Press Coverage

April 8, 2026

Harper's Bazaar - Alicia Graf Mack Knows Dance Is About Connecting the Past, Present, and Future

Dance rehearsal capturing a group of dancers engaged in choreography practice. How does anyone make art in this dizzying moment? In our Now issue, Bazaar speaks to 10 creative people—dancers, comedians, pop singers, writers—about what fuels their work in 2026. Alicia Graf Mack, a former dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, was named the company’s artistic director in 2025. Founded in 1958 by Alvin Ailey to center Black life, history, and spirituality onstage, the company has long been one of the most influential institutions in the dance world. Graf Mack, a former director of the dance program at Juilliard with a background in arts administration, steps into the role at a pivotal moment for both the company and the culture at large, as cultural institutions face mounting political pressure, shifting support, and renewed questions around representation, access, and community.

April 7, 2026

WXQR Dancing on Air - Tuesday: Alicia Graf Mack on Medhi Walerski’s Blink of an Eye

Alicia Graf Mack, Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, on the beauty of spontaneity in Medhi Walerski’s Blink of an Eye, set to the solo violin sonatas and partitas of J.S. Bach.

April 6, 2026

WBUR Here and Now - Alicia Graf Mack takes the stage as new artistic director of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater

Here & Now’s Indira Lakshmanan talks with Alicia Graf Mack, new artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, about her new role and how she is being guided by her mentor Judith Jamison and the legend, Ailey himself. In her inaugural season, Graf Mack is leading a 20-city U.S. tour, which began in January and concludes in Newark, New Jersey, on May 10.

February 12, 2026

ATL Live - Alvin Ailey Returns to the Fox Theatre

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Alicia Graf Mack and Caroline T. Dartey join ATL Live in-studio discuss their journey in the company and this weekend’s engagement at the Fox Theatre. Watch segment here (5 minutes): https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2026/02/13/alvin-ailey-returns-fox-theatre/

February 11, 2026

WABE - Alvin Ailey's latest performances come to Atlanta under new artistic director

As the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater opens a five-day run at the Fox Theatre, its new artistic director, Alicia Graf Mack, is carrying the torch handed to her by the late Judith Jamison — an icon in the industry.

February 7, 2026

WLCK - Alicia Graf Mack Talks Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and Portrait of Ailey Documentary

Alvin Ailey’s name is synonymous with dance. A documentary, Portrait of Ailey, has been produced and provides a much larger context for Ailey’s life. I was honored to moderate a panel discussion at the Center for Civil and Human Rights at a screening of the documentary. Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack joined me for a discussion about dance, Alvin Ailey, and the legacy she has been entrusted with. Mack shared how her love of dance came about, speaking about a videotape of Judith Jameson performing “Cry,” which let her know that she could be a dancer. With her parents' support, she began to learn “the language of dance.” She remembers seeing Alvin Ailey on stage and speaks about how all humans dance. She eventually joined the Alvin Ailey Dance Company under the tutelage of Judith Jameson.

February 6, 2026

NBC 4 - ‘Authenticity, identity and truth': Alvin Ailey dance company opens new tour in DC

Artistic Director, Alicia Graf Mack, and Ailey dancer, Jessica Amber Pinkett speak with NBC 4 Washington D.C. about the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s current engagement at the Warner Theatre until Sunday, February 8.

February 5, 2026

WJLA ABC 7 - Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to DC

As we celebrate Black History Month, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is making its annual visit to Washington, D.C. The troupe's new artistic director, Alicia Graf Mack, hails from the DMV and is excited to bring the art and performance of the troupe back to the area. "This is such a beautiful responsibility to hold in my hands. I grew up in this area, as you said, and I remember coming to performances in Baltimore and Washington, and having my dreams just enlarged and fulfilled," she said. The troupe is performing at the Warner Theater through Feb. 8

February 4, 2026

PBS News Hour - Alicia Graf Mack Reflects On Leading the Legendary Alvin Ailey Dance Company

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has just launched a 20-city U.S. tour under its new artistic director Alicia Graf Mack. She’s a renowned former Ailey dancer herself and an educator who is now fusing those roles to lead the modern dance troupe which started in 1958. Mack joins Geoff Bennett in the studio for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

January 30, 2026

The Washington Post - A dance Leader's Revelatory Journey

Alicia Graf Mack remembers when the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater became her North Star. She was about 8 years old, growing up in Howard County, Maryland, when she saw a VHS tape of the solo "Cry," an Ailey classic.