On March 30, 1958, at the corner of 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue, at the then YM-YWHA center, Alvin Ailey brought a young group of Black modern dancers together for their first show. Performing under the name “Alvin Ailey And Company,” together with another group, “Ernest Parham And Company,” Ailey would premiere his first major works the company still performs today, including “Blues Suite” and “Cinco Latinos.”
In 2025, Ailey’s contributions to the dance medium still thrive through the two theater companies he taught and performed in, which continue to inspire millions even after his passing in 1989.
Michael Jackson, Jr., is one of the young performers that looked to artists like Ailey while charting their own journey in dance theater. Hailing from New Orleans, La., Jackson would find his way up the East Coast to the New York City-based company, which he has spent more than a decade with as of February 2025. Qnotes was able to speak with the LGBTQ+ performer fresh off the stage in Washington D.C., as he and the rest of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater started their first tour of the year, which will lead to Charlotte on Feb. 21 and 22.
Jonathan Golian: Let’s start off light. So, how did you come into your art, or what do you love about being part of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater?
Michael Jackson, Jr.: I started dancing at 14, and I had looked up to the company and the people in it for so long, I even had a Matthew Rushing (the current interim director of the company) poster on my wall. So, being able to dance with him and dance under him, and dancing near all of these kind of legends in my book, was life changing. And, you know, I had started late. The guys usually start late. The girls, they start at like five years old. Guys usually start around 14 or 18, so I felt like a late kind of bloomer. It wasn’t until I got to Ailey that I felt like, okay, yeah, it’s okay that I started late, because I’m still accepted in this beautiful family.
JG: Was there a dance company where you grew up that you started out practicing at?
MJJ: Well, I moved to Washington, D.C. when I was starting high school, and I was looking for a high school to go to, and there was this arts high school in the area called Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and I auditioned. I wanted to audition for the vocal section because I really wanted to sing. I ended up missing the audition, so they told me to go to the next one and I could just transfer. The next audition was the dance audition, and I just kind of fell in love with it. It chose me. So I was able to train under Charles Augins and Katherine Smith, who are legends in dance, and then I went out into the professional world with that knowledge, and it’s lasted me till now.
JG: When did you originally join up with Alvin Ailey? How long have you been with the company?
MJJ: This is my 12th season, actually. I’ve been here for a second. It’s been a long, beautiful, beautiful journey.
JG: Do you have other artistic mediums that you like to practice in NYC’s community, or one that you hold more privately?
MJJ: During the pandemic, I picked up photography as, kind of, like my creative outlet, and I learned so much about it and really enjoy it. So, I’ve been taking pictures of the company members and of friends and all of the artists that I know. A lot of them are in the community; and [pictures] of the queer community. I was also fortunate enough to be in a gay film that was based on a groundbreaking book called “B-Boy Blues” by James Earl Hardy, and it was directed by Jesse Smollett. It was this art project that happened a little bit after the pandemic, and it kind of felt like my stamp on the community. My schedule is busy, and dance takes a lot of my schedule, so being able to do that and kind of represent, I was able to play a gay dancer, and I had a husband, and my husband was trans, so it was really great to be a part of that.
JG: Are there any specific favorite productions in the Ailey repertoire that you’re a particular fan of?
MJJ: Yeah! We have our signature work, “Revelations,” which we do all the time, and that stays in the rep every year. It is kind of like the Mona Lisa of our founder, and it is a representation of our Black culture. I would have to say that one, because it’s so close to home. Like I said, I grew up in New Orleans, so I have been around the Baptist church and in the struggle of the Black experience. I think being able to always come back to that work is a favorite. I know it may seem like it gets old, which it does, but I think there are moments where it surprises you, and you end up being kind of taken back to how you felt when you first did it. So I love revelations for that, specifically “Fix Me, Jesus.” It’s a duet in the work where I just get to hover over and protect this woman as she stands on one leg. We lift and she does all of these things, but she needs me to do them. So, it always softens my heart a little bit when I do it.
JG: For the most part, before D.C. and New York, you grew up in New Orleans. Is there anything from your hometown’s background that you bring to your performances in Alvin Ailey?
MJJ: I think specifically the music. I am definitely a music head. And being from New Orleans, it’s a very music-driven culture with jazz and the big bands. Sometimes we get to dance to music like that. We have a piece called “Grace,” which is by Ron Brown, who is an African choreographer, and the music is kind of like this house speed, and it is very uplifting. I love doing that one. I’ve also done pieces where I’ve gotten to dance to Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding. We’re going to New Orleans this year, and I definitely want to rep my home. Last season though, I believe we got to work by a choreographer who’s from New Orleans, so a lot of her music was like big band New Orleans music, and it made me feel really at home and really comfy, and, you know, nostalgic and all of that. So yeah, I would definitely say the music is definitely how I feel. Like my culture of New Orleans is incorporated in what I see in the company.
JG: You’ve been with the company for 12 years. What has been one of your most memorable occasions, whether it’s a city, a reaction from the audience, or just something special that happened at a certain point in time?
MJJ: I would say recently this past year, when we got to perform “Grace.” It was done to live music, and we do it when during our season in City Center in New York, every December. We also have a live music version of “Revelations,” which is the signature work. I’m kind of used to the live music portions, it’s always beautiful, but this year was something special. It was kind of celebrating the 25th anniversary of the choreographer who choreographed “Grace,” and the music was sung live. There was a section where Leslie Odom, Jr., sang, and it was just breathtaking. It was just such a beautiful moment to kind of see the two things that I love, vocals and music, join together with dance. I will never ever forget it.
JG: So, with your schedule this year, where will you and the company be performing? Are there any different stops that you’re especially excited about, or new stops along the way?
MJJ: Well, other than New Orleans, I love performing at Berkeley. We’ll be going there and LA, but we’re also going to North Carolina, which I’m looking forward to. And, of course, Jersey, we love Jersey, because it’s kind of like close to home. It’s been 12 years, so I’m used to the cities. No real surprises to me, just kind of rekindling love everywhere from all of the people and the relationships I’ve formed.
JG: On the personal side, do you have anything that you’re looking forward to this year, whether it be with the company, or just something for yourself?MJJ: My plan is just to enjoy the year. There’s so much going on in the world right now. 2024 was a hard year for me, so I’m really focused on my joy in 2025 and, you know, being present and trying to have that perspective shift of seeing the joy and seeing the light.
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will perform in Charlotte on Feb. 21 and 22 at the Blumenthal Arts Center’s Belk Theater. Tickets are available at https://www.blumenthalarts.org/events.