At the time, it was one of the country's most affluent African American communities, known as "Black Wall Street." The work's title references a 1921 tragedy that happened in Tulsa, Oklahoma's segregated Greenwood District. It propelled Judith Jamison, who is now the Artistic Director Emerita of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and was Ailey’s muse for Cry, to international stardom in the dance world. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Akua Noni Parker and Clifton Brown in Donald Byrd's Greenwood Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Chalvar Monteiro and Danica Paulos in Donald Byrd's Greenwood Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Jacqueline Green in Donald Byrd's Greenwood Choreagrapher Donald Byrd’s Greenwood explores the possible incidents that might have led to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. For more information on the Greenwood story, click