https://pressroom.ailey.orgAiley IIen-usFri, 23 Oct 2026 18:52:14 GMTFri, 23 Oct 2026 18:52:14 GMTiPressroomhttps://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=6abe94ea3d6332d5fc38667b&file_ext=.pdf&page_id=&ir=1press_coverageAiley IINight Creature (Ailey II)Thu, 01 Oct 2026 17:21:15 GMTThe Dreamland hosted Ailey II, an internationally acclaimed second company of the legendary Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, for a sold-out show this week, as well as a special performance for island students. The engagement marked the first time Ailey II has ever performed on Nantucket, and it was the official opening stop of the company's 2026–27 national touring season. The performance "stands as one of the most significant cultural performances in the Dreamland's history as the island's year-round nonprofit film, performing arts and cultural center," the non-profit stated. ]]>https://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=6abe94ea3d6332d5fc38667b&file_ext=.pdf&page_id=&ir=1Thu, 24 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://pressroom.alvinailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=6a98851e3d633241fd90efec&file_ext=.pdf&page_id=&ir=1releasesAiley IIWed, 02 Sep 2026 20:23:18 GMThttps://pressroom.alvinailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=6a98851e3d633241fd90efec&file_ext=.pdf&page_id=&ir=1Wed, 02 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=69e93bb13d6332bb4cbb6238&file_ext=.pdf&page_id=press_coverageChalvar MonteiroAiley IIBerry Dreamin'Wed, 22 Apr 2026 21:28:41 GMTThis year marks a century since the births of musical giants — including John Coltrane and the region’s own Miles Davis and Chuck Berry. And in a season where Dance St. Louis is celebrating its 60th anniversary, it feels fitting that the organization chose to honor St. Louis’ own Berry not with nostalgia, but with new creation. Ailey II’s St. Louis stop at the Touhill Performing Arts Center delivered a tribute engrained in legacy, but pulsing with the urgency of now. The centerpiece of the evening was Berry Dreamin’, a new work choreographed by Chalvar Monteiro and set to the unmistakable twang and fire of Chuck Berry’s catalog. The ballet, commissioned by Dance St. Louis as part of its milestone anniversary, unfolded like a stream of consciousness. It became a dreamscape where thoughts don’t arrive in straight lines but in bursts, loops, and flashes of color ]]>https://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=69e93bb13d6332bb4cbb6238&file_ext=.pdf&page_id=Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://pressroom.alvinailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=6a2aec733d63322646b7bab5&file_ext=.pdf&page_id=&ir=1press_coverageAiley IIAiley Highlights (Ailey II)Francesca HarperXhosa Scott Meredith BrownThu, 11 Jun 2026 17:13:38 GMTStudio STL speaks with Ailey II’s Artistic Director, Francesca Harper, and company members, Meredith Brown and Xhosa Scott about the company’s engagement in St. Louis including the St. Louis premiere of Chalvar Monteiro’s Berry Dreamin’ in honor of Chuck Berry. ]]>https://pressroom.alvinailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=6a2aec733d63322646b7bab5&file_ext=.pdf&page_id=&ir=1Fri, 10 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=69e671333d633207c0c677fa&file_ext=.pdf&page_id=press_coverageChalvar MonteiroAiley IIRepertoryAiley Highlights (Ailey II)Berry Dreamin'Mon, 20 Apr 2026 19:00:30 GMTWhen you think of dancing to Chuck Berry music, you may think duck walks or sock hops, but new choreography will have you seeing rock'n'roll originator and St. Louis native in a whole new light. This weekend, Ailey II will perform the world premiere of "Berry Dreamin,'" a contemporary work commissioned by Dance St. Louis for its 60th anniversary season to celebrate what would have been Chuck Berry's 100th birthday this year. Choreographed by Chalvar Monteiro, the piece draws on Berry's music and spirit while imagining a dreamlike world or memory, intimacy and human connection. ]]>https://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=69e671333d633207c0c677fa&file_ext=.pdf&page_id=Thu, 09 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://pressroom.alvinailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=6a0b64cf3d633234935d673d&file_ext=.pdf&page_id=&ir=1press_coverageAiley IIRepertoryLikes vs LifeMon, 18 May 2026 19:17:18 GMTRenée I. McDonald pulls double duty in life. She’s an acclaimed choreographer, whose latest work, Likes vs Life, is currently being presented at The Joyce Theater in Midtown Manhattan, courtesy of Ailey II, the second company of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She’s also an attorney practicing in Jamaica. Both of these professions would seem to require a thorough and constant presence on social media, but McDonald is a once-in-a-while type of user of social media. And, in fact, the detrimental impacts of social media is the thesis of her new work.]]