Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
About Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater grew from a now-fabled performance in March 1958 at The 92nd Street Y in New York City. Led by Alvin Ailey and a group of young African American modern dancers, that performance changed forever the perception of American dance.
The Ailey company has gone on to perform for an estimated 25 million people at theaters in 48 states and 71 countries on six continents–as well as millions more through television broadcasts, film screenings, and online platforms.
In 2008, a U.S. Congressional resolution designated the Company as “a vital American cultural ambassador to the world” that celebrates the uniqueness of the African American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance heritage. When Mr. Ailey began creating dances, he drew upon his "blood memories" of Texas, the blues, spirituals, and gospel as inspiration, which resulted in the creation of his most popular and critically acclaimed work, Revelations. Although he created 79 ballets over his lifetime, Mr. Ailey maintained that his company was not exclusively a repository for his own work.
Today, the Company continues Mr. Ailey's mission by presenting important works of the past and commissioning new ones. In all, more than 235 works by over 90 choreographers have been part of the Ailey company’s repertory.
Before his untimely death in 1989, Alvin Ailey named Judith Jamison as his successor, and over the next 21 years, she brought the Company to unprecedented success. Ms. Jamison, in turn, personally selected Robert Battle to succeed her in 2011, and The New York Times declared he “has injected the company with new life.”
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater gratefully acknowledges The Joan & Sandy Weill Global Ambassador Fund, which provides vital support for Ailey’s national and international tours.
![](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/styles/default_manual_crop/public/2023-12/1600x900Members%20of%20the%20Company%20in%20Alvin%20Ailey%27s%20For%20%27Bird%27%20-%20With%20Love.%20Photo%20by%20Dario%20Calmese_007.png?itok=iFcXEVI-)
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Leonardo Brito
![Patrick Coker, photo by Andrew Eccles](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/styles/555x310/public/aaadt_patrick_coker.jpg?itok=chBcbdgf)
Patrick Coker
![Shawn Cusseaux, photo by German Vazquez](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/Headshot_Shawn%20Cusseaux.%20Photo%20by%20German%20Vazquez.jpg)
Shawn Cusseaux
![Sarah Daley-Perdomo, photo by Dario Calmese](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/HS_Daley-Perdomo_029_1000x563.jpg)
Sarah Daley-Perdomo
![Caroline T. Dartey, photo by Dario Calmese](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_person_landscape/public/2021-08/210723_Headshot_CarolineDarley_033_Retouched.jpg?itok=UdhT0SCp)
Caroline T. Dartey
![Isaiah Day, photo by Dario Calmese](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/Isaiah%20Day.%20Photo%20by%20Dario%20Calmese.jpg)
Isaiah Day
![Coral Dolphin, photo by Dario Calmese](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/Coral%20Dolphin.%20Photo%20by%20Dario%20Calmese.jpg)
Coral Dolphin
![Solomon Dumas, photo by Andrew Eccles](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/styles/555x310/public/aaadt_solomon%20dumas.jpg?itok=_5YHr2fZ)
Solomon Dumas
![Samantha Figgins, photo by Andrew Eccles](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/Samantha%20Figgins.%20Photo%20by%20Dario%20Calmese.jpg)
Samantha Figgins
![James Gilmer, photo by Michael Jackson, Jr.](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/2021-09/James%20Gilmer.jpg)
James Gilmer
![Vernard J. Gilmore](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/styles/555x310/public/aaadt_vernard%20gilmore2016.jpg?itok=ZTpcesKb)
Vernard J. Gilmore
![Ashley Kaylynn Green, photo by Dario Calmese](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/styles/featured_person_landscape/public/2021-08/210723_Headshot_AshleyGreen_008_Retouched.jpg?itok=y0zq0IUo)
Ashley Kaylynn Green
![Jacquelin Harris, photo by Andrew Eccles](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/styles/555x310/public/aaadt_jacquelin%20harris.jpg?itok=bWgQWQan)
Jacquelin Harris
![Michael Jackson Jr., photo by Dario Calmese](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/HS_Jackson_024_1000x563.jpg)
Michael Jackson, Jr.
![Yannick Lebrun, photo by Dario Calmese](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/2021-08/210723_Headshot_YannickLebrun_029_Retouched.jpg)
Yannick Lebrun
![Xavier Mack, photo by Nir Arieli](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/2022-09/Xavier%20Mack.%20Photo%20by%20Nir%20Arieli_1000x563px.jpg)
Xavier Mack
![Renaldo Maurice, photo by Andrew Eccles](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/styles/555x310/public/aaadt_renaldo%20maurice_2.jpg?itok=g-5OTteb)
Renaldo Maurice
![Corrin Rachelle Mitchell, photo by Dario Calmese](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/HS_Mitchell_008_1000x563.jpg)
Corrin Rachelle Mitchell
![Chalvar Monteiro, photo by Dario Calmese](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/HS_Monteiro_031_1000x563.jpg)
Chalvar Monteiro
Jesse Obremski
Kali Marie Oliver
![Alisha Rena Peek, photo by Nir Arieli](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/2022-09/Alisha%20Rena%20Peek.%20Photo%20by%20Nir%20Arieli_1000x563px.jpg)
Alisha Rena Peek
Jessica Amber Pinkett
![Miranda Quinn, photo by Gregory Costanzo](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/styles/555x310/public/aaadt_miranda%20quinn.jpg?itok=Tfy6bYMo)
Miranda Quinn
![Hannah Alissa Richardson, photo by Nir Arieli](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/2022-09/Hannah-Alissa-Richardson_2-Photo-by-Nir-Arieli_1000x563.jpg)
Hannah Alissa Richardson
![Deidre Rogan, photo by Nir Arieli](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/2022-09/Deidre%20Rogan.%20Photo%20by%20Nir%20Arieli_1000x563px.jpg)
Deidre Rogan
![Constance Stamatiou, photo by Andrew Eccles](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/aaadt_constance%20stamatiou%20lopez.jpg)
Constance Stamatiou
![Christopher Taylor, photo by Nir Arieli](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/styles/featured_person_landscape/public/2022-01/Ailey%20II%27s%20Christopher%20Taylor.%20Photo%20by%20Nir%20Arieli_1000x563.jpg?itok=2jrOiVfV)
Christopher Taylor
![De'Anthony Vaughan, photo by Kent Barker](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/De%27Anthony-Vaughan.-Photo-by-Kent-Barker.jpg)
De'Anthony Vaughan
Dandara Veiga
![Isabel Wallace Green, photo by Kent Barker](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/Isabel-Wallace-Green.-Photo-by-Kent-Barker.jpg)
Isabel Wallace-Green
![Christopher R. Wilson, photo by Dario Calmese](https://www.alvinailey.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/Christopher%20R.%20Wilson.%20Photo%20by%20Dario%20Calmese.jpg)
Christopher R. Wilson
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