Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Presents Holiday Engagement at New York City Center

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's special holiday engagement features matinee and evening performances on both Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. The New Year's Eve Celebration (Dec. 31 at 7pm) ringing in 2015 with beloved Ailey stars of the past and present. Former company membersDesmond Richardson, Dwana Smallwood, Andre Tyson and Sarita Allen will join Ailey's extraordinary dancers for an exceptional one night-only performance of the always inspiring Revelations.

December 23rd was the first of four season performances of David Parsons' signature work Caught, a bravura display of athletic stamina and a breathtaking fusion of art and technology. Called "pure exhilaration" by The New York Times, the soloist appears to defy gravity as he magically flies through the air.

"It would seem the timing could hardly be more apt for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's new civil rights-themed piece," proclaims the Associated Press. Created during the 50th anniversary year of the Civil Rights Act, Matthew Rushing's ODETTA is a tribute to the legendary singer known as the "voice of the Civil Rights Movement." Audiences have four more opportunities to see this uplifting work before its final New York bow on New Year's Eve (which is also Odetta Holmes' Birthday).

In addition to these exciting performances, the Saturday Family Matinee series includes a post-performance question and answer session led by Ailey's much admired dancers (December 20, 27, and Jan 3). For more information on Ailey's season, running through January 4th, visit www.alvinailey.org.

UPCOMING PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

CAUGHT - New York City Center season premiere December 23rd

David Parsons' signature solo Caught is a breathtaking fusion of art and technology demanding split-second timing and athletic stamina. The concept behind Caught is amazingly simple but wonderfully unexpected, with the dancer executing a continual series of over 100 leaps synchronized to the flashes of a strobe light to a soundtrack by English guitarist Robert Fripp. The effect is a stunning suspension of weight in which the dancer appears to fly through the air, devouring space as he magically moves across the stage.

Performance Dates: Dec 23, 24 eve, 31 eve, Jan 4 eve

"All New" Programs

"All New" programs feature season premieres of Hofesh Shechter's acclaimed Uprising, Jacqulyn Buglisi's Suspended Women, and Matthew Rushing's World-Premiere ODETTA.

Performance Dates: Dec 20 eve, 26, 28 eve, 31 mat

About The Returning Dancers:

Desmond Richardson - With his technical virtuosity and statuesque expressive demeanor, Desmond Richardson has been hailed among the great dancers of his time. Richardson is an international performer, who trained at the High School of the Performing Arts in New York, The Ailey School and The International Summer Dez Tanz in Köln, Germany. He was a featured dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from 1987-1994 and also performed with American Ballet Theater and Ballet Frankfurt under the direction of William Forsythe. Richardson, a Tony Award nominee, is Co-Founder/Co Artistic Director with Master Choreographer Dwight Rhoden of "Complexions" Contemporary Ballet Company, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Dwana Smallwood - The Bedford-Stuyvesant-born Smallwood learned to dance at an early age, leading to a 1995-2007 tenure as a dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She was proclaimed as "one of the greatest modern dancers" by Vogue magazine and danced before millions as a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show as a part of her "The Best..." series in 2007. Ms. Smallwood has performed on many American television shows including Sesame Street, Good Morning America, The Today Show, and The Kennedy Center Honors. In January 2009, Smallwood joined The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG) in South Africa, where she was the architect for the school's dance program, birthing the OWLAG Dance Company. Smallwood was soon promoted to Co-Curricular Coordinator before being appointed the Director of Student Affairs in 2011. In 2014 she returned to Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn to start the Dwana Smallwood Performing Arts Center.

Andre Tyson - A native of Greenville, North Carolina, Mr. Tyson began his training at the School of the Garden State Ballet and The Ailey School. He was a former featured dancer and company teacher with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from 1985-1994 and is now a Certified Pilates Instructor. He has created works for a broad range of companies from Ailey II, to the Milwaukee Ballet. Additionally, Mr. Tyson has taught at renowned dance festivals in Asia and Europe, served as an assistant to Talley Beatty and received several choreographic grants and academic awards. Mr. Tyson is now Assistant Dean at California Institute of the Arts Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance. Mr. Tyson's position as Assistant Dean at the California Institute of the Arts Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance provides him with exciting new challenges that nourish him as an artist, administrator and an educator.

Sarita Allen - Sarita Allen was a company member of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from the 1970s through the 1990s, and at present, is an Artist In Residence with "Complexions." She was mentored by Kathy Grant, one of the two grande dames of The Pilates technique, and was taught and certified by Joseph H. Pilates himself. Across three decades, she successfully pursued two parallel careers of performer and fitness instructor. Ms. Allen was recently featured in SELF Magazine for her teaching style, which is praised by company member Linda Celeste Sims.

Photo Credit Kwame Brathwaite