Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater history

1960 – Alvin Ailey choreographs his classic masterpiece Revelations, which brings international acclaim.

Headquartered in New York, the Alvin Ailey company began touring internationally in 1962.

In 1964 Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater toured Europe for the first time.

She performed her debut with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) in “Conga Tango Palace” in 1965.

In 1967 the company became a little more organized when it incorporated as a nonprofit corporation, the Dance Theater Foundation.

In 1968 the group began an extended United States tour.

1969 – Alvin Ailey founds The Ailey School.

At the close of the 1970 season Ailey announced that financial problems would force him to disband the dance company.

In 1971 Ailey choreographed Cry expressly for Jamison; a 15-minute solo depicting the struggles of Black women, it became her signature piece.

1977 – AAADT performs at the inaugural gala for President Jimmy Carter at the White House.

1978: At its 20th anniversary, the company has doubled in size and runs the leading dance school in New York.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater gave a command performance for President Jimmy Carter at the White House in 1979, and then flew to Morocco for a New Year's performance at the behest of that country's king.

Leadership of the company fell to Judith Jamison, the dancer who had made her mark with Ailey's signature piece, "Cry." She had left the company in 1980 to pursue her own choreography, but she returned after Ailey's death.

1983 – AAADT celebrates its 25th anniversary with an anniversary benefit The New York Times calls “the biggest celebration of all” and further proclaims that “The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is not just a company; it is a school of thought.”

She also began to choreograph dances, and AAADT premiered her first work, Divining, in 1984.

Ailey was made Distinguished Professor of choreography at City University of New York in 1985.

In 1987, Ailey was diagnosed with AIDS. Although he continued to travel and undertake new projects, by that time he was clearly very ill.

1988 – Alvin Ailey receives The Kennedy Center Honors for Lifetime Contributions to American Culture through the Performing Arts and New York’s City’s highest cultural honor – the Handel Medallion.

Ailey was a pioneer of programs promoting arts in education, and the final program he launched before his passing in 1989 was AileyCamp — a full-scholarship summer day camp for young people ages 11–14 in underserved communities, now in 10 cities nationwide.

1991 – AileyCamp established in New York City.

Jamison’s autobiography, Dancing Spirit, written with Howard Kaplan, was published in 1993.

1994 – AAADT performs at the televised inaugural gala for President Bill Clinton, seen by 80 million viewers, and was featured on The Phil Donahue Show, reaching 18 million viewers.

1995 – Judith Jamison and the Company are featured in a commercial broadcast on the Academy Awards and Super Bowl telecasts as part of a very successful American Express ad campaign.

1997 – Historic AAADT residency in South Africa, signaling the end to a long cultural boycott of the old apartheid regime by the world performing arts community.

The company began unusual co-marketing agreements in 1998, trading its name to corporations for major donations.

1999 – Judith Jamison receives The Kennedy Center Honors for Lifetime Contributions to American Culture through the Performing Arts.

Judith Jamison carries the Olympic torch in Salt Lake City, UT prior to the opening of the 2002 Winter Olympics.

2003 – AAADT performs at the White House State Dinner honoring President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya.

The Dance Foundation began raising funds needed to complete the building, expected to open in 2004.

In 2005, current Ailey dancers, along with many alumni, donned costumes from their signature piece, Revelations and paraded down New York streets to their dazzling, permanent headquarters on West 55th Street.

2006 – The Library of Congress announces the donation of the Ailey archives to “the nation’s library,” which will preserve the materials, digitize them and make them more widely available to future generations.

2007 – AAADT is featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show and the season opening of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

2008 – The Ailey organization launches its 50th anniversary celebration with 18 months of special performances, projects and events, including: The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. opens the exhibit Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: 50 Years as Cultural Ambassador to the World.

2009 – AAADT kicks off its 50th Anniversary United States Tour to 26 cities in Washington, D.C. where President Obama and the First Family attend a performance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

2010 – Tracy Inman and Melanie Person become co-directors of The Ailey School, succeeding the late Denise Jefferson, who led the School for about 25 years.

…director (2011– ) of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

2013 – An historic engagement at Lincoln Center, for the first time in 13 years, launches 2013-14 season led by Robert Battle, which also includes visits to Brazil and Argentina and a record-breaking five-week engagement at New York City Center.

2015 – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater makes an historic return to South Africa after nearly 20 years, performing in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and leading workshops, master classes, and lecture demonstrations in over two dozen schools, universities, and community centers.

Ailey dancer Jacquelin Harris was a 2017 recipient of the Princess Grace Dance Performance Award.