Edges of Ailey | Art & Artists

Sept 25, 2024–Feb 9, 2025

Exhibition works

10 total
Performance Program
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Performance Program

Two dancers perform a dramatic pose; the woman in a long dress and the man shirtless, both wearing harnesses, against a minimalist backdrop.
Two dancers perform a dramatic pose; the woman in a long dress and the man shirtless, both wearing harnesses, against a minimalist backdrop.

Carmen de Lavallade and Alvin Ailey at Jacobs Pillow, 1961. Photo by John Lindquist. © Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard University

Performance Program

Throughout the presentation of Edges of Ailey, a robust performance program in the third-floor theater unfolds alongside the multimedia exhibition on floor five—both inspired, motivated, and organized by Alvin Ailey’s belief in building a platform for Black modern dancers and choreographers. The repertory of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) is an embodied archive, doubling as a vital, ongoing repository for canonical dances, revivals, and new commissions alike. This series of performances operates in the same vein, bringing together for the first time the AAADT with eleven leading choreographers. For their plurality of styles and approaches, these choreographers have been commissioned to create new or restage existing works inspired by Ailey’s life, influences, and themes.

The AAADT will have weeklong residencies at the Whitney each month to showcase the company’s breadth of offerings, from performances of classic and contemporary works by the first company and Ailey II, its junior counterpart; to workshops offered by the Ailey School, a key training ground for dance since 1969; and its educational initiatives like the Extension program, which offers classes to the public for all ages.

The performance program was chosen by the Dance Advisory Committee, comprised of Ailey artistic leadership and Adrienne Edwards, curator of Edges of Ailey. Taken as a whole, this program attests to Ailey’s profound presence—whether as influence, imprint, or shadow—in contemporary dance.

View the performance schedule and book tickets

Black and white photo of a shirtless man with short hair, looking over his shoulder against a plain background.
Black and white photo of a shirtless man with short hair, looking over his shoulder against a plain background.

Jack Mitchell, Alvin Ailey, 1962. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc. © Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc. and Smithsonian Institution

Jack Mitchell, Alvin Ailey, 1962

A dancer in loose pants arches backward with arms extended, captured in a dramatic black-and-white photograph.
A dancer in loose pants arches backward with arms extended, captured in a dramatic black-and-white photograph.

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc., Photography by Jack Mitchell, © Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc. and Smithsonian Institution, All rights reserved

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc., Photography by Jack Mitchell

A pianist plays a grand piano while a dancer in a tank top and pants performs a ballet move on stage.
A pianist plays a grand piano while a dancer in a tank top and pants performs a ballet move on stage.

Fred Fehl, Dudley Williams in Gymnopedies, Spring 1971. Photograph, 5 x 7 in. (12.7 x 17.78 cm). Fred Fehl Dance Collection. Courtesy Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin. © The Harry Ransom Center

Fred Fehl, Dudley Williams in Gymnopedies, Spring 1971

Four people sit in chairs on a stage, with one person lying on the floor. Tables with candles and bottles are in the background.
Four people sit in chairs on a stage, with one person lying on the floor. Tables with candles and bottles are in the background.

Fred Fehl, Judith Jamison and other dancers in Masekela Langage, 1972. Photograph, 5 x 7 in. (12.7 x 17.78 cm). Fred Fehl Dance Collection. Courtesy Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin. © The Harry Ransom Center

Fred Fehl, Judith Jamison and other dancers in Masekela Langage, 1972

A group of dancers in flowing costumes and leotards perform on stage, raising their arms towards the sky in a circle formation.
A group of dancers in flowing costumes and leotards perform on stage, raising their arms towards the sky in a circle formation.

Fred Fehl, Dancers in Choral Dances, 1971. Photograph, 5 x 7 in. (12.7 x 17.78 cm). Fred Fehl Dance Collection. Courtesy Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin. © The Harry Ransom Center

Fred Fehl, Dancers in Choral Dances, 1971

Performers on stage in dramatic poses, with arms outstretched and expressive movements, set against a dark background.
Performers on stage in dramatic poses, with arms outstretched and expressive movements, set against a dark background.

Fred Fehl, Masekela Langage, 1971. Fred Fehl, Mary Lou's Mass, 1971. Photograph, 5 x 7 in. (12.7 x 17.78 cm). Fred Fehl Dance Collection. Courtesy Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin. © The Harry Ransom Center

Fred Fehl, Masekela Langage, 1971. Fred Fehl, Mary Lou's Mass, 1971

Six people pose around a ladder, with three women seated, two women standing, and one man sitting on the floor, all in vintage attire.
Six people pose around a ladder, with three women seated, two women standing, and one man sitting on the floor, all in vintage attire.

John Lindquist, Members of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Alvin Ailey, Carmen de Lavallade, James Truitte, Ella Thompson, Minnie Marshall, and Myrna White: Jacob's Pillow, 1961. Photograph by John Lindquist. © Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard University

John Lindquist, Members of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Alvin Ailey, Carmen de Lavallade, James Truitte, Ella Thompson, Minnie Marshall, and Myrna White: Jacob's Pillow, 1961

A man kneels on stage, holding a hat. Three other performers with instruments are on ladders in the background.
A man kneels on stage, holding a hat. Three other performers with instruments are on ladders in the background.

Jack Mitchell, Alvin Ailey (forefront) with Carmen De Lavallade, Bruce Langhorne, and Brother John Sellers in “Roots of the Blues", 1961. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc. © Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc. and Smithsonian Institution

Jack Mitchell, Alvin Ailey (forefront) with Carmen De Lavallade, Bruce Langhorne, and Brother John Sellers in “Roots of the Blues", 1961

Black and white photograph of a dance performance with three male and three female figures arranged in a group on stage, hands outstretched above.
Black and white photograph of a dance performance with three male and three female figures arranged in a group on stage, hands outstretched above.

Jack Mitchell, Alvin Ailey, Myrna White, James Truitte, Ella Thompson, Minnie Marshall, and Don Martin in “Revelations", 1961. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc. ©️ Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc. and Smithsonian Institution

Jack Mitchell, Alvin Ailey, Myrna White, James Truitte, Ella Thompson, Minnie Marshall, and Don Martin in “Revelations", 1961

Five dancers in a dramatic pose on stage, arms outstretched, creating a symmetrical formation under spotlight in a black and white setting.
Five dancers in a dramatic pose on stage, arms outstretched, creating a symmetrical formation under spotlight in a black and white setting.

Jack Mitchell, Alvin Ailey, Myrna White, James Truitte, Ella Thompson, Minnie Marshall, and Don Martin in “Revelations", 1961. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc. © Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc. and Smithsonian Institution

Jack Mitchell, Alvin Ailey, Myrna White, James Truitte, Ella Thompson, Minnie Marshall, and Don Martin in “Revelations", 1961

A woman in a feathered headdress and white dress dances with two men in top hats and gloves on stage, with chairs and lights in the background.
A woman in a feathered headdress and white dress dances with two men in top hats and gloves on stage, with chairs and lights in the background.

Fred Fehl, The Mooche, 1975. Photograph, 5 x 7 in. (12.7 x 17.78 cm). Fred Fehl Dance Collection. Courtesy Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin. © The Harry Ransom Center

Fred Fehl, The Mooche, 1975

Artists

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Frank WANG Yefeng, The Levitating Perils #2

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