Alvin Ailey News

New Jersey Performance Arts Center (NJPAC) is honored to present the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater annual Mother's Day weekend performances starting on May 12- 14, 2017.

On Tuesday, February 7th, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 18th Annual Washington, D.C. Opening Night Gala Benefit will celebrate the opening of its yearly week-long engagement at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. After the 7pm opening program at the Opera House featuring performances celebrating the birth centennials of jazz legends Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie and Alvin Ailey's always inspiring masterpieceRevelations, Artistic Director Robert Battle and Ailey's renowned dancers will join guests for dinner and dancing on the Terrace Level of the Kennedy Center.

The Smithsonian's new National Museum of African American History and Culture opened its doors with an all-star tribute on ABC Television's TAKING THE STAGE: AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC AND STORIES THAT CHANGED AMERICA a two-hour program of music, dance and the spoken word on THURSDAY, JANUARY 12 (9:00–11:00 p.m. EST).

The Smithsonian's new National Museum of African American History and Culture opened its doors with an all-star tribute on ABC Television's TAKING THE STAGE: AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC AND STORIES THAT CHANGED AMERICA a two-hour program of music, dance and the spoken word on THURSDAY, JANUARY 12 (9:00–11:00 p.m. EST).

As part of its' second annual American Dance Platform, The Joyce Theater has been showcasing eight of America's most captivating dance companies over the past week. This year's platform was curated by Alicia B. Adams, VP of International Programming and Dance at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. I again had the opportunity to attend another performance on Friday, January 6, 2017. The evening featured a double bill with dances by Lucky Plush Productions and the Dallas Black Dance Theatre.

Amy Jordan's training and career spans three decades of study and performances in New York, Los Angeles and Miami. She has studied classical ballet, jazz, modern dance and hip-hop with acclaimed choreographers Michael Peters, Michael Rooney, Joe Lanteri and many others.

Overflowing with virtuosity, technique and cutting-edge choreography, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, "a matchless American dance company" (The Philadelphia Enquirer), is the future of contemporary ballet.

Making its annual Kennedy Center appearance, the famed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to the Opera House stage with seven performances, February 7-12. Led by Artistic Director Robert Battle, the Company's performances include a company premiere, four D.C. debuts, two new productions, and a total of 11 works by a range of distinct choreographers.

THE GHOSTLIGHT PROJECT (previously announced as 'The Sanctuary Project') will bring the theatre community together from coast to coast on January 19, 2017 at 5:30 p.m. in each time zone to light a light and make a pledge. Inspired by the theatrical tradition of keeping a 'ghost light' on in a darkened theater, we create light for the challenging times ahead.

New York Theatre Ballet (NYTB) brings its highly acclaimed Legends & Visionaries series to the 92Y Harkness Dance Festival from February 24-25, 2017 at the The 92Y, located at 1395 Lexington Avenue, NYC 10128.

Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) returns to New York City for a sixth consecutive year. During its 40th anniversary season, Dallas Black Dance Theatre is among eight dance companies invited to take part in the American Dance Platform at The Joyce Theater in Chelsea. DBDT takes center stage January 6-7, 2017.

Now celebrating its 10th Anniversary at Tempe Center for the Arts, the 2017 Breaking Ground Festival will be held January 27 & 28 at 7:30 pm. Tickets: $28Adults/$23 Students and Seniors at the door $25Adults/$18 Students and Seniors when purchased in advance (minimum 24 hours)

On the heels of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's joyous New York City Center holiday season, Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison will teach an exclusive Ailey Classics Workshop on Today, January 5 at 7:00 p.m. to celebrate what would've been Alvin Ailey's 86th birthday.

Cultural partners Jacob's Pillow Dance and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) present a one-night-only work-in-progress showing of performing artist, choreographer, and TEDGlobal Oxford Fellow Richard Move's XXYY on January 20 at 8pm in MASS MoCA's Hunter Center.

Park City Institute continues its rich tradition of engaging in dialogue on important issues, presenting a panel on Criminal Justice Reform, with Van Jones, January 7 at 7:30 PM. Jones, an attorney who has spent countless hours on CNN as a political commentator, will share his insights on the ways in which the criminal justice system is ineffective and the role it plays in the cycle of inequality in this country. 

The Smithsonian's new National Museum of African American History and Culture opened its doors with an all-star tribute on ABC Television's TAKING THE STAGE: AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC AND STORIES THAT CHANGED AMERICA a two-hour program of music, dance and the spoken word on THURSDAY, JANUARY 12 (9:00–11:00 p.m. EST).

On Wednesday evening, December 21, 2016, I was fortunate to be present as the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater performed three pieces created in the 21st century by three choreographers, two European, Johan Inger and Mauro Bigonzetti, and one home grown, a veteran dancer of the Ailey company, Hope Boykin. Each piece is a world unto itself, different from the other two.

Kimmel Center has announced its upcoming events in February. See the full schedule below.

The Broadway at Birdland concert series has announced that Broadway and concert stage star Daniel Reichard is bringing his popular annual New York City holiday show 'Guide to Christmas' back to the historic music room.

Audiences have just two more weeks to be dazzled by Ailey's holiday Revelations during the company's New York City Center season, ending December 31st.