Ailey Launches Program to Inspire Young New Yorkers

The Ailey organization is launching a Young New York program in conjunction with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's annual holiday season at New York City Center (November 30 - December 31). Supported by The Wallace Foundation as part of a multi-year audience development project, the program will engage people between the ages of 21 - 30 through a series of special events and ticket offers.

Alvin Ailey believed that "dance came from the people and should always be delivered back to the people." This initiative will further Ailey's ongoing mission of using dance to uplift and enlighten, introducing new audiences to the great American art form of modern dance, Alvin Ailey's must-see signature masterpiece Revelations, and the Company's legacy that has touched the hearts and minds of people around the world for nearly 60 years. Young New York will give participants access to classes, parties, and $25 tickets, plus the opportunity to meet Company members.

The festivities kick off with Young New York Night* on Thursday, December 1 at 7:30pm, featuring $25 tickets for every seat in the house. The performance includes Italian choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti's 2016 world premiere Deep, set to soulful music by Ibeyi; Awakening, Robert Battle's striking 2015 premiere; Judith Jamison's emotional and sensual A Case of You duet, set to the Diana Krall version of Joni Mitchell's song by the same name; and Alvin Ailey's timeless Revelations. Tickets for Young New York Night go on sale at noon on Friday, October 14, and can be purchased online, by phone, and at the New York City Center box office (131 W 55th St).

After being inspired by Ailey's world-renowned dancers at this special launch, a series of free events, as detailed below, will continue throughout December to keep Young New Yorkers dancing, mingling with the Ailey dancers, and celebrating the season. Anyone age 21 - 30 who joins Ailey's Young New York email list will receive details and access to great seats at an affordable price throughout the season. Click here for more information.

FREE Young New York Events**:

The First Drink's On Us (Friday, December 2 at 9:45 pm, after the 8pm performance - NYCC Upstairs Lobby)
Buy a ticket to this 8pm performance, and enjoy a drink on Ailey. Mingle with other 20-somethings at a free post-performance party in the upstairs lobby of the theater.

Get Fit with Ailey (Friday, December 9 at 6:30pm, before the 8pm performance - NYCC Upstairs Lobby)
Young ticket-holders to this 8pm performance are invited to arrive an hour early for a heart-pumping 45-minute class taught by Ailey Extension instructors.

Meet, Greet, and Snap (Friday, December 16 at 9:45pm, after the 8pm performance - NYCC Upstairs Lobby)
Following this 8pm performance, Young New Yorkers are invited to meet and mingle with the Ailey dancers. Smartphones are encouraged for this Snap-worthy Insta-event. #AlvinAiley #AileyNow #AileyYoungNY

Pre-New Year's Eve Party (Thursday, December 29 at 9:30pm - The Ailey Studios at 405 W 55th St)
Jumpstart the New Year's Eve celebration after this 7:30pm performance by heading to The Ailey Studios (just a few blocks west of NYCC) for a holiday party featuring an open bar and a DJ set by Angel + Dren.

*All ticket-buyers for this performance must be between the ages of 21-30 as of December 1, 2016. Proof of age is required. Guests of ticket buyers can be any age.

**You must present a valid ticket to an Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performance to attend these events. No additional purchase is required. Proof of age (21-30) is required.

For more information on Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's New York City Center season, visit www.alvinailey.org. Follow Ailey's incredible dancers on Instagram and Facebook as they perform around the world, share health and fitness tips, and rehearse for the upcoming season.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will take the stage at New York City Center from November 30 - December 31, 2016 in a five-week season that has become a joyous holiday tradition. Led by Artistic Director Robert Battle, Ailey's acclaimed dancers will perform an expansive repertory of over two dozen works, including the world premieres of Ailey dancer Hope Boykin's r-Evolution, Dream. and Kyle Abraham's Untitled America three-part series in its entirety. The season also includes the Company premiere of Johan Inger's Walking Mad, and new productions Billy Wilson's The Winter in Lisbon and Alvin Ailey's Masekela Langage. The marriage of the American art forms of jazz and modern dance will be highlighted throughout the season, from the "An Evening of Ailey and Jazz" Opening Night Gala to dances set to music by Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie and Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra. Other highlights include an evening Celebrating Ronald K. Brown, special live music performances of Revelations and Blue Suite, All Ailey and All New programs, a Season Finale on New Year's Eve, the Family Matinee Series with a post-performance Q & A with Ailey dancers, and a free Ailey Extension class offer with Ticket to Dance. Regular season tickets starting at $25 can be purchased at the New York City Center Box Office, through CityTix at (212) 581-1212 or online at www.alvinailey.org or www.nycitycenter.org.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, recognized by U.S. Congressional resolution as a vital American "Cultural Ambassador to the World," grew from a now?fabled March 1958 performance in New York that changed forever the perception of American dance. Founded by Alvin Ailey, recent posthumous recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom - the nation's highest civilian honor, and guided by Judith Jamison beginning in 1989, the Company is now led by Robert Battle, whom Judith Jamison chose to succeed her on July 1, 2011. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has performed for an estimated 25 million people in 71 countries on 6 continents - as well as millions more through television broadcasts, film screenings, and online platforms - promoting the uniqueness of the African?American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance tradition. In addition to being the Principal Dance Company of New York City Center, where its performances have become a year?end tradition, the Ailey company performs annually at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami?Dade County in Miami, The Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, CA and at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark where it is the Principal Resident Affiliate), and appears frequently in other major theaters throughout the United States and the world during extensive yearly tours. The Ailey organization also includes Ailey II (1974), a second performing company of emerging young dancers and innovative choreographers; The Ailey School (1969), one of the most extensive dance training programs in the world; Ailey Arts in Education & Community Programs, which brings dance into the classrooms, communities and lives of people of all ages; and The Ailey Extension (2005), a program offering dance and fitness classes to the general public, which began with the opening of Ailey's permanent home-the largest building dedicated to dance in New York City, the dance capital of the world -named The Joan Weill Center for Dance, at 55th Street at 9th Avenue in New York City. For more information, visit www.alvinailey.org.