Last week, for only the fourth time in its nearly 70-year history, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater company began its new season under the leadership of a different Artistic Director: Alicia Graf Mack.
Artistic Director, Alicia Graf Mack speaks to Good Day New York about her inaugural season with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at New York City Center. Ailey dancer, Yannick Lebrun performs Alvin Ailey’s A Song for You, in anticipation of the season.
On Wednesday evening, hundreds of dance-lovers and patrons of the arts made their way to the New York City Center theater on West 55th Street for the Alvin Ailey Opening Night Gala—helping to kick off Alicia Graf Mack’s inaugural season as artistic director in style.
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre kicked off its annual season at New York City Center, the first under the leadership of Alicia Graf Mack, which will run from this week until January 2026. And while this historically African American company has always been a symbol of excellence in modern dance, its present is deeply marked by the presence and talent of Latino artists who find here a home for their identity and their movement. Among them are Afro-Brazilian dancer Leonardo Brito and AILEY Extension mambo instructor Katherine Jiménez, two voices that represent the cultural and spiritual expansion of Alvin Ailey's legacy.
On a recent Monday evening at the Manhattan headquarters of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, rehearsal for Revelations had the camaraderie of a reunion. A drum set rumbled in the corner. Vocalists settled into their chairs, sheet music and iPads in hand. The late choreographer’s canonical 1960 work, set to song-sermons and gospel, is typically performed with live music at the start of the company’s annual residency at New York City Center, and the artists were finally back in one room to prepare for opening night on December 3. The musical director cued the spiritual “Wade in the Water”—an evocation of Ailey’s boyhood baptism in a church pond in rural Texas—and the dancers began a procession with undulating torsos. “Rocka My Soul” brought out a flurry of yellow rattan fans, in homage to humid Sunday services, which sent a palpable breeze to the observers seated in front-row folding chairs.
The goddess of love drifts in on waves and wind. When the choreographer Maija García was invited to make her first work for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, this was the first image that came to mind. Then, a colleague directed her to “Black Gods, Green Islands,” a collection of Afro-Caribbean folklore written by Geoffrey Holder, the Trinidad-born artist, actor and dancer. The final story, “Goddess,” opens with almost the same image as the one in García’s vision. Taking this as a sign, she chose “Goddess” to adapt into dance.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s highly anticipated season at New York City Center is from December 3 – January 4, 2026. This year highlights the inaugural season of Artistic Director and former Ailey dancer, Alicia Graf Mack.
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's holiday performances begin in about three weeks, with a new artistic director leading the way. Alicia Graf Mack fills the giant shoes of the late great Judith Jamison. Mack was once a principal dancer under Jamison. She talked to Eyewitness News about her new role, which she calls a full-circle moment, and her vision for the future of the treasured theater.
Ailey 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.
We're dancing into the weekend ahead of National Dance Day! You can take free hip hop and New York-style mambo classes in honor of the holiday courtesy of Ailey Extension. We're getting a lesson in mambo from dancer, choreographer, artistic director of Baila Society and Ailey Extension instructor, Ahtoy Juliana.