Alvin Ailey News

Directed by Jason Brubaker with performances by Billy Bell's Lunge Dance Collective showcasing Billy Bell (So You Think You Can Dance); Brandon Cournay (Musical Chairs); Shelby Colona (Peter Chu's award-winning piece This Thought); Kate Harpootlian (Dancing with the Stars); and McKenna Birmingham (Radio City Rockettes) with Natalie Douglas (Scrapbook 2.0' Birdland Cafe Carlyle); Mark Hartman (Broadway's 'Avenue Q).

In conjunction with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's current holiday season at New York City Center, the celebration of the new year, and The January 5th season finale on what would have been Alvin Ailey's 83rd birthday; The Ailey Extension will offer special programs now through January. Starting tonight programs will include Revelations workshops taught by leading dancers from the Company's 55 year history, and the all new "Get Fit in '14" challenge beginning on January 2nd.

BLACK ENTERPRISE(BE) will present its highest recognition of women's achievement when it presents the Legacy Awards at the 2014 Women of Power Summit on February 26, 2014 in Boca Raton, Fla. The Women of Power Summit is the nation's No. 1 executive development and leadership conference for women of color, annually attracting more than 700 corporate executives, professionals and businesswomen from across the country. The Women of Power Summit, hosted by State Farm Insurance, will take place February 26-March 1, 2014 at the Boca Raton Resort and Club.

Artistic Director Karen A. Fuhrman announced today that GROUNDED AERIAL, a visceral aerial dance company, will present EMOTIONALLY CHARGED CHOREOGRAPHY AMPLIFIED INTO THE AIR on Saturday, January 25th at 8pm at the Lehman Center for Performing Arts (250 Bedford Park Boulevard, West Bronx).

After a 10-year hiatus, the sensational, world-renowned Rennie Harris, believed by many to be the best living hip-hop dancer/artist on earth, will return to The Joyce Theater with his company Rennie Harris Puremovement from January 28 - February 2, 2014 to perform a program that features the most exciting, compelling and acclaimed pieces from the company's repertoire. Tickets are $10-$49 ($26-$37 for Joyce members) and can be arranged by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800 or online at www.joyce.org. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street.

Parsons Dance, under the artistic direction of acclaimed choreographer David Parsons, will play a celebratory two-week engagement, marking the company's 30th Anniversary season, at The Joyce Theater from January 14 - 26. The season will include the world premiere of Parsons' The Introduction, along with audience favorites from the company's repertoire, such as Nascimento Novo, The Envelope and, of course, Caught. Also seen this engagement will be Robert Battle's The Hunt and, for the special opening night performance only, an excerpt from Paul Taylor's Cloven Kingdom, performed by members of Paul Taylor Dance Company. Tickets, priced from $10 - $59 ($26 - $44 for Joyce members), can be purchased by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800 or via the internet at www.joyce.org. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue (@ 19th street) in Chelsea.

One of the first theater influences for me as a kid wasn't a play or musical, but a touring company of Alvin Ailey Company that came through Jones Hall in Houston Texas. By the end of the solo piece "Cry," I was in tears, baffled by how I'd just watched a three act play with no words being spoken. The shifts from love and defiance were dizzying at times, but never melodramatic. And the storytelling was rooted in such truth that carried a legacy of history of those who had danced the piece before her. Flash forward to my first trip to New York in Junior Year of High School where I took a very expensive nap during one of my first Broadway shows until a helicopter onstage woke me up. It was no fault of the actors for not holding the interest of an over-stimulated teenager, but in hindsight, I could see how technology and budget robbed the intimacy of the story being told.

Alvin Ailey is a modern African dance company that is best known for its strength, powerful isolations, and breath-taking lifts and leaps, and did I mention strength? Despite the horrible downpour of rain outside on Friday night, the house was packed and buzzing with excitement and anticipation for the world premiere of Lift, choreographed by Assure Barton. The artistic director came on stage before the show began to let us know that “if you're still feeling a little chilly, we'll warm you up.” And that's exactly what the night did.

The National Historic Landmark Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, led by Executive Director Brett Batterson and Board Chairman Melvin L. Katten, celebrates the milestone 125th Anniversary and announces programming for 2014 - 15 Season.

Whether a first-timer or seasoned fan, you are in for a fabulous treat with the 51st annual production of The Nutcracker - Austin's premier holiday tradition. This season, Artistic Director Stephen Mills' acclaimed choreography and the beloved tale are enhanced by the World Premiere of spectacular new sets and costume designs.

Led by Artistic Director Robert Battle, Ailey's 2013-14 Season at New York City Center kicked off December 4th with an Opening Night Gala Benefit hosted by Honorary Co-Chair Gabrielle Union. The event's co-chairs were Simin Allison & in memory, Herb Allison, Kathryn & Kenneth Chenault, Daria L. Foster & Erich J. Wallach, Agnes & Gerald Hassell, Debra L. Lee, and Joan & Sandy Weill. The evening helped raise over $2.4 million for the creation of new works and Alvin Ailey's extensive educational programs for young people, including AileyCamp and scholarships to The Ailey School. Check out the pics below!

The holidays are upon us with plenty to celebrate at the Kimmel Center's campus of events and performances.

Camille A. Brown & Dancers, recognized for its visceral movement and unflinching approach to comedic and controversial themes, announces its upcoming New York return of Camille A. Brown's 2013 Mr. TOL E. RAncE. Presented as part of the 651 Arts 25th Anniversary Season, Black Dance: Traditions and Transformation series, the program will run two-nights at the Kumble Theater in Brooklyn, tonight and tomorrow, December 6-7, 2013. Scott Patterson will play live the original eclectic piano score-composed by Patterson, Brandon McCune, Jonathan Melville Pratt and Kurt 'KC' Clayton.

Society for the Performing Arts (SPA), Houston's leading performing arts presenter, has the perfect gift at the perfect price for Houstonians and their loved ones this holiday season. SPA will launch the '12 Days of Tixmas' on Thursday, Dec. 12, a social media campaign highlighting a different performance with a different discount offer for 12 days in a row. The special offers will run daily through Monday, Dec. 23.

Company XIV and The Saint At Large present the New York Premiere of Nutcracker Rouge, conceived, directed and choreographed by Austin McCormick, with a script adapted and written by Jeff Takacs. Nutcracker Rouge runs Off-Broadway from November 30, 2013 to January 5, 2014 in a limited 6-week engagement at the Minetta Lane Theatre, located at 18 Minetta Lane between MacDougal Street and 6th Avenue in New York City. Previews begin November 30 for a December 4 opening.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will kick off a five-week holiday season tonight, December 4thwith a star-studded gala benefit performance at New York City Center and party at the New York Hilton Midtown Grand Ballroom. 27-time Grammy award-winning music icon Quincy Jones and actress Gabrielle Union will serve as the evening's Honorary Chairs.

Marie-Christine Giordano found her passion in Switzerland as a teen; a series of unexpected events brought her to the U.S. dance capital.