Dance that changed the world

Superheroes on the dance floor

Beyoncé has worked with them. So have John Legend and Alonso King. Not because the company sought them out, but because for the world's biggest artists, it's an honor to become part of this story. At the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, after all, it isn't the guest stars but the company itself that's the star.

This autumn, the legendary New York company heads to Europe for the first time under new artistic director Alicia Graf Mack. The tour kicks off in London, where Ailey performs at Sadler's Wells from 15 to 19 September. From there, the company travels to Brussels, giving four performances at Forest National from 1 to 4 October. It then continues on to Paris, where it lands at the Palais des Congrès from 7 to 11 October.

A company that changed the world

The story begins in 1958 in New York. Alvin Ailey, a dancer, choreographer and visionary, founds his own company at the heart of the Civil Rights Movement. With barely seven dancers, all Black, he is determined to celebrate African-American culture and give dance "back to the people." His mission was radically simple: to show how beautiful humanity is. On the cultural richness that drove him, Ailey wrote: "The cultural heritage of the American Negro is one of America's richest treasures. From his roots as a slave, the American Negro -- sometimes sorrowing, sometimes jubilant but always hopeful -- has touched, illuminated, and influenced the most preserves of world civilization. I and my dance theater celebrate this trembling beauty."

By 1963, Ailey had deliberately expanded the company into a multiracial group. He wanted to create a space for Black dancers who all too often faced discrimination, but he refused to build a new, closed-off world in doing so. Dance was for everyone.

'Dance is for everybody. I believe that the dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people.' – Alvin Ailey

International breakthrough followed quickly. The company toured the Far East, Southeast Asia and Australia as part of President Kennedy's cultural diplomacy program. In 1966, it performed at the very first World Festival of Black Arts in Dakar, Senegal, alongside writers such as Aimé Césaire and Amiri Baraka. The following year came a tour of ten African countries for the U.S. State Department. In the 1970s, they even toured the Soviet Union. Those performances were broadcast live on Moscow television and reached more than 22 million viewers. On closing night, the audience refused to stop applauding: the company had to return for more than thirty curtain calls. Back in the U.S., every show sold out.

Today, more than 65 years later, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has grown into the largest modern dance company in the world. It has performed in more than 70 countries on six continents, for more than 25 million people. Ailey's iconic Revelations is the most-watched modern dance work of all time. The U.S. Congress recognized the company by law as a "vital American cultural ambassador to the World." Alvin Ailey posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.

Revelations: A masterpiece about slavery and freedom

In 1960, Alvin Ailey, just 29 years old, created his absolute masterpiece. Revelations is based on his "blood memories" of growing up in a Baptist community in rural Texas. It tells the story of African-American faith and perseverance on the road from slavery to freedom through spirituals, gospel and blues, in three parts.

The first section, Pilgrim of Sorrow, gathers songs about Black sorrow; the costumes are earth-toned, symbolizing rising up from the ground. The second section, Wade in the Water, centers on baptism and the cleansing ritual Ailey witnessed as a child along the rivers of the southern United States, portrayed in white and light blue. The third section, Move, Members, Move, brings the joy of the spirituals to life, with dancers in yellow, orange and earth tones evoking a Sunday church service in the South.

Oprah Winfrey once summed up the company's appeal by saying that every American owes it to themselves to see Ailey's Revelations at least once.

Outgrowing the Theater

Revelations is now considered the most widely seen work of modern dance ever created. The company's ties to major stages extend well beyond the theater itself. It was performed at the opening ceremony of the 1968 Mexico City Olympics by the Ballet Folklórico de México, at Ailey's own explicit request. The company itself also performed at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 2002 Olympic Arts Festival in Salt Lake City.

The White House has likewise been a recurring destination for decades: from a performance for President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968, to Jimmy Carter's inaugural gala in 1977, to George W. Bush's 2003 state dinner honoring Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki.

A home for everyone

From the very beginning, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater was a safe haven for Black dancers of every sexual orientation. Its founder himself was gay at a time when this was barely accepted, either in wider society or within the Black community. He guarded his private life fiercely. On December 1, 1989, he died of AIDS-related complications, one of the many artists the world lost during those years.

In August 2019, Ailey was honored on the Rainbow Honor Walk in San Francisco, in recognition of LGBTQ individuals who have made significant contributions in their field. 

A new era: Alicia Graf Mack

In 2026, the company begins a new chapter. Alicia Graf Mack, only the fourth artistic director in 67 years, takes the helm. She is a true insider. The former star dancer of the company (2005–2014) was discovered and mentored by the legendary Judith Jamison. She went on to become the youngest, and first Black female, dean and director of the dance division at the renowned Juilliard School in New York.

'We want to expand the way we dance and move, just as our culture unfolds. But we're always guided by the legacy.' – Alicia Graf Mack

Her first American tour – twenty cities, sold-out houses – earned glowing reviews from outlets ranging from CNN to The Washington Post and PBS NewsHour. With the European tour heading through London, Brussels and Paris this autumn, she's also taking the company's first steps onto the international stage under her leadership.

The dancers: these are superheroes

Ailey's dancers are more than technical virtuosos. They are storytellers, culture bearers, messengers. Dancer Samantha Figgins puts the invitation to the audience this way: "Come so you can be moved and transformed spiritually, emotionally and physically. The dancers bring joy, compassion and humanity to the stage. You will see yourself in anyone onstage. If you are burdened, you will have your pain relieved and see new strength within yourself."

That is exactly what happened to one young boy. Christopher R. Wilson grew up in Augusta, Georgia, and first saw the company at the Fox Theatre there at age eleven. He'd gone with his mother and remembers the pieces from that evening vividly: "They were running, jumping, flying, and throwing each other all across the stage. I literally saw superheroes on stage and said, 'I want to be up there.'" Dance became just one of many hobbies for him, alongside basketball, cello and golf lessons. Eventually his mother told him he had to choose. He chose dance, partly because of that one night at Ailey. Today, Wilson is himself effectively one of those superheroes. He officially joined the company in 2018. He has now been on stage with them for eight years, and every time he performs at the Fox Theatre, he walks over to the spot where he sat as a child.

Artistic director Alicia Graf Mack sums up the company's timeless mission: "Mr. Ailey said he wanted to hold a mirror to our society to show people how beautiful they are. As we travel around the world, that is what we hope to share."

For those who'd like to immerse themselves in the company's story beforehand, the free documentary series Portrait of Ailey is available in eight episodes via ailey.org.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

• Londen: 15 to 19 September, Sadler's Wells
• Brussels: 1 to 4 October, Forest National
• Paris: 7 to 11 October, Palais des Congrès

Images: Alvin Ailey - Andrew Eccles - Christopher Duggan - Paul Kolnik

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