AILEY is Legacy in Motion

Alvin Ailey's Revelations premiered on January 31, 1960, at the 92nd Street YM-YWHA. Considered his signature piece, it pays homage to and reflects the African American cultural heritage, which Mr. Ailey considered one of America’s richest treasures.

In 1971, Alvin Ailey choreographed Cry as a birthday present for his mother and dedicated it "to all Black women everywhere—especially our mothers." This three-part solo takes the audience on a journey of bitter sorrow, brutal hardship, and ecstatic joy.

A male counterpart to Alvin Ailey’s Cry, this lyrical solo from 1972 offers an emotional journey through love and longing. Love Songs is set to a suite of songs recorded by Donny Hathaway and Nina Simone.

Alvin Ailey’s Night Creature (1975) is a bubbly champagne cocktail of a dance set to Duke Ellington’s sparkling music. “Night creatures, unlike stars, do not come OUT at night—they come ON, each thinking that, before the night is out, he or she will be the star.” - Duke Ellington

Alvin Ailey's 1975 musical comedy The Mooche, celebrates the Cotton Club era of which Duke Ellington was a part and dedicated it to four great Black women artists, all personal friends of Ellington—Florence Mills, Marie Bryant, Mahalia Jackson, and Bessie Smith.

Originally created in 1976 as a showcase for Judith Jamison and Mikhail Baryshnikov, Alvin Ailey's Pas de Duke is a spirited modern dance translation of a classical pas de deux. This elegant, flirtatious work showed off the pair's exuberance and virtuosity.

After the death of his dear friend Joyce Trisler in 1979, Alvin Ailey choreographed Memoria. He dedicated the ballet “to the joy…the beauty…the creativity…and the wild spirit of my friend,” and set it to the sublime music of jazz pianist Keith Jarrett.

A tribute to the great jazz musician Charlie “Bird” Parker, For ‘Bird’—With Love (1984) takes the audience into the relaxed atmosphere of an after-hours jazz club jam session. The dancers emulate Parker's swing-based style and knack for improvisation while dressed to the nines.

Survivors made its world premiere at the Lyric Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1986—four years before Mandela would finally be freed from prison. The ballet is an impassioned tribute to the profound courage and anguish of Nelson and Winnie Mandela.

Kansas City was one of Alvin Ailey's favorite cities outside of New York and he loved visiting the local jazz clubs. His ballet Opus McShann (1988) is a choreographic portrait of the blues pianist and composer Jay McShann.