Nasha Thomas

Nasha Thomas oversees AileyCamp and designs the national outreach for Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs. As a primary liaison between the Ailey organization and the national arts in education community, she plays a central role in working with local communities to develop and run AileyCamp in cities across the US. Thomas also manages national residencies, leads workshops, and teaches master classes, helping Ailey Arts In Education reach over 100,000 people each year through education and community initiatives. A graduate of New York’s High School of the Performing Arts and Southern Methodist University, she received the prestigious Presidential Scholar of the Arts award in 1980. At the invitation of Alvin Ailey and later under the direction of Judith Jamison, Thomas danced with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from 1986 to 1998.   

Highlighted as one of Good Housekeeping’s “Humanitarians Who Are Our Heroes,” Thomas combines her passion for inspiring the next generation and her personal experiences as a performer and Master Teacher to lead Ailey Arts In Education programs. From public school classrooms to the Lincoln Center Plaza and from Gracie Mansion to the White House, she shares dance with people across the country. In 2020, Thomas reached students around the world virtually as she helped kick off the 60th anniversary of Alvin Ailey’s iconic Revelations with a social-distanced workshop streamed from the Rockefeller Center rooftop and virtual programs for TED Discovery Series and Facebook. She also led the Revelations Virtual Dance Workshop Series, designed for middle school students blending dance with poetry, history, and music, to build a foundation of artistic exploration that will enhance any student’s academic experience.