ailey and a wide range of choreographers and iconic solo performers.

December 01, 2019

NBC 4 New York - Positively Black: Donald Byrd

Tracie Strahan speaks with Tony-nominated Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater choreographer Donald Byrd about "Greenwood," a new piece that premieres Friday at New York City Center.

December 01, 2019

CBS New York - Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Kicks Off 2019 Holiday Season

On Wednesday, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater kicks off its five-week holiday season. Jamar Roberts is stepping into the role of Ailey’s first resident choreographer while continuing to perform. Theatergoers come back every year to see “Revelations” and other classics. “We’ve been preparing these pieces for all year, really, and some of them we’ve been doing for many, many reasons, including ‘Revelations,’ for example, so we’re excited,” Roberts said. Roberts has been performing with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater since 2002 when he joined as a teenager. This year, Roberts choreographed the piece “Ode,” which makes its world premiere later this month. “It is a tribute to victims of gun violence. I really wanted to do something really beautiful, so in essence, it’s a poem. I’m not really depicting any one scene in particular, but I really wanted to do something that was gonna really help facilitate healing to most of the communities and families affected,” Roberts said. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s holiday season runs through Jan. 5.

November 20, 2019

Amsterdam News - An Evening With Masazumi Chaya, Keeper Of The Flame

On a stage in the jewel box theater at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre headquarters, the vibrant warmth and quick wit of the man who capped a 15-year career performing with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater with 30 years as the company's associate artistic director - Masazumi Chaya - charmed and delighted an adoring audience. With host Renee Robinson, herself a former Ailey dancers (1981-2012), the two created a most engaging evening of dance history.

November 20, 2019

Dance Magazine - Why I Dance: Jamar Roberts

Jamar Roberts: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancer and resident choreographer

November 18, 2019

Dance Magazine - Facebook Live: Guggenheim Works & Process with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

We are live at Works & Process at the Guggenheim with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performing an excerpt from “Ode” a piece choreographed by Ailey’s first resident choreographer Jamar Roberts. A panel discussion led by Marina Harss will feature Robert Battle, Stephanie Batten Bland, Donald Byrd, and Jamar Roberts, as well as Brandon Stirling Baker and Libby Stadstad (lighting and scenic designers for this world premiere work).

November 14, 2019

Playbill - Facebook Live: Jamar Roberts Rehearsing "Ode" With Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

LIVE from Inside Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Rehearsal of Jamar Robert’s Ode including an interview with Jamar Roberts.

October 01, 2019

Pix 11 - Renowned Ailey School Still A Force In Dance World Half A Century Later

For 50 years, the Ailey School on the west side of Manhattan has provided world class training to dancers of all ages and backgrounds from New York City and around the globe. From Madonna to Jasmine Guy, alumni have gone on to be trailblazers in the industry. Launched by Alvin Ailey in 1969, the school started out with just 125 students and aimed to provide access to arts and dance to under-resourced communities. Ailey’s message of inclusivity is one that resonates to this day with the school’s co-directors, Tracy Inman and Melanie Person.

September 24, 2019

WWD - Keeping Up With Choreographer Camille A. Brown

Camille A. Brown has had a marquee year. The choreographer and dancer earned her first Tony nomination for best choreography for “Choir Boy,” making her the first black woman to be nominated for the category in over two decades (Marlies Yearby was nominated for “Rent” in 1996). And this fall, she has two major revivals on the horizon: the Met Opera’s season-opening “Porgy and Bess,” which marks Brown’s debut at the major arts institution, and Ntozake Shange’s influential “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf” at the Public Theater. She’s also choreographing a piece for Alvin Ailey’s upcoming season at City Center and working with director George C. Wolfe on the film adaptation of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” There are two tours on the horizon, too: for “Once on This Island” and her namesake company, Camille A. Brown and Dancers, for which she continues to dance.

September 16, 2019

Dance Spirit - Letter To My First-Year Self: Meagan King

After all the work that goes into applying to college BFA programs, it can seem like getting that long-awaited acceptance letter is the be-all and end-all. But talk to most seniors, and they'll tell you that acceptance is just the beginning of a whirlwind experience. We asked five senior dance majors from some of the nation's top programs to look back on their college journeys and offer advice to their freshman selves. From The Ailey/Fordham BFA program, we spoke to Meagan King.