The figures in Donald Byrd’s Burlesque inhabit a world of faded dreams poised against the lustrous elegance of songs by Louis Armstrong. These animated 1920s personalities call to mind images of a time gone by, when disillusioned but spirited performers inhabited a gritty theatrical underworld. First set on Byrd’s own company - Donald Byrd/The Group - in 2002, this dramatic piece adds another dimension to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s already diverse repertoire.

One of the most popular works in the Ailey repertory, Ronald K. Brown’s spellbinding Grace is a fervent tour-de-force depicting individuals on a journey to the promised land. 

Liberian Suite was written by Duke Ellington as a tribute to the Liberian Republic’s centennial and had its first performance in Carnegie Hall. Lester Horton created for his Dance Theater in 1952 a non-literal series of Dances of Celebration aimed at capturing the spirit of the piece – a work of vitality, optimism, and scope. James Truitte later created a new production of Liberian Suite in 1976.

Originally created as a showcase for Judith Jamison and Mikhail Baryshnikov, Pas de Duke is Alvin Ailey’s modern-dance translation of a classical pas de deux, celebrating the musical genius of Duke Ellington. Ailey’s choreography brilliantly captures the exuberance of the dancers’ star qualities and techniques as the duo mirror each other toe-to-toe and line-for-line in this playful, jazzy dance. The New York Times praised the work as “one of those special dances that lives in new ways with each new set of performers.”

John Butler brings iconic singer Billie Holiday to vivid life in this poignant portrayal of the artist’s public glory and private demons. Butler’s theatrical movement vocabulary is paired with such familiar songs as “Gee Baby Ain’t I Good to You,” “What a Little Moonlight Can Do” and others in this sensuous, expressive ballet hailed by The New York Times as “Mr. Butler’s finest dance work” that has been “kept alive by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.”

Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison presents a work inspired by a host of great female jazz artists and by Edward Hopper's famous painting Nighthawks. Jamison's acclaimed 2004 Love Stories was hailed by The New York Times as a "larger-than-life piece d'occasion" that is "astoundingly well danced." This new work sets the choreographer's distinctive vocabulary to music performed by Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Roberta Flack, Regina Carter and Diana Krall.

An impassioned tribute to the profound courage and terrible anguish of Nelson and Winnie Mandela.

A musical comedy for the Ellington Bicentennial, Alvin Ailey choreographed this musical comedy also as a dedication to four great performing artists—Florence Mills, Marie Bryant, Mahalia Jackson, and Bessie Smith. Inspired by a series of Ellington’s portraits, The Mooche evokes the jazz era and the emotions behind stardom.

The Phoebe Snow was a train of the Lackawanna Railroad Line which passed through the mid-western section of the United States. Legend has it that its name came from a meticulous lady named Phoebe Snow who traveled the line dressed in white satin and lace and looked out on the surrounding countryside with disdain. The Road of the Phoebe Snow explores first abstractly, then dramatically the incidents that may have occurred on or near these railroad tracks.