Ailey II, the acclaimed second company to the Harlem-based Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, is inspiring audiences on a 39-city world tour now through April 11, 2026. Performances span from Kingston, Jamaica, to Miami, Florida, to Baltimore, Maryland.

Ailey II said on Monday, Oct. 7, that the 2025-2026 repertory features four compelling world premieres by emerging and established choreographers, including former Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ailey II member Chalvar Monteiro, Rena Butler, Renée I. McDonald, and My’Kal Stromile.

For more than five decades, Ailey II has said it has merged the spirit and energy of the country’s best early-career dance talent with the passion and artistry of today’s most outstanding and emerging choreographers. 

Founded in 1974 as a bridge between The Ailey School and the professional dance world, the company said it embodies Alvin Ailey’s pioneering mission to nurture the next generation of talented artists and reach audiences worldwide by making dance accessible to all.

Under Artistic Director Francesca Harper’s direction, Ailey II said it is forging a new path for modern dance—one that’s inclusive, experimental, and transformative.

“This season is a celebration of artistic voices that push boundaries and inspire transformation while honoring Alvin Ailey’s timeless vision,” Harper said. “The four works I’ve commissioned speak to identity, connection, and the bold possibilities of movement today.

“I am excited for audiences far and near to witness these 12 exceptional dancers bring their creative passion and virtuosity to the stage,” she added.

Ailey II said In Session, by choreographer Rena Butler, is a collective portrait of coming of age, where the tension between conformity and rebellion shapes the action of maturation.

It said the work explores how individuals navigate the process of finding themselves while moving within—and against—the collective, challenging the notion that growth requires uniformity and asserting instead that no student needs to be the same.

“Through layered physicality and communal rhythm, In Session reveals the nuanced journey of self-discovery within a community,” Ailey II said.

It said that while social media can contribute to anxiety, depression, comparison, pressure to be perfect, external validation, loneliness, bullying, and finding joy in the downfall of others, in Renée I. McDonald’s work, Likes vs Life, “three dancers wrestle with these powerful forces, the need to connect, and the desire to escape.”

In the world premiere work Berry Dreamin’, former Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ailey II member Chalvar Monteiro centers the music, personality, and soul-stirring lyricism of Chuck Berry, the father of rock ‘n’ roll.

“This piece aims to reimagine the rich origin story for a star on the rise—the journey to adulthood and the moving target that is human connection against a day-dreamy, subconscious landscape that gives birth to our wildest dreams,“ Ailey II said.

It said that Dance St. Louis commissioned the creation of Berry Dreamin’ to celebrate Chuck Berry’s centennial.

Ailey II said choreographer My’Kal Stromile’s Third Person Point of View begins in medias res—Latin for “in the midst of things.“

“We enter a non-traditional, three-person relationship in its fully functioning form: fluid, intricate, and quietly intimate,“ it said. “We then rewind to the beginning of the relationship, and what the audience sees is two people deeply attuned, and a third seeking entry, admiration, and a place to belong.

“As the title suggests, the piece invites the audience to witness from the outside, observing a relationship as it unfolds without ever being directly addressed,“ it added.

In addition to these four world premieres, Ailey II said its touring repertory also includes Baye & Asa’s John 4:20, an expanded duet the choreographers created in 2018; Francesca Harper’s Luminous, paying homage to five decades of Ailey II; a solo excerpted from Judith Jamison’s Divining, her first choreographic work for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1984; Houston Thomas’ Down the Rabbit Hole, a work inspired by The Matrix film series exploring how technology weaves into the fabric of daily life; and enduring classics by Alvin Ailey, such as his signature must-see American masterpiece, Revelations.

Ailey II said it welcomes four new dancers— Kamani Abu, Jada Ammons, Christian Butts, and Adanna Smalls— who join the eight returning members: Carley Cruzat Brooks, Meredith Brown, Jennifer M. Gerken, Xavier Logan, Xhosa Scott, Darion Tuner, Eric J. Vidaña, and Jordyn White.

Chosen by Alvin Ailey to guide and develop Ailey II after its inception in 1974 until she stepped down in 2012, Ailey II Artistic Director Emerita Sylvia Waters conceived and directed Portrait of Ailey, an eight-part documentary series available for free on AILEY.org or PBS LearningMedia.

Ailey II said the exceptional series combines rare historical film and still images with contemporary footage to create a “sweeping narrative of Mr. Ailey as a performer, choreographer, celebrity, teacher, social activist, arts advocate, and the creator of an enduring institution.”

Ailey II said that Waters’ dedication to mentoring generations of dancers and preserving and sharing Ailey’s legacy has garnered her a 2025 Dance Teacher Award.