About AILEY

Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack with members of the Company
Please Credit Photo: Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack with members of the Company. Photo by Andrew Eccles
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Founded by Alvin Ailey on March 30, 1958, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is one of the most acclaimed dance companies in the world. With a repertory that boasts close to 300 works by more than 100 choreographers, it has performed in more than 70 countries on six continents and has been designated a "vital American Cultural Ambassador to the World” by a US Congressional resolution. 

The Ailey Organization includes: Ailey II (a second performing company of young dancers and emerging choreographers), The Ailey School (one of the world's most extensive dance training programs), Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs (which bring dance into classrooms and communities), and Ailey Extension (offering dance and fitness classes to the public). Using the American modern dance tradition and the beauty of the African American cultural heritage, AILEY enlightens, unites, and inspires all people.   

Featured News Releases

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Returns To Atlanta's Fox Theatre February 17-21, 2027 For Six Moving Performances

ATLANTA – October 21, 2026 – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, one of the world’s most popular dance companies and a beloved American cultural ambassador to the world, announces a return to the Fox Theatre, February 17 - 21, 2027 as part of a 23-city North American tour led by Alicia Graf Mack, the Daria L. and Eric J. Wallach Artistic Director of AILEY. The Company’s Atlanta engagement will showcase the passionate artistry and technical brilliance of Ailey’s incredible dancers during six awe-inspiring performances, including stunning new works by today’s premier choreographers and cherished classics from the Ailey repertory that have moved audiences for generations.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Announces December 2 Opening Night Gala With Multiple Grammy Award-Winning Artist SZA And Award-Winning Filmmakers Spike Lee And Tonya Lee As Honorary Chairs

NEW YORK — October 13, 2026 — On Wednesday, December 2, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will raise the curtain on its 2026-27 season at a dazzling Opening Night Gala with multiple Grammy Award-winning artist SZA and Award–winning filmmakers Spike Lee and Tonya Lee as Honorary Chairs. Kicking off the company’s five-week holiday engagement at New York City Center, the gala begins with a 6:30pm one-night-only program featuring the world premiere of Power of Love in honor of music icon Luther Vandross, followed by dinner and dancing at the Ziegfeld Ballroom.

Ailey Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack Announces Debut Children's Book, Introducing Rhythm, With Vibrant Illustrations

NEW YORK – September 24, 2026 – Alicia Graf Mack, the Daria L. and Eric J. Wallach Artistic Director of AILEY, announces her debut children’s book, Introducing Rhythm, set for release on November 9 to kick off National Children’s Book Week (November 9–15). With full-color illustrations by artist Justin Campbell, Introducing Rhythm invites readers ages 4–12 into a joyful world of movement, music, and self-discovery.

Featured Press Coverage

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Dance Magazine - Ailey’s Ashley Kaylynn Green Never Settles for Less Than Authenticity

Onstage, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater standout Ashley Kaylynn Green is captivatingly contradictory. Her rock-solid technique is powerful yet subtle; her artistic approach blends curiosity and absolute dedication. “She dresses every movement with so much swag and style, physicality and grace, elegance and accessibility,” says AAADT artistic director Alicia Graf Mack.

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Defender Network- Game Changers: Building Black Houston lifestyle, culture, entertainment

Black creatives in Houston have long been the key that keeps the city vibrant, colorful, and entertaining. For the Defender’s Game Changers series, we are focused on Houston talent who have made an impact in the arts, culture, and entertainment space. They talked about the paths that shaped them, what Houston means to their work, the impact they are proudest of, what they are building now, and the advice they would give young Black Houstonians still finding their way. More than 20 years ago, Isabel Wallace-Green sat in Jones Hall and watched Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater perform. Today, when Ailey tours to Houston, she is the one on that stage. Her parents, both artists and educators, filled her childhood with art.

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Dance Mogul Magazine - Nasha Thomas

That sentence holds her whole life. A girl from Queens who was taught, guided and believed in, who grew into a woman on one of the world’s great stages, and who then turned around and spent the next three decades doing the guiding herself. Today she is the National Director of AileyCamp, the free summer program that in 2026 serves middle schoolers in nine American cities, including Newark, New Jersey. Dance Mogul Magazine first sat down with her in 2013. This feature goes further. It is written for one reader in particular: the young girl who has never seen herself in a dance history book. Here is a woman who started exactly where you are.