AILEY II
Thursday, October 23, 2025 7:30pm
Partridge Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines
Co-Presented with:
Voices of Freedom Lead Sponsor:
“Off-the-charts energy” - The New Yorker. Celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Bravo Niagara’s Voices of Freedom with internationally-acclaimed dance company Ailey II. The New York Times declares, "There's nothing like an evening spent with Ailey II, the younger version of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater."
Experience Ailey II in electrifying world premiere works and cherished audience favourites by Alvin Ailey and Judith Jamison. The next generation of dance will move, inspire, and energize audiences of all ages.
Bravo Niagara Members enjoy special ticket pricing. Join today!
Program
Streams by Alvin Ailey
Third Person Point of View (W) My’Kal Stromile
Revelations by Alvin Ailey
(W) World Premiere
Run time is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes, including 2 intermissions
Ailey II—the next generation of dance—is AILEY’s second company.
“Off-the-charts energy.”
Founded in 1974 as the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, Ailey II has advanced Alvin Ailey’s vision by giving early-career dancers the vital experience of transitioning from training as a student to becoming a professional dancer. Ailey II 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 expand the audience for dance through global touring and community-based performances.
Sylvia Waters, the company’s first artistic director, was personally chosen by Mr. Ailey and led the company for 38 seasons. In September 2021, Francesca Harper became artistic director. Ms. Harper—a former student at The Ailey School who has choreographed for both AILEY companies—guides Ailey II with her unique perspective, paying homage to Mr. Ailey’s legacy while taking the company in bold, new directions.
Under Ms. Harper’s direction, Ailey II is forging a new path for modern dance—one that’s inclusive, experimental, and transformative.
Dance Magazine calls Ailey II "second to none," and The New York Times declares, "There's nothing like an evening spent with Ailey II, the younger version of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater."