Ailey II, the celebrated second company of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, will embark on a 28-city tour, October 4, 2024-May 1, 2025. The next generation of dance will captivate audiences across the United States from Miami, Florida to Kansas City, Missouri, to Albuquerque, NM, before returning home for its annual New York City season, March 26–April 6 at the Ailey Citigroup Theater. The 2024-25 repertory features two world premieres by former Ailey II member Alia Kache and by Houston Thomas, as well as repertory favorites and beloved classics.

Founded in 1974 as the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble and led by Sylvia Waters for 38 seasons, Ailey II has advanced Alvin Ailey’s vision for more than five decades by giving early-career dancers a bridge from world-class training at The Ailey School to the professional stage. Led by Artistic Director Francesca Harper, Ailey II’s dancers bring their technical mastery and emotional depth to works by the most daring established and emerging choreographers. Just as Mr. Ailey envisioned, the company continues to develop the next generation of performers and dancemakers while expanding audiences through global touring and community-based performances.

“This season Ailey II will thrill audiences across the country with mesmerizing premieres alongside returning favorites and iconic dances by Alvin Ailey,” Francesca Harper said. “The 12 rising stars of the company will ignite, unite, and inspire people of all ages and backgrounds while honoring the legacy and creative spirit of Mr. Ailey.”

Houston Thomas’ world premiere Down the Rabbit Hole is a continuation of the choreographer’s Follow the White Rabbit (2022) and expands on its themes, examining the relationship between humans and technology. Inspired by The Matrix film series, Down the Rabbit Hole explores how technology weaves into the fabric of daily life, transforming how we as humans interact and function. Set to music by Johannes Goldbach and Pomassl, this high-powered piece begs the question: Technological change – are we powering it or is it powering us?

Alia Kache creates a cinematic experience in her new work Mystery at Sky Square. Based on the mischievous Akan folkloric character Anansi the Spider, Kache’s work has love and revenge taking center stage in a film noir-style dance theater work. Complete with 1940s-inspired costumes, narration from an original screenplay by Ryan Blackwell, a foreboding atmosphere, and music by Omari Tau, Mystery at Sky Square blends all the right fixings of a classic whodunit for the stage.

In addition to these exciting premieres, the tour will also feature Alvin Ailey’s Streams, an abstract exploration of bodies in space, danced to a percussion score by Miloslav Kabelac; Ailey Highlights, a collection of excerpts from three classic works choreographed by Alvin Ailey between 1958 and 1972; Baye & Asa’s John 4:20, an expanded duet the choreographers originally created in 2018; Francesca Harper’s Luminous, a work that pays homage to the 50th anniversary of Ailey II and the artists who paved the way for future generations; and a solo excerpted from Judith Jamison‘s Divining, her first choreographic work for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1984.

Revelations—the must-see American masterpiece by Alvin Ailey—will also grace stages. Since its creation in 1960,  this landmark work has consistently enraptured audiences all over the world with a perfect blend of reverent grace and spiritual elation. In it, Mr. Ailey pays homage to and reflects the African American cultural heritage, what he thought of as one of America’s richest treasures—”sometimes sorrowful, sometimes jubilant, but always hopeful.”

This season, eight new dancers—Carley Brooks, Meredith Brown, Jennifer M. Gerken, Xavier Logan, Xhosa Scott, Darion Tuner, Eric J. Vidaña, and Jordyn White—join the four returning members Alfred L. Jordan II, Kiri Moore, Corinth Moulterie, and Kayla Mei-Wan Thomas.

Prior to the launch of Ailey II’s exciting 2024-25 season, the company will perform as part of Edges of Ailey, the first large-scale museum exhibition to celebrate the life, dances, influences, adjacencies, and enduring legacy of Alvin Ailey—opening at the Whitney Museum of American Art on September 25. A multimedia display on the museum’s fifth floor, paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, film, rehearsal footage, and archival materials situate Mr. Ailey within a broad social, creative, and cultural context. These artworks and ephemera highlight the artists who influenced and collaborated with Mr. Ailey, the spaces and scenes he frequented, and the dynamic themes he explored within his dances. An ambitious series of live performances by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ailey II will showcase excerpts of Mr. Ailey’s works, along with workshops, classes, and panel discussions. Timed tickets for the in-gallery exhibition are available for purchase at whitney.org/tickets. Performance tickets for Edges of Ailey include same-day access to the exhibition and are available on whitney.org. Theater space is limited.

2024-2025 Ailey II Tour Dates and Venues (as of 8/13/24, subject to change)

About Ailey II
Ailey II—the second company of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater—is universally renowned for merging the spirit and energy of the country’s best early-career dance talent with the passion and creative vision of today’s most outstanding and emerging choreographers. Founded in 1974 as a bridge between The Ailey School and the professional dance world, Ailey II embodies Alvin Ailey’s pioneering mission to establish an extended cultural community that provides dance performances, training, and community programs for all people. Ailey II flourished into one of the most popular dance companies in the country under the leadership of Sylvia Waters from 1974–2012, combining a rigorous touring schedule with extensive community outreach programs. With Artistic Director Francesca Harper at the helm, Ailey II is forging a new path for modern dance—one that’s inclusive, experimental, and transformative. For more information, visit www.ailey.org/ailey-ii.

Photo Credit: Nir Arieli