Elizabeth Roxas News

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will complete its 65th anniversary coast-to-coastUnited States tour to 21 cities at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND with performances Friday, May 10 at 8pm, Saturday, May 11th at 8pm and Sunday, May 12 at 3pm.

What did our critic think of FIFTY YEARS SINCE ITS FOUNDING, AILEY II FINDS ITS SPOTLIGHT at The Joyce Theatre?

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will returns to its Chicago home – the landmark Auditorium Theatre at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive – for its 55th engagement, with six dynamic performances, April 17-21, 2024. Tickets, starting at $40, are now on sale at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater | Auditorium Theatre.

What did our critic think of ALVIN AILEY WANTS YOU TO FEEL SOMETHING AGAIN at New York City Center?

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 65th anniversary season swings into the final two weeks of its holiday season engagement with an exciting lineup of performances that will captivate New York City Center audiences.

The Auditorium Theatre presents the return of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from April 17-21,

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 65th anniversary season rolls into its third week of extraordinary performances with a new production from visionary choreographer Alonzo King, more chances to see returning favorites, and a weekend full of live music with the ‘Ailey & Jazz' program.

On November 29, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater kicked off its 65th anniversary season at a star-studded Opening Night Gala complete with a rousing performance and party. Honorary Chairs for the evening were Tony®, Emmy®, and GRAMMY® Award-winning and Oscar-nominated actress, singer, author, and producer Cynthia Erivo and 3x Emmy® Award-winning co-host of ABC’s “The View” and 2x New York Times best-selling author Sunny Hostin. Check out photos here!

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has announced its 65th anniversary season at its New York City Center “home” from November 29 - December 31. Learn more about the upcoming performances here!

The little OPERA theatre of ny (LOTNY) will present American One Acts, a double bill, conducted by Gregory Hopkins and directed by Philip Shneidman, from May 31 - June 4, 2023 at Baruch Performing Arts Center.

Alvin Ailey’s roster of classic performances is long because it has never shied away from leveraging its foundational strengths to try something new. The company’s latest performance from Ailey II builds on this practice to breathe life into classic works, and ground new material in what the company does best. 

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, an American cultural ambassador to the world, and Artistic Director Robert Battle were officially welcomed to the White House and New York City Hall this month as the organization's performances and programs reach across the country during Black History Month.

Ailey II, the next generation of dance, will embark on a 22-city United States tour October 7 - February 25 stretching from Miami, Florida to South Bend, Indiana to Tacoma, Washington. Following the tour, the renowned ensemble of 12 rising stars will return home for an annual New York season at The Ailey Citigroup Theater March 22 – April 2, 2023.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater kicked off its three-week 2021 homecoming season December 1 with a one-night only gala benefit complete with an inspirational performance at New York City Center and star-studded dinner-party at the Ziegfeld Ballroom. 

On Tuesday, December 17th Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater reveals the company premiere of Camille A. Brown's City of Rain. This quietly lyrical piece honors the struggles and grace of a deceased friend, showing a different facet of the choreographer than Ailey audiences have seen in her previous works for the Company. Dedicated to Greg 'Blyes' Boomer, the work for 10 dancers is set to an original composition by Jonathan Melville Pratt entitled Two Way Dream. A recipient of numerous honors, including a 2014 Bessie Award for Outstanding Production for the work Mr. TOL. E. RAncE (Camille A. Brown & Dancers), Ms. Brown choreographed Broadway's Choir Boy (TONY nominee for Best Choreography), the TONY Award-winning revival of Once On This Island, and the Emmy Award-winning television special, Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert. [There are five more chances to see City of Rain this season: Dec. 20 eve, 21 eve, 27 eve, Jan. 1 eve, 5 mat.]

On Tuesday, December 10th, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater continues its holiday season with a celebration of The Ailey School's 50th anniversary, honoring its standard of excellence for providing exceptional training to more than 3,500 students annually. This special evening features students performing alongside the Company in Alvin Ailey's Memoria and Revelations.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater announces programming for a historic night at Ailey celebrating Associate Artistic Director Masazumi Chaya on Sunday, December 22nd at 7:30pm at New York City Center. Previously, Robert Battle, Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, shared the news that the Company's beloved mainstay for nearly five decades, Mr. Chaya, intends to retire on January 5, 2020, at the conclusion of the Company's New York City Center season. Having joined the Company in 1972 as a dancer, Mr. Chaya performed under Mr. Ailey's direction for 15 years, subsequently assumed responsibility for rehearsing the Company-a role for which Mr. Ailey had cultivated him-and for more than 28 years, as Associate Artistic Director, has maintained the repertoire, handled innumerable creative decisions, and guided generations of the Company's dancers.

The centerpiece of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Lincoln Center engagement is The Ailey Spirit Gala on Thursday, June 13th. The event launches the 50th Anniversary celebration of The Ailey School, which has served as a springboard for many notable artists, including more than 70% of the dancers in the Company. The evening's Honorary Chair is award-winning actress Lorraine Toussaint, who currently stars in NBC's The Village, Netflix's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, AMC's Into the Badlands, and the recently released supernatural thriller Fast Color. She will also star in the upcoming films Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark and The Glorias, where she will portray the iconic feminist and civil right activist Flo Kennedy opposite Julianne Moore. Toussaint is the parent of a student at The Ailey School.

In celebration of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 60th Anniversary, Ailey Extension invites people to experience the life, legacy, and artistry of Alvin Ailey through intimate panels and workshops led by his illustrious former dancers. Sylvia Waters will moderate the Growing Up with Alvin Ailey Legacy Panel on December 10, featuring former Ailey stars Sarita Allen, Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish, and Desmond Richardson as they share personal stories, individual experiences, and life lessons learned during their tenure dancing for the legendary founder. On January 5, what would have been Alvin Ailey's 88th birthday, Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison leads an exclusive Celebrating Alvin Ailey Workshop to share cherished memories of Mr. Ailey and teach some of his most well-known choreography.

When Alvin Ailey and a small group of African-American modern dancers first took the stage in 1958, appearing at New York City's 92nd Street Y, the engagement was for one night only—but it turned out to be the start of a new era in the performing arts. Mr. Ailey became one of the groundbreaking greats in African American history, while the work of his Company grew beyond the limits of the stage to encompass education at all levels, community outreach and cultural diplomacy. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater now embodies six decades of achievement, celebrating the human spirit with performances that unite and inspire all.