When Masazumi Chaya moved to New York City in 1970, leaving his Japanese homeland behind, he never dreamed he would become one of the longest-serving artists with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. For 47 years, Chaya has been a constant force in the Ailey studios: first as a dancer for 15 years, then as […]

Whether you’re a 2018 grad, a current student or you’ve been in the field for years, commencement speeches offer advice and encouragement for all of us. And when they’re given by dance luminaries, even better. Last Friday, Liz Lerman addressed the class of 2018 at Bennington College, and her inspirational message—that’s candid and even comical […]

When you’re offered a chance to take a class with Judith Jamison, you don’t say no. The company’s beloved artistic director emerita rarely teaches open classes. But to celebrate the legacy of Alvin Ailey on what would have been his 87th birthday, she gave a special two-hour workshop at the Ailey Extension on Friday night. […]

Some nights, you head home buzzing with energy. After last night’s Dance Magazine Awards, we were dancing with it. We had the privilege of honoring four legends of our field—Rennie Harris, Marika Molnar, Linda Celeste Sims and Diana Vishneva—in a ceremony that was filled with inspiration and beauty. Joshua Culbreath in Doubt & Dolo. Photo […]

In 1960, America was in the midst of a social transformation. The Supreme Court had ruled “separate but equal” unconstitutional six years prior, but the country’s response was slow and turbulent as desegregation incited violent responses. Surrounded by powerful civil rights momentum, a 29-year-old Alvin Ailey created an ode to the resilience of the human […]

When we’re talking about the history of black dancers in ballet, three names typically pop up: Raven Wilkinson at Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, Janet Collins at New York’s Metropolitan Opera and Arthur Mitchell at New York City Ballet. But in the 1930s through 50s, there was a largely overlooked hot spot for black ballet […]

All dancers work hard to hone technical skills and master thrilling moves. Musical dancers, however, offer something more. Their daring play with rhythm and their completely present reactions to the score make for bold performances that are mesmerizing to watch. But how can performers learn to let music drive the dance? We asked some of […]

This July marks Dance Magazine‘s 90th anniversary, and the milestone gave us the perfect excuse to do one of our favorite things: dive into our extensive archives of more than 1,000 covers. We couldn’t resist sharing just a few of the iconic and quirky images through the decades. From major stars—think Judith Jamison, Mikhail Baryshnikov […]