On February 8, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s annual Washington, D.C. Gala Benefit marked the Company’s week- long engagement at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Nearly 500 guests raised $1 million in support of Ailey’s Washington, D.C. area programs, the creation of new works, Ailey’s educational programs for young people, and scholarships for local students to attend The Ailey School in New York City. Following a dinner in the Roof Terrace restaurant for major benefactors, Ailey’s 32 extraordinary dancers dazzled audiences with the one-night-only performance. The memorable celebration continued with a post-performance soiree in the Nation’s Gallery featuring live musical presentations by Elan Artists, a cooperative of dynamic vocal soloists and instrumentalists.
Photography by: Tony Powell
