[2] Based in New York City, the company was founded by Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Alvin Ailey (1931-1989), a noted choreographer and dancer.

[3] AAADT is recognized as a vital American cultural ambassador,[4] and has performed for diverse audiences in more than seventy countries around the world.

[6][8] Rehearsals for Revelations were held in the basement of Clark Center for the Performing Arts,[12] which would later serve as the official residence for the company.

[5][10][14] The tour of the Lavallade-Ailey American Dance Company, named for Ailey's partnership with Carmen de Lavallade, started in Sydney, Australia, and ended in Seoul, South Korea.

The dancers included Loretta Abbot, Takako Asakawa, Hope Clarke, Joan Peters, and Lucinda Ransom,[16] Alvin Ailey, Bill Luther, Hector Mercado, James Truitte, and Dudley Williams, performed in Paris and London.

[9] In 2000, AAADT launched the silent phase of a five year, sixty-six million dollar capital campaign for a new building that would double its size and an endowment for financial stability.

[36] Also in 2008, the United States Congress passed a resolution officially designating the company a "vital American Cultural Ambassador to the World.

"[4][37][38] In 2011, the United States Senate passed a resolution recognizing the artistic and cultural contributions of AAADT and the 50th Anniversary of the first performance of the Ailey classic Revelations.

[40] In 2021, AAADT received a twenty million dollar gift from MacKenzie Scott to support its "Dancing Forward" initiatives.

[41] The following is a sample of significant AAADT performances, residencies, and tours: Alvin Ailey created seventy-nine dances for the company that bears his name.

[41] Ailey Extension offers instruction in more than 25 different dance and fitness techniques, including Ballet, Hip-Hop, Horton, House, Jazz, Masala Bhangra, Samba, West African, and Zumba.

[41][64] The Weill Center features state-of-the-art dance studios, a performance space with a seating capacity of 275 people, classrooms, a costume shop, physical therapy facilities, faculty and student lounges, and administrative offices.

[30] In the late 1990s, following their Russia, France and Cuba tours and South Africa residency, AAADT's leadership determined that it needed a larger space for rehearsals, school performances, production materials, and offices.

[66] The Wynn Wing adds three floors to Weill Center and features four additional dance studios, two new flexible classrooms, and administrative offices.