>https://pressroom.alvinailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=6a0b64cf3d633234935d673d&file_ext=.pdf&page_id=&ir=1Wed, 18 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=696945413d63328a5cc935f6&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfreleasesAlvin Ailey American Dance TheaterAiley IIArts In EducationAiley ExtensionThe Ailey SchoolThu, 15 Jan 2026 19:59:01 GMThttps://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=696945413d63328a5cc935f6&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfThu, 15 Jan 2026 19:56:00 GMThttps://pressroom.alvinailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=6a0b67d33d6332580d5d6700&file_ext=.pdf&page_id=&ir=1press_coverageAiley IIMon, 18 May 2026 19:29:02 GMTWhen Alvin Ailey launched Ailey II in 1974, he did it with a pioneering eye to showcase diversity. It’s now one of the most renowned modern dance companies, with artistic director Francesca Harper infusing fresh perspectives into Ailey’s legacy. Ailey II blends the energy of some of the nation’s best rising dance talent with the creative visions of today’s most innovative choreographers. Thursday, they showcase four works at the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek.]]>https://pressroom.alvinailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=6a0b67d33d6332580d5d6700&file_ext=.pdf&page_id=&ir=1Tue, 13 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMThttps://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=696692ca3d6332f167fff342&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfpress_coverageAiley IIDancersJordyn White Xavier LoganTue, 13 Jan 2026 18:48:53 GMTAiley II’s Jordyn White and Xavier Logan discuss the second company’s upcoming engagement at The Arsht Center in Miami, Florida on Friday, January 9, 2026.]]>https://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=696692ca3d6332f167fff342&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfThu, 08 Jan 2026 18:41:00 GMThttps://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=695d49863d63326b527edc6a&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfreleasesAiley IIFri, 20 Feb 2026 17:38:06 GMThttps://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=695d49863d63326b527edc6a&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfTue, 06 Jan 2026 17:40:00 GMThttps://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=6966946b3d6332f16afff381&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfpress_coverageAiley IIArtistic DirectionDancersFrancesca HarperJordyn White Tue, 13 Jan 2026 18:57:31 GMTWorld class dance company brings elite young dancer and three premieres to the Arsht Center. ]]>https://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=6966946b3d6332f16afff381&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfWed, 24 Dec 2025 18:49:00 GMThttps://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=68fa47253d63325ae5e77392&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfpress_coverageAiley IIArtistic DirectionDivining (Ailey II)Francesca HarperBerry Dreamin'Likes vs LifeThu, 23 Oct 2025 15:21:06 GMTAiley II is a national treasure, one of just a handful of touring dance companies with the versatility, efficiency, malleability and bedrock creativity to work on a wide variety of stages and efficiently bring cutting-edge modern dance works to the masses. Many different Connecticut theaters have hosted Ailey II over the years, including the Westport Country Playhouse this past May. This week, Ailey II is bringing one of the several dance programs in its current repertoire to the Shubert Theatre in New Haven on Oct. 18.]]>https://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=68fa47253d63325ae5e77392&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfMon, 13 Oct 2025 15:16:00 GMThttps://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=68d6f6c43d6332b0bb0426ca&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfpress_coverageAiley IIDancersXhosa Scott Fri, 26 Sep 2025 20:29:32 GMTRADFORD, Va. (WDBJ) - The Ailey II Dance Company will perform at Radford University Friday, September 26, as part of the University’s Performance Series. Dance has a way of evoking emotion and telling stories through movement. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and the Ailey II Dance Company in New York continue this tradition by inviting generations of dancers to share the African American experience with audiences worldwide through modern dance.]]>https://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=68d6f6c43d6332b0bb0426ca&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfThu, 25 Sep 2025 20:23:00 GMThttps://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=68b9b64b3d63321604552b9c&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfreleasesAiley IIArtistic DirectionSylvia WatersDancersFrancesca HarperJennifer M. GerkenXhosa Scott Darion Turner Jordyn White Kamani AbuNaia NealAdanna SmallsShay BlandCarley Cruzat BrooksEric J. VidañaJada AmmonsMeredith BrownChristian ButtsXavier LoganVic E. DavisJaydin J. De JesúsMichelle OsanyaThird Person Point of ViewBerry Dreamin'In SessionLikes vs LifeIn SessionThu, 04 Sep 2025 19:04:25 GMThttps://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=68b9b64b3d63321604552b9c&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfThu, 04 Sep 2025 15:54:00 GMThttps://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=68ae13f53d63326bd289343e&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfpress_coverageAiley IIArtistic DirectionFrancesca HarperWed, 27 Aug 2025 09:30:44 GMTWhen Sara Mearns was a young dancer with New York City Ballet, she says, she kept finding herself in a certain kind of role: “big dancing, dramatic, romantic, emotional.” It took her late coach Susan Hendl to imagine her in something different, casting Mearns in Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering. “She was the first person that took a chance on me doing something quieter,” says Mearns. “I’m so grateful to her, because once she did that, then everybody else saw it and was like, ‘Oh, wait, she can dance another way.’”]]