Joan H. Weill is going out with a bang. After her 14 years as chairwoman of the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation and 20 years on its board, the company on Thursday evening planned to announce that more than $40 million had been raised in honor of her retirement.
Alvin Ailey, the revelatory dancer and choreographer who began life in Rogers, Texas, and died in Manhattan in 1989 at the age of 58, has been posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama.
Learn the opening section of Alvin Ailey's iconic work.
On paper, there are a number of reasons why Alicia Graf Mack shouldn't be a successful dancer. She's 6-foot-2 on her tiptoes, making it harder to find male partners tall enough for her. She's biracial, growing up in a time when African-American ballerinas are few. And she's suffered multiple injuries of the career ending variety.
An unexpected phone call gave choreographer Kyle Abraham the chance of a lifetime - to bring new moves to the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Renaldo Gardner talks about his experience teaching master classes and inspiring students across the country.
Renaldo Gardner, 22, of the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, gives instructions to the Master's Class to Broad Ripple High School Monday, March 18, 2013. Gardner, who is originally from Gary, IN, was once the student of Nicole Hargro who is currently one of the Broad Ripple Magnet High School for the Arts and Humanities Dance Faculty.
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Company, long one of the nation's more cherished troupes, is testing the waters of its Chicago popularity with an extended, two-week stay at the Auditorium Theatre, offering three separate linups through March 17.
When Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater announced its spring performance in Chicago, Sarah Daley was delighted. Having traveled all over the world performing, Ms. Daley loves visiting her hometown.
There's a cool, seductive way an Alvin Ailey dancer takes the stage - a pantherlike walk with the chest held high, hips and shoulders rolling ever so slightly. It's one of the things choreographer Kyle Abraham loves about Ailey's style.