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Alvin Ailey and a group of young, black modern dancers perform for the first time as members of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at New York’s 92nd Street.
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Ailey creates his classic masterpiece Revelations which would soon be known internationally. The company also got their first residency at the 51st Street YWCA’s Clark Center for the Performing Arts.
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AAADT is chosen to go on an international tour around the the Far East, Southeast Asia and Australia as part of President John F. Kennedy’s progressive “President’s Special International Program for Cultural Presentations.”
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The company collaborates with Duke Ellington and Talley Beatty to create a program entitled “My People: First Negro Centennial,”.
Judith Jamison (Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater) sees Alvin Ailey perform with the Company for the first time in Philadelphia. -
Judith Jamison dances with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for the first time.
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The company performed in the first Negro Arts Festival in Dakar, Senegal.
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The company appears in a television dance special directed by Lars Egler called Riedaglia. The piece features Ailey’s choreography set to music by George Reidel. Ailey wins the Grand Prix Italia, a prestigious television production award.
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The company embarks on a two-and-a-half month, 10 country tour of Africa for the State Department.
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Revelations is performed by Ballet Folklorico for the olympic opening ceremony in Mexico City. The company receives its first grant from the Rockefeller Foundation and performs at the White House for President Johnson.
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Alvin Ailey establishes his dance school, the company has it's first season in Manhattan at the Billy Rose Theater and the company moves to Brooklyn Academy of Music.
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Affected by a financial crisis common to all dance companies in America, Alvin Ailey issues a statement that the Company may be dissolved because of insufficient funds to keep its dancers employed for “a reasonable amount of time each year.”
Dance Theater Foundation, Inc., a non-profit, tax-exempt organization, is created to help seek sustaining funds for the Company. -
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater goes on a six-week tour of the USSR—the first for an American modern dance company since the days of Isadora Duncan. The Washington Post reports that the Company was kept onstage for 20 minutes of curtain calls after a sold-out opening night performance at Moscow’s Variety Theater.
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Ailey coreographes "Cry" for Judith Jamison as a birthday present to his mother. Cry becomes an instant hit, bringing even more popularity to Alvin Ailey as a brilliant choreographer and Judith Jamison as an extraordinary dancer.
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Memories and Visions, a television special produced by Ellis Haizlip, is broadcast on PBS on May 6.
Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble—a professional dance company with a full touring schedule—is created in order to help the most talented students from Alvin Ailey American Dance Center make the leap from studio to stage.
CBS airs Ailey Celebrates Ellington, Alvin Ailey’s dance tribute to the American jazz legend. -
Alvin Ailey choreographs Pas de Duke for Judith Jamison and Mikhail Baryshnikov and they receive keys to New York City.
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Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performs at President Jimmy Carter’s inaugural gala at the White House.
On April 26, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performs at the opening night of Studio 54. -
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater gives its fabled “midnight performance” for the Crown Prince of Morocco. Yielding to the Crown Prince’s insistence that the Company celebrate the new year with him, the dancers do not actually perform until 3am, following a full Moroccan New Year feast!
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Ulysses Dove creates his first ballet, Inside, for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Judith Jamison.
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Judith Jamison premieres her first ballet, Divining, for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, with music by Kimati Dinizulu and Monti Ellison.
Alvin Ailey’s For ‘Bird’–With Love is created and performed to honor Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s relationship with Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey. -
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is the first modern dance company to go on a U.S. government-sponsored tour of the People’s Republic of China since the normalization of Sino-American relations.
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Alvin Ailey receives The Kennedy Center Honor for lifetime contribution to American culture through the performing arts—the nation’s highest official distinction for creative artists.
The company celebrates its 30th Anniversary. -
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Honoring Mr. Ailey’s wish, Judith Jamison becomes the Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater after his death.
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Masazumi Chaya accepts the position of Associate Artistic Director at the request of Judith Jamison.
Dance in America features Ulysses Dove’s Episodes and Alvin Ailey’s For ‘Bird’–With Love in “Alvin Ailey: Steps Ahead.”
Judith Jamison choreographs Rift, set to music by Nona Hendryx, for the Company. -
Judith Jamison choreographs Hymn, her powerful tribute to Alvin Ailey, in collaboration with the Tony Award-nominated actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith.
Ailey in the Park attracts 30,000 spectators, who congregate in New York City’s Central Park to see the live performance. -
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Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performs at the televised inaugural gala for President Bill Clinton.
The Company performs for the first time at the Paris Opera. -
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Judith Jamison’s newest ballet, Echo: Far From Home, premieres in conjunction with 40th Anniversary celebrations.
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Orlando Bagwell’s documentary “A Hymn for Alvin Ailey,” inspired by Judith Jamison’s work Hymn, is broadcast nationally on PBS’ Great Performances.Judith Jamison wins her first Prime Time Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Choreography for her work on the hour-long PBS Great Performances documentary, “A Hymn for Alvin Ailey.”
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Judith Jamison Creates Commissioned Ballet for 2002 Olympic Arts Festival.
Members of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and young students from The Ailey School perform on Sesame Street dancing alongside Big Bird and Elmo. -
The United States Postal Service issues a first class postage stamp honoring Alvin Ailey. The American Choreographers series commemorates four visionary 20th century choreographers—Alvin Ailey, George Balanchine, Agnes DeMille and Martha Graham—who left a profound mark on the language of dance.Denise Jefferson celebrates her 30th anniversary at The Ailey School and marks 20 years as School Director.
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A ceremony in Washington, DC commemorates the donation of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Archives to the Library of Congress.
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Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancer Dwana Adiaha Smallwood performs an excerpt of Alvin Ailey’s Cry with young students from The Ailey School on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
On September 4, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is featured on the season opening of the Ellen DeGeneres Show. -
On July 10, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater appears on FOX TV’s So You Think You Can Dance.
On March 27, Ailey launches its 50th anniversary celebration with festivities at The Joan Weill Center for Dance that garner widespread media attention.
On April 1, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater becomes the first concert dance company to perform on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. -
In July 2011, Judith Jamison became Artistic Director Emerita of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Ms. Jamison continues to dedicate herself to asserting the prominence of the arts in our culture, and she remains committed to promoting the significance of the Ailey legacy – using dance as a medium for honoring the past, celebrating the present and fearlessly reaching into the future.
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Robert Battle became Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in July 2011 at the personal selection of Judith Jamison, making him only the third person to head the Company since it was founded in 1958. In announcing his appointment as Artistic Director, she stated, “Combining an intimate knowledge of the Ailey company with an independent perspective, Robert Battle is without question the creative force of the future.”
