AILEY DAY Dance Celebration Returns To NJPAC This April

Dancers of all ages and ability levels will join NJPAC and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs for a day of  FREE DANCE CLASSES and more at the Arts Center on Saturday, April 6, beginning at 9AM.

Ailey Day is an annual NJPAC event, attracting hundreds of participants for free classes steeped in Ailey technique. Workshops will be led by former Ailey dancer Amos Machanic and AIE-affiliated instructors Cedric Greene and Freddie Moore.

“Ailey Day is an opportunity to honor and share Alvin Ailey's legacy with the NJPAC community,” says Nasha Thomas, National AileyCamp Director and Master Teacher for AIE, who advises instructors and workshops for Ailey Day. “As we celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, our focus is on giving back to the people through dance and storytelling.”

Ailey Day offers classes in dance styles including jazz and Horton technique as well as in the choreography of Ailey's masterpiece, Revelations. There is also a 45-minute West African class for children 3 to 9 years old and an “all abilities” Jersey Club workshop for dancers with limited mobility.

In addition to movement classes, the event includes a panel conversation with the Ailey instructors and activities including art projects offered by GlassRoots and book readings presented by the Newark Public Library. The day concludes with a Show and Share, where all participants will have a chance to perform what they've learned in class and enjoy a selection of performances by local dance companies.

The Ailey Day schedule and registration forms are available at njpac.org/aileyday.

NJPAC's Community Engagement department has hosted Ailey Day for the past 16 years in advance of the company's annual Mother's Day weekend residency at the Arts Center.

“This day has been deeply rooted in the greater Newark area since 2008, offering direct access to Ailey's powerful, emotionally resonant works that address issues of race, spirituality and the human experience,” says Eyesha Marable, NJPAC's Assistant Vice President, Community Engagement.

During Ailey Day, participants will be able to purchase discounted tickets for select performances during the company's May 10 – 12 residencies at NJPAC. Ailey returns to the NJPAC stage for the 25th time with exciting New Jersey premieres, a powerful new production in celebration of this year's Max Roach centennial and repertory favorites including Ailey's must-see American masterpiece Revelations.

Ailey Day at NJPAC is presented in partnership with Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs, Eastside Dance Project, GlassRoots, Newark Public Library, Newark School of the Arts, Sharron Miller's Academy for the Performing Arts, School of Nimbus, So-So's Boutique, South Orange Middle School, The Next Step School of Dance and Zawadi African Dance & Drum, Inc.

Register for Ailey Day HERE or https://www.njpac.org/event/ailey-day-2/ 

About NJPAC

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is among the largest performing arts centers in the United States.  It is the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey — where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day.  As New Jersey's anchor cultural institution, NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state's and the world's best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city.  Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts.  NJPAC has attracted more than 11 million visitors (including more than two million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.  Visit njpac.org for more information.

About The Ailey Organization and Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, recognized by U.S. Congressional resolution as a vital American “Cultural Ambassador to the World,” grew from a now‐fabled March 1958 performance in New York that changed forever the perception of American dance.
 
Founded by Alvin Ailey, recent posthumous recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the nation's highest civilian honor—and guided by Judith Jamison beginning in 1989, the Company was led until 2023 by Robert Battle, whom Judith Jamison chose to succeed her on July 1, 2011.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has performed for an estimated 25 million people in 71 countries on 6 continents—as well as millions more through television broadcasts, film screenings, and online platforms—promoting the uniqueness of the African American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance tradition. In addition to being the Principal Dance Company of New York City Center, where its performances have become a year‐end tradition, the Ailey company performs annually at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC; the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago; The Fox Theatre in Atlanta; Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, CA, and at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark where it is the Principal Resident Affiliate, and appears frequently in other major theaters throughout the United States and the world during extensive yearly tours. The Ailey organization also includes Ailey II (1974), a second performing company of emerging young dancers and innovative choreographers; The Ailey School (1969), one of the most extensive dance training programs in the world; Ailey Arts in Education & Community Programs, which brings dance into the classrooms, communities, and lives of people of all ages; and Ailey Extension (2005), a program offering dance and fitness classes to the general public, which began with the opening of Ailey's permanent home—the largest building dedicated to dance in New York City, the dance capital of the world—named The Joan Weill Center for Dance, at 55th Street at 9th Avenue in New York City. For more information, visit alvinailey.org.

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