Name: ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER
Start: 2026-03-13T19:30:00-05:00
Location: Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Alvin Ailey is one of the most important choreographers in the history of modern dance. In 1958, at just 27 years old, he founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Ailey’s vision was of Black bodies unshackled and overflowing with feeling: Confidence…sorrow…joy…pride…beauty…possibility.
Strength, precision, and passion remain the hallmarks of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater more than 67 years after its inception. The company’s legendary dancers return to Kansas City with vibrant programs of new and classic works that showcase and synthesize a dazzling range of cultural influences, from spirituals and church hymns, jazz, R&B, and hip-hop, to African dance and classical ballet. Ailey’s monumental Revelations serves as a beacon through it all, and as former company dancer and keeper of the Ailey flame Sylvia Waters observes, “It’s a testament to Alvin’s understanding of humanity and the human spirit. That, yes, people experience despair, struggle, repression, oppression, but they have the resilience and strength to go forward.”
The company’s current season celebrates the life and legacy of Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison, who passed away on November 9, 2024. The company has a special place in our hearts too, as Series co-founder Richard Harriman brought the dance company to Kansas City in 1968 during their first tour and was a long-time friends of Alvin Ailey.
“Dance is for everybody. I believe that dance is from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people.”
–Alvin Ailey