POSTED February 27, 2026
A Tribute to Carmen de Lavallade
From the moment I first saw her I was just in a state of pure awe. Anybody who could move around on her toes like that was capable of performing miracles. Her name was Carmen de Lavallade.
Carmen De Lavallade—who broke barriers as a dancer, teacher, choreographer, actress, and inspiration to generations—passed away on December 29, 2025. A mere month earlier, Ms. De Lavallade visited the Ailey Studios to watch Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in rehearsal and share her years of wisdom with the dancers. It was a full circle moment for everyone, sharing the room with the woman who first introduced Alvin Ailey to modern dance.
Ms. De Lavallade was born in New Orleans and grew up in Los Angeles, where she met Mr. Ailey in high school. The two danced with Lester Horton Dance Theater and moved to New York together, where they made their Broadway debut as dance partners in House of Flowers. They embarked on their first international tour together, when the company was billed as the De Lavallade-Ailey American Dance Company. Over the course of the lives and careers, they were essential to each other as creative partners and friends.
Over the years we have come to share many precious memories. We’ve danced together; we’ve toured together; we’ve suffered through the deaths of friends together; we’ve experienced success together; we’ve collaborated on several projects; we’ve taken long walks together.
As an artist in her own right, Ms. De Lavallade performed with the American Ballet Theatre and choreographed for the Metropolitan Opera, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, with her ballet Sweet Bitter Love (2000). She worked with Josephine Baker, Lena Horne, Duke Ellington, Agnes De Mille, John Butler, Donald McKayle, Bill T. Jones, and Glen Tetley. Later in her career, she became a professor at Yale and a member of the Yale repertory theater.
Ms. De Lavallade’s most enduring creative partnership was with her husband, choreographer Geoffrey Holder. The two were a widely influential force for uplifting Black dance traditions on American stages, including their own West Indian-influenced choreography.
More than anything, Ms. De Lavallade remained a marvel of a performer until her final stage appearance at the age of 88. “She takes your breath away by achieving it so easily,” Judith Jamison said about her friend and mentor. “Her hand moving onstage is enough to take your breath away, just a flick of the wrist, or moving it slowly.”
Thank you, Carmen de Lavallade, for sharing your inimitable gifts with the world. Your legacy will forever live on at AILEY.
Dance, for me, would have been impossible without Carmen de Lavallade.
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