“Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York City Center’s Principal Dance Company and a beloved American cultural ambassador to the world, returns to the New York City Center stage from December 3, 2025 – January 4, 2026 for a five-week engagement, which has become a joyous holiday tradition! The milestone season raises the curtain on AILEY’s next era under the leadership of new Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack, the renowned dancer and educator, guided as ever by Alvin Ailey’s pioneering legacy. Audiences will be treated to classic works from the Ailey repertory that have inspired and uplifted fans for decades— including the touchstone of inspiration Revelations, the ultimate anthem to resilience and joy, which will be performed with live music for six performances on the Opening Night Gala and opening weekend.”— Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

The company will continue to break ground with new works by contemporary choreographers that promise to propel dance in exhilarating new directions with five world premieres—Jazz Island by Maija García, Embrace by Fredrick Earl Mosley, Difference Between by Matthew Neenan, Song of the Anchorite by Jamar Roberts, and The Holy Blues by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar in collaboration with Samantha Figgins and Chalvar Monteiro. The season, programmed jointly by Ms. Graf Mack and Associate Artistic Director Matthew Rushing, will also feature the company premiere of Medhi Walerski’s Blink of an Eye and a new production of Judith Jamison’s A Case of You.

Alicia Graf Mack said, “This monumental season draws deeply on Alvin Ailey’s legacy rooted in celebrating the resilience of the human spirit, while extending its truth and bold virtuosity to reflect this moment in time and our hopes for the future. Each new creation shares the utterly distinctive voice of its choreographer, testifying to the vitality of the tradition Mr. Ailey gave us and the gifts of spirit that Judith Jamison so lovingly nurtured. I am grateful and honored to be a caretaker of this ever-changing continuum of inspiration, along with Matthew Rushing and the company of brilliant dancers whose artistry will move us all as we take our next steps forward.”

Matthew Rushing said, “I join with the entire company in welcoming Alicia Graf Mack in her new role as our artistic director. Her great respect for and commitment to the AILEY mission, along with the perspective and integrity that informs her vision, will help elevate everything we do. We are excited to welcome audiences to New York City Center this holiday season to be uplifted by cherished classics and remarkable new works as the curtain goes up on the next chapter in AILEY’s extraordinary story.”

Title image: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Alvin Ailey’s Revelations. Photo by Paul Kolnik.

Images courtesy Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.