Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, one of the world’s most popular dance companies and America’s cultural ambassador to the world, returns to the Fox Theatre, February 12–16 for six exciting performances. Celebrating Legacy in Motion and the late, beloved Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison, the 2025 Atlanta engagement will feature the world premieres Sacred Songs by Interim Artistic Director Matthew Rushing, Finding Free by Hope Boykin, Many Angels by Lar Lubovitch, and Al-Andalus Blues by Jamar Roberts. The season will also include the 25th anniversary staging of Ronald K. Brown’s rapturous blockbuster Grace and a new production of Elisa Monte’s mesmerizing Treading. The finale of all programs will be Alvin Ailey’s soul-stirring, must-see masterpiece, Revelations, which has captivated audiences globally since 1960.
The Atlanta engagement opens Wednesday, February 12 at 7:30pm with a College Night performance where college students will be able to access $15 tickets or two tickets for $25 plus fees using promo code COLLEGE. The evening begins with the 25th anniversary production of Ronald K. Brown’s spellbinding Grace, set to Duke Ellington’s classic “Come Sunday,” Peven Everett’s hit “Gabriel,” and the irresistible pulse of Fela Kuti’s Afro-Pop. The secular and sacred meet in a tour-de-force connecting African and American dance that depicts individuals on a journey to the promised land, expanding from a single angel-like figure in white to the fireball intensity of 12 powerful dancers. The performance continues with former Company member Hope Boykin’s exploration of personal freedoms in the world premiere Finding Free, a collaboration with pianist Matthew Whitaker who composed an original score. This insightful work uses Boykin’s movement language and Whitaker’s jazz- and gospel-influenced contemporary music to examine the challenges and restrictions throughout life’s peaks and valleys that propel our journey forward.
The performance on Thursday, February 13 at 7:30pm kicks off with Grace followed by the world premiere Al-Andalus Blues by former Ailey dancer Jamar Roberts. Featuring music from Roberta Flack and Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain, the abstract ensemble piece journeys back in time to the golden age of Al-Andalus, evoking the northern African Moors who flourished in the south of present-day Spain prior to the Christian Reconquista. Following Al-Andalus Blues will be a performance of an excerpt of Alvin Ailey’s Cry, to pay tribute to Judith Jamison, who originated the role and ignited the ballet with her unparalleled grace and power. Thursday evening’s performance is also WSB-TV’s Family 2 Family Night. This program repeats on Saturday, February 15 at 7:30pm without Cry.
On Valentine’s Day, Friday, February 14 at 7:30pm, a moving performance will feature Sacred Songs, a world premiere by Matthew Rushing that reimagines several spirituals used in the original 1960 premiere of Revelations that were later omitted when the piece was edited into the current version, beloved for decades. Drawing inspiration from the roots of Mr. Ailey’s most venerated and consummate creation, this stirring new work—with the collaboration of creative associate and musical director Du’Bois A’Keen—is an offering to our present need for lamentation, faith, and joy. Fittingly for Valentine’s, the program features two mesmerizing duets: Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish’s Me,Myself and You, a dreamlike duet of reminiscence set to Damien Sneed and Brandie Sutton’s rendition of “In A Sentimental Mood;” and anew production of Elisa Monte’s Treading, a sculptural, mesmerizing duet featuring fluid, intricate movements that together with Steve Reich’s evocative music create an aura of mystery and sensuality.
The matinee performance on Saturday, February 15 at 2pm include Finding Free and Treading followed by Many Angels, the first world premiere for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater by Lar Lubovitch, which showcases his renowned lush choreography and musicality set to Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. A choreographer for 60 years, Lubovitch has frequently been asked: “Why do you make dances?” For Lubovitch, “Something may exist in the world simply for the sake of itself. For example, a dance.” Many Angels is inspired by a question posed by 13th century theologian St. Thomas Aquinas, “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” illustrating that some questions have no logical response but are understood as a question of faith. On Sunday, February 16 at 2pm, the final performance in Atlanta includes Sacred Songs and Grace.
The inspiring, must-see finale of all programs will be Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece Revelations. Since its debut in 1960, Revelations has been seen by more people around the world than any other modern dance work, moving audiences with its powerful storytelling and soul-stirring music, evoking timeless themes of determination, hope, and transcendence. Springing from Mr. Ailey’s childhood memories of growing up in the south and attending services at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Texas, Revelations pays homage to the rich African American cultural heritage and explores the emotional spectrum of the human condition.
To introduce young audiences to the timeless magic of AILEY, a school-time performance on Friday, February 14 at 10:30am will excite, inspire, and educate Atlanta students. The hour-long program, moderated by one of the Company’s- dancers, will give Atlanta youth a peek behind the scenes into the world of dance and introduce a new generation to Alvin Ailey’s beloved masterpiece Revelations. Call 404-881-2000 to arrange $10 student group tickets.
In addition to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s enthralling live performances, AILEY is thrilled to announce workshops, residencies, auditions for dance enthusiasts, and special events in Atlanta. Explore the following offerings in 2025:
- The Ailey School Auditions, Saturday, January 4 at Atlanta Ballet. On Saturday, non-BFA auditions for the Junior Division Summer Intensive (ages 12 to 15) start at 12pm, followed by the Professional Division auditions for the Summer Intensive and 2025-26 School Year (ages 16 and older) at 2pm.Spots can be secured by filling out the registration form here.
- Revelations: An Interdisciplinary Approach residencies, Tuesday, January 27 –Friday, January 31 for students at Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy and M. Agnes Elementary School. This innovative curriculum-based program utilizes Alvin Ailey’s signature masterpiece, Revelations, as the inspirational framework for a comprehensive study of language arts, social studies, and dance.
- AileyArts In Education & Community Programs is partnering with the National Black Arts Festival (NBAF) to offer AileyDance for Active Aging on Monday, January 27, 11am–12pm. This workshop invites older adults to share their life stories and express themselves through movement. Ailey Arts In Education will also host a one-of-a-kind Revelations masterclass on Tuesday, January 28, 5–7pm at Georgia Gwinnett College. The workshop will be taught by former Ailey II dancer Torens Johnson and is open to participants of all dance levels.
- On Thursday, January 30 at 6pm, AILEY and SCADFASH Museum of Fashion + Film presents DANCE FASH: A Conversation on Costume Design, Movement, and Dance, a lecture-demonstration of costume designer Jon Taylor’s collaborations with various choreographers of the Company, showcasing how design and dance can work together. Moderated conversation with Former Ailey Company member and National Director of AileyCamp Nasha Thomas.
- AileyExperience with AREA Atlanta: Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 8 and Sunday, February 9, when AREA Atlanta and Ailey Extension Director Lisa Johnson-Willingham host Ailey Experience, workshops offering dancers of all levels the opportunity to train with prominent Ailey instructors and former Ailey dancers. No experience is necessary to join in the fun! To learn more and sign up, visit here. Also, in partnership with AREA Atlanta and directed by Johnson-Willingham, students will perform an AILEY-inspired presentation at Cascade United Methodist Church (Sunday, February 2, 8:30am and 10:15am services) and Ebenezer Baptist Church (Sunday, February 9, 10am service).
In 1958, Alvin Ailey and a small group of dancers took the stage in New York and- forever changed American dance and culture. Mr. Ailey was one of the country’s groundbreaking greats, and his Company inspires all people in a universal celebration of the human spirit using the African American cultural experience and the modern dance tradition. More than 66 years after its founding, the Company continues to move forward with far-reaching performances, revealing time and again why Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is one of the world’s most beloved dance companies.