>https://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=68ae13f53d63326bd289343e&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfMon, 25 Aug 2025 20:05:00 GMThttps://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=68ae103e3d633226038934e4&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfpress_coverageAiley IIWed, 27 Aug 2025 09:31:39 GMTTrinidad and Tobago: A significant moment is set to shape Caribbean cultural history as one of the most revolutionary modern dance groups, the Alvin Ailey II dance company from the United States, takes center stage for the first time in Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday, August 26. According to the information, the performers are set to make their debut at Queen’s Hall, Port of Spain, presenting its celebrated repertoire including the iconic modern dance work Revelations, choreographed by Alvin Ailey.]]>https://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=68ae103e3d633226038934e4&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfFri, 22 Aug 2025 19:49:00 GMThttps://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=689e422f3d63320aab873baa&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfpress_coverageAiley IIArtistic DirectionSylvia WatersThu, 14 Aug 2025 20:11:19 GMTWhen one thinks of the legendary dancer Sylvia Waters, excellence, poise, and artistry are among the first attributes that come to mind. But in the classroom, her heart, brilliance, and spirit are what have elevated and inspired thousands of dancers. Selected by Alvin Ailey himself to join Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and later to lead the newly formed Ailey II in 1974, Waters has helped to mentor and elevate countless dancers through the transition from student to professional, all the while shaping a junior company into a globally respected institution.]]>https://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=689e422f3d63320aab873baa&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfMon, 11 Aug 2025 20:05:00 GMThttps://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=6865a49d3d63326fbf8de674&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfpress_coverageAiley IIArtistic DirectionFrancesca HarperWed, 02 Jul 2025 21:32:36 GMTShortly after Adam McKinney took the helm at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre in 2023, he promoted Grace Rookstool from the corps de ballet to soloist. The following season, he cast her as both the Sugar Plum Fairy and a stepsister up to mischievous antics in Cinderella. During PBT’s most recent season, McKinney says, he was certain she’d “perform a sumptuous ‘Emeralds.’ ” Rookstool also embodied Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, ending the run with an onstage promotion to principal.]]>https://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=6865a49d3d63326fbf8de674&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfFri, 27 Jun 2025 21:26:00 GMThttps://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=67a3a5013d633280b52d48c2&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfreleasesAiley IIRepertoryDivining (Ailey II)Streams (Ailey II)LuminousDown The Rabbit HoleWed, 05 Feb 2025 18:20:15 GMThttps://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=67a3a5013d633280b52d48c2&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfWed, 05 Feb 2025 17:48:00 GMThttps://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=677ef3493d633252d725f276&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfpress_coverageAlvin Ailey American Dance TheaterAiley IIArtistic DirectionSylvia WatersDirectorsMasazumi ChayaSpecial EventsThe Ailey OrganizationLeadershipMasazumi ChayaSylvia WatersEdges of Ailey Whitney ExhibitionWed, 08 Jan 2025 21:58:47 GMTIn 1949, as legend has it, Alvin Ailey, then a young gymnast, followed school buddy and fellow future dance icon Carmen de Lavallade to the famed Lester Horton “Dance Theater” on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. It was a simple gesture that would lay the groundwork for the future of American concert dance. After Horton’s unexpected death, Ailey took over the Horton company for a while before starting the eponymous Alvin Ailey Company in New York, forming a beautiful, long and deeply intersectional lineage that incorporated dance, art, and innumerable interconnected histories culminating in the very first exhibit of the archival record of the Alvin Ailey Company, a show five years in the making and currently on view at The Whitney Museum of American Art.]]>https://pressroom.ailey.org/_gallery/get_file/?file_id=677ef3493d633252d725f276&ir=1&file_ext=.pdfTue, 31 Dec 2024 21:50:00 GMT