Two-time Tony Award-winning actress Phylicia Rashad has been named the honorary chair of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Opening Night Gala, which will kick off its five-week holiday season in New York City. The star-studded evening includes a performance at New York City Center and a party at Ziegfeld Ballroom, held on December 4.
Along with Rashad, the night’s honorary committee members include Academy Award winner Regina King, fashion designer Carolina Herrera, John and Julia Arnhold and Lane Gerson, Paul Arnhold and Wes Gordon, Agnes Gund and Indré Rockefeller. The gala will honor Jody Gottfried Arnhold’s steadfast commitment to accessible dance education for all and her invaluable support of AILEY’s mission.
The one-night-only extravaganza will feature the 25th-anniversary return of choreographer Ronald K. Brown’s Grace. The composition of modern dance and West African idioms 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. Leslie Odom, Jr., Tony and Grammy Award-winning artist; and Cécile McLorin Salvant, composer, visual artist and Grammy Award-winning vocalist, will accompany the piece. The Opening Gala performance will end with Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece, Revelations, with its unforgettable score of spirituals sung live by a soul-stirring choir.
Proceeds from the gala support the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, the creation of new works, scholarships for talented students at The Ailey School and AILEY’s innovative educational programs for children. Tickets for season performances at City Center through January 5, 2025, are now available at ailey.org.
Alvin Ailey, who founded Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1958, is also being celebrated at the Whitney Museum. Edges of Aliey, a new exhibit on display at the New York City-based institution, is the first large-scale museum exhibition delving into the life, dances, influences and enduring legacy of the visionary artist and choreographer, in partnership with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Foundation.
