Warner Theatre Special Performance Followed by Soirée at Columbia Square Atrium

(Black PR Wire) WASHINGTON, DC – On Wednesday, February 4, 2026, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will host its Washington, DC Gala Benefit, celebrating the inaugural season led by Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack. The black-tie benefit is the centerpiece of an expansive 11-performance engagement from January 30 - February 8, promoted by Live Nation, and launches a coast-to-coast US tour. Following a 7:00pm performance by Ailey’s extraordinary dancers at the historic Warner Theatre, known for over a century as DC’s monument to entertainment, prominent figures in entertainment, business, philanthropy, and politics will gather for a soirée at Columbia Square Atrium.

Co-chairs for AILEY’s Washington, DC Gala Benefit are Colette D. Honorable, Anthony A. Lewis, Nicole Venable, and Yelberton R. Watkins. Vice Chairs are Joyce Brayboy, Lawrence Duncan III, John Mason, Jennifer M. Stewart, and Katharine Weymouth.

Proceeds from the benefit support AILEY’s DC programs, including the creation of new works, Ailey Arts In Education activities, and scholarships for talented young students in the DMV area to attend The Ailey School in New York City. Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack and six of the company’s 32 renowned dancers have roots in the DMV area, including Samantha Figgins, Xavier Mack, Corrin Rachelle Mitchell, Alisha Rena Peek, Jessica Amber Pinkett, Miranda Quinn.

For more information on the DC Gala, visit ailey.org/dcgala or contact: alvinailey@kimballstroud.com. For more information on Ailey’s 2026 DC engagement, visit ailey.org/washington-dc.

Press: For additional photos and press materials, visit pressroom.alvinailey.org.

Bank of America is the Official Sponsor of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s North American Tour

ABOUT ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, recognized by US Congressional resolution as a vital American “Cultural Ambassador to the World,” grew from a now-fabled March 1958 performance in New York that changed forever the perception of American dance. Forged during a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement, the company was established to uplift the African American experience while transcending boundaries of race, faith, and nationality with its universal humanity. Before his untimely death in 1989, Mr. Ailey named Judith Jamison as his successor, and for 21 years she brought the company to unprecedented success. Alicia Graf Mack, widely celebrated for her dance artistry during her years with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, was appointed Artistic Director of AILEY as of July 1, 2025. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has performed for an estimated 25 million people in 71 countries on six continents, promoting the uniqueness of the African American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance tradition. In addition to being the Principal Dance Company of New York City Center, where its performances have become a year-end holiday tradition, the Ailey company performs annually at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, The Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, CA, and at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark (where it is the Principal Resident Affiliate), and appears frequently in other major theaters throughout the world during extensive tours. AILEY also includes Ailey II (1974), a second performing company of emerging young dancers and innovative choreographers; The Ailey School (1969), one of the most extensive dance training programs in the world; Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs (1992), which brings dance into the classrooms, communities, and lives of people of all ages; and Ailey Extension (2005), a program offering dance and fitness classes to the general public, which began with the opening of Ailey’s permanent home— the largest building dedicated to dance in New York City, the dance capital of the world—named The Joan Weill Center for Dance, at 55th Street at 9th Avenue in New York City.  For more information, visit ailey.org

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Source: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater