Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Kicks Off Its Holiday Season With Solange and Jazz

Singer, songwriter and activist Solange Knowles has another notch on her belt: honorary chairwoman of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

And after having a “fan girl” moment (as Solange referred to it) with dance royalty Judith Jamison, the Seat at the Table artist addressed the New York City Center audience, who came to witness An Evening of Ailey and Jazz, the kickoff for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s holiday season, Wednesday evening.

The evening’s performance didn’t disappoint and, naturally, featured dances that were a confluence of jazz and modern dance. On the cusp of the 100th anniversary of Ella Fitzgerald’s birthday, Artistic Director Robert Battle paid homage to the iconic musician in a piece titled Ella. The evening also included excerpts from John Butler’s Portrait of Billie, with a lively portrayal of Billie Holiday. And no Ailey performance would be complete without Revelations, a modern-dance tradition, which was performed with live singers and musicians.

Notable attendees included LaLa Anthony, Maurice DuBois, Savion Glover, Tamron Hall, Debra L. Lee and Ledisi; $2.4 million was raised from the event.

See photos from An Evening of Ailey and Jazz below:

Felice León is multimedia editor at The Root.