A student in a right angle pose with an instructor behind correcting their arm placement

Ailey Teacher Certification Program: Ailey Horton Technique

About the Program

Applications now open! Become a certified Ailey Horton instructor and expand your teaching opportunities.

The Ailey School is proud to launch the Ailey Teacher Certification Program with its first dedicated field of study: Ailey Horton Technique. This new professional development program invites participants to deepen their understanding of the Ailey Horton technique, preparing them to teach with confidence and become a part of the Ailey legacy. 

Alvin Ailey’s mentor, Lester Horton, established the Horton technique, which became the basis of many of Mr. Ailey’s works. The Ailey Horton technique—a development of Lester Horton’s technique as it has been practiced at taught at The Ailey School for over 60 years—provides a strong physical foundation for dancers, preparing them for versatile and sustainable careers.

In this groundbreaking program, participants will undertake an in-depth study of the Ailey Horton technique, learning comprehensive pedagogical approaches and teaching principles. Participants will further enrich their understanding of the technique by studying how Mr. Ailey incorporated it into his choreographic works, including Blues Suite and Revelations.

Through a combination of physical practice, independent study, and group discussion taking place in-person and online, the Ailey Teacher Certification Program: Ailey Horton Technique develops in educators an expanded level of confidence and awareness in their teaching practice. This certification prepares teachers to communicate with artistic integrity and gain an elevated awareness of movement, musicality, and storytelling, allowing them to foster similar transformations among their own students.

The Ailey Teacher Certification Program: Ailey Horton Technique launches in the summer of 2025 with Level 1 certification (Level 2 is currently in development for later release). The deadline to apply for the program is March 1, 2025.

Program Details for Level 1 Certification

  • This 32-week course begins with a five-day, in-person intensive workshop at AILEY headquarters—The Joan Weill Center for Dance in New York City—during which participants solidify their understanding of the Ailey Horton technique and receive an introduction to the legacies of Lester Horton and Alvin Ailey while building relationships with peers.
  • In subsequent weeks, participants continue their study virtually, requiring approximately 6–8 hours per week. Coursework includes further study of Lester Horton’s and Alvin Ailey’s works, tracing the technique’s lineage through their choreography; devising phrase material to explore the technique’s creative potential; planning lessons that build a progression of the fundamentals; and analyzing relevant readings and video materials to deepen participants’ knowledge of the work’s historical significance. This includes a balance of independent study and online group discussion and sharing.
  • This course concludes with an assessment of all the material covered in Level 1.

Curriculum

The Ailey Teacher Certification Program curriculum combines in-person and online learning and includes technique and anatomy studies, lesson planning and applied teaching activities, study of key figures who informed and inspired the work of Alvin Ailey and Lester Horton, assigned videos and readings, written assignments, assessments, and discussions.

Accreditation

Exciting News! The Ailey Teacher Certification: Ailey Horton Technique, Level 1 has been approved by the National Association of Schools of Dance Commission on Accreditation.  

Through this new teacher certification program, The Ailey School confirms that successful participants have received the highest level of authentic training in the Ailey Horton Technique, including a comprehensive understanding of its pedagogy, methodology, progressions, and instruction. 

Leadership

Headshot of Tracy Inman

Tracy Inman

Co-Director of The Ailey School, Director of Ailey Teacher Certification Program: Ailey Horton Technique
Headshot of Lakey Evans-Peña

Lakey Evans-Peña

Associate Director of Ailey Teacher Certification Program: Ailey Horton Technique & The Ailey School Horton Faculty
3 dancers in all black with legs separated and one arm straight in front, an instructor directs from the side

Apply

Apply Now

Take the next step in your teaching career and join the Ailey Teacher Certification: Ailey Horton Technique cohort. Start your application today!

FAQs

We’re eager to answer all of your questions as you consider whether the Ailey Teacher Certification Program: Ailey Horton Technique is right for you. 

We’ve begun compiling a list of the most frequently asked questions we’ve received so far and will continue to expand the list over the coming months. If you have a question that is not answered below, please email [email protected].