Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater to Celebrate the Legacy of Alvin Ailey With Performances & More

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is inviting people of all ages and backgrounds to join in celebrating the life and legacy of founder Alvin Ailey on what would have been his 94th birthday on Sunday, January 5, 2025. For the joyous affair, AILEY has planned a day of festivities including a special ‘Alvin Ailey Birthday Celebration’ evening program featuring a variety of cherished works by Mr. Ailey – including the timeless Revelations – as the grand finale of the five-week New York City Center holiday season engagement; a Portrait of Ailey short film series and an Ailey Extension workshop exploring his genius as a choreographer with former Company member Linda Celeste Sims.

In the lead up to the inspiring sensational celebration, audiences can take in the final week of performances at New York City Center kicking off on New Year’s Eve with an uplifting matinee performance and continuing New Year’s Day with an ‘All New’ program highlighting the season’s world premieres and new productions. Throughout the week Ailey’s artists will present two additional ‘All New’ programs, two ‘Ailey Classics’ programs featuring the bubbly Night Creature and a selection of repertory spanning the breadth of Mr. Ailey’s rich catalog, and five performances of Alvin Ailey’s must-see Revelations.

AILEY fans can also honor the legendary dancer and choreographer by learning more about his life and impact when watching the new eight-part docuseries Portrait of Ailey on PBS Learning online for free, and experiencing the final weeks of Edges of Ailey through February 9th, the first large-scale museum exhibition to celebrate Alvin Ailey’s legacy at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

New York City Center
131 West 55th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues, New York, NY
 January 5, 2025 | 7pm

As the 2024-25 season of ‘Legacy in Motion’ pushes forward, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater invites all to join in celebrating what would have been the founder’s 94th birthday with a special ‘Alvin Ailey Birthday Celebration’ program to close out the New York City Center holiday engagement on Sunday, January 5 at 7pm. The much anticipated evening performance features some of Mr. Ailey’s most cherished works – excerpts of the bubbly Night Creature which fuses his buoyant choreography with Duke Ellington’s sparkling music; the strong yet serene solo Reflections in D; an excerpt of the tour-de-force solo Cry, the iconic role originated by Judith Jamison; and an excerpt from the magical Charlie Parker tribute For ‘Bird’ – With Love.  The grand finale of this spectacular program is Alvin Ailey’s signature masterpiece Revelations, which has enraptured audiences all over the world with its perfect blend of reverent grace and spiritual elation for over 60 years.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, beloved as one of the world’s most popular dance companies, concludes a five-week season at New York City Center for an engagement that has become a joyous holiday tradition. Led by Interim Artistic Director Matthew Rushing, Ailey’s exceptional artists continue to move audiences with exhilarating performances on New Years Eve and New Years Day, three ‘All New’ programs featuring the season’s world premieres from Matthew Rushing, Jamar Roberts, Hope Boykin and Lar Lubovitch as well as new productions from Ronald K. Brown and Elisa Monte; a two-act ‘Ailey Classics’ program highlighting some of Mr. Ailey’s best-loved ballets; and five more chances to see Alvin Ailey’s must-see Revelations.

Following the performances at New York City Center, AILEY’s season honoring the life and legacy of beloved Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison continues with a coast-to-coast US tour from January 31 – May 11, 2025 visiting nearly 20 cities including Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Newark, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and more.

Celebrating Alvin Ailey Workshop

with Linda Celeste Sims

Ailey Extension
405 W 55th Street, New York, NY

January 5, 2025 | 1:30-3:30pm
Learn More or Sign Up to Participate

In-Studio Workshop $30
Online Workshop $20

Former Ailey dancer Linda Celeste Sims will lead a special workshop honoring the incomparable dancer and visionary on Mr. Ailey’s birthday. Students will learn segments of Mr. Ailey’s most celebrated choreographies while also exploring his impact on the dance world and American history.

Ailey Extension offers a wide range of dance and fitness classes taught by globally renowned profession instructors and for people of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels.

Portrait of Ailey  

Documentary Series on PBS
All eight chapters online now

Available to watch on:
PBS Learning | pbs.org | WNET Thirteen and All Arts | PBS Passport | Hulu | Amazon Prime

The story of the life, work, and legacy of dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey, founder of Alvin Ailey American Dance Company, is explored in an eight-part documentary series on PBS Learning. Created by Sylvia Waters, artistic director emerita of Ailey II, with archivist Dominique Singer in partnership with PBS affiliate WNET and PBS Learning, the series uses rare historical film and still images along with contemporary footage to create a narrative of Mr. Ailey as a performer, choreographer, celebrity, teacher, social activist, and arts advocate, from his Texas roots to the creation of a renowned institution.

Edges of Ailey

Whitney Museum of American Art
99 Gansevoort St, New York, NY

Closes February 9, 2025 

 
The first large-scale museum exhibition to celebrate the life, dances, influences, adjacencies, and enduring legacy of visionary artists and choreographer Alvin Ailey consists of an immersive exhibition in the Whitney Museum’s fifth-floor galleries, as well as an ambitious suite of live performances, workshops, and panels in the Museum’s third-floor theater. Curated by Adrienne Edwards, the dynamic in-gallery installation brings together visual art, live performance, music, a range of archival materials, and a multi-screen video installation drawn from recordings of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater repertory to show both Ailey’s personal and creative life.