Santos Salon Series with Alicia Graf Mack

Note: This is a free, pre-show discussion. To see the performance, you must have a ticket.

Join Alicia Graf Mack, the Daria L. and Eric J. Wallach Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, for a special pre-performance salon conversation moderated by Charles Santos. Held before the evening’s performance in Hamon Hall at the Winspear Opera House, this talk offers insight into the artistic vision guiding one of the world’s most celebrated dance companies as it begins a new chapter under Graf Mack’s leadership. Audiences will gain perspective on the evening’s program—including works by Ronald K. Brown, Medhi Walerski, Judith Jamison, and Alvin Ailey’s iconic Revelations—and the enduring legacy and future direction of AILEY.

ALICIA GRAF MACK

(Daria L. and Eric J. Wallach Artistic Director)

Alicia Graf Mack was a star performer on the Ailey stage during a spectacular career between 2005 and 2014, when she was brought into the company and mentored by the incomparable Judith Jamison. In 2025, she returned to serve as AILEY’s fourth Artistic Director after distinguishing herself as the Dean and Director of the Dance Division of The Juilliard School from 2018-2025. Born in San Jose, CA, Ms. Graf Mack grew up in Columbia, MD. She began her career with Dance Theatre of Harlem under the direction of Arthur Mitchell and ascended to become a highly recognized principal ballerina. A celebrated artist, she performed with Complexions Contemporary Ballet and made guest appearances with Alonzo King LINES Ballet. Her versatility led to collaborations with artists including Beyoncé, John Legend, Andre 3000, Alicia Keys, and Jon Batiste. Ms. Graf Mack has graced the stages of major galas and festivals, performed tributes to luminaries including Carmen de Lavallade at the 2017 Kennedy Center Honors, and danced at the memorial services for Arthur Mitchell at NYC’s Riverside Church and Jessye Norman at the Metropolitan Opera House. A Columbia University graduate (magna cum laude, honors in history), she also holds an MA in nonprofit management from Washington University in St. Louis. Some of her many honors are the prestigious 2023 Dance Magazine Award, Smithsonian Magazine’s American Innovator of the Arts and Sciences, and the Ebony Power 100 List of influential Black leaders and innovators. Other accolades include an honorary doctorate from The Juilliard School in 2025, Columbia University’s Medal of Excellence, keynote addresses at Columbia’s School of General Studies in 2008 and 2025, and the 2025 Columbia Black Alumni Heritage Award. Before arriving at Juilliard, Ms. Graf Mack was an assistant professor at Webster University and an adjunct professor at the University of Houston and Washington University. She hosted three seasons of Moving Moments, a podcast in which she interviews colleagues and friends to discuss the creative process and living a purposeful life in dance and is now working on a new podcast at AILEY, to launch later in 2026.