Alvin Ailey played a key role in the growth of modern dance in America and his company, founded in 1958, is one of the United States' oldest dance troupes as well as one of the most youthful and vital on the dance scene.

In this two-part program, members of Ailey's dance company perform three works choreographed by Ailey himself, as well as a special ballet tribute choreographed by Ulysses Dove. Each piece is introduced by Judith Jamison, the dancer and choreographer whose career was nurtured to stardom by Ailey, and who is now Artistic Director of the company. The Alvin Ailey Dance Theater is uniquely eclectic in range, repertory, and style. As a choreographer, Ailey explored the black experience and went beyond, finding universal human truths in all his work.