Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Will Skip Annual Kennedy Center Run
The acclaimed dance company is absent from the Kennedy Center’s upcoming season.
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, a longtime highlight of the Kennedy Center’s annual dance season, will not appear at the Washington institution in the upcoming year. The company announced its decision Monday, attributing the change to a new "opportunity with a partner that has a global reach." No further details were disclosed, though the statement indicated a desire to return to the Kennedy Center in the future.
President Trump assumed the chairmanship of the Kennedy Center earlier this year after removing Biden-era board members and ousting president Deborah F. Rutter. Since then, he has criticized the condition of the building and compared the scale of its renovation needs to his past real estate projects. He has requested $257 million from Congress for capital repairs and plans to attend a June gala fundraiser performance of Les Misérables.
The Kennedy Center’s newly announced season includes major Broadway tours such as The Outsiders, Back to the Future, and Moulin Rouge!, but also marks a shift by including two nonunion productions: Chicago and Mrs. Doubtfire.
While the dance lineup still includes American Ballet Theater, New York City Ballet, and Stuttgart Ballet, the omission of Alvin Ailey marks a notable departure from past seasons. The company’s performances have historically been a staple of the center’s programming, drawing large and diverse audiences.
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