{
  "id": 7407157,
  "title": "SZA, Tonya Lee & Spike Lee Named Honorary Chairs for Alvin Ailey Season-Opening Gala",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/sza-tonya-lee-spike-lee-named-honorary-chairs-for-alvin-ailey-season",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-14T21:53:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Billboard",
    "slug": "billboard",
    "url": "https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/sza-spike-lee-honorary-chairs-alvin-ailey-opening-gala-1236339932/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Grammy-winning artist SZA, filmmaker Tonya Lee and renowned director Spike Lee have been honored as honorary chairs for the opening night gala of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 2026-27 season. The gala, taking place on December 2nd at New York City Center, will run through January 3rd, 2027.\n\nThe highlight of the evening will be the world premiere of \"Power of Love,\" a new dance and music tribute to the late Luther Vandross. Choreographed by Jamar Roberts, the tribute was created in collaboration with Primary Wave Music and The Luther Vandross Estate.\n\nAlicia Graf Mack, the Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey, expressed her excitement about the collaboration, stating that Vandross's music has been cherished since his first solo album 45 years ago. SZA, whose mother has been a regular at Alvin Ailey for Mother's Day, shared her personal connection to the organization and her honor to be involved in this significant tribute.\n\nThe world premiere of \"Power of Love\" will occur after Vandross's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on November 14th in Los Angeles. The show will also feature other beloved Vandross hits such as \"Never Too Much,\" \"Here and Now,\" \"Dance With My Father,\" and \"A House Is Not a Home.\"\n\nThe eight-time Grammy winner's longtime collaborators, Marcus Miller and Ron Gilyard, joined forces with writer/director Reginald Hudlin to develop the dance and music tribute. They carefully selected songs from Vandross's career that would translate well to dance and added small touches to create musical surprises.\n\nThe Opening Night Gala will also include an excerpt of \"Hymn,\" Judith Jamison's Emmy Award-winning tribute to Alvin Ailey, which is returning to the repertory after nearly 15 years. This ceremony marks the tribute's renewed presence on stage.\n\nHonorary committee members for the gala include Cynthia Erivo, LL Cool J, Samara Joy, Gayle King, and Audra McDonald, among others. The proceeds from the event will benefit the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, supporting new works and student scholarships. For more information about gala tickets, visit the provided link.",
  "summary": "Dance company will world premiere new \"Power of Love\" collaboration inspired by music legend Luther Vandross.",
  "key_points": [
    "Grammy-winning SZA, Tonya Lee, Spike Lee named honorary chairs for Alvin Ailey gala.",
    "World premiere of 'Power of Love' dance and music tribute to Luther Vandross.",
    "Event runs from December 2nd to January 3rd, 2027 at New York City Center."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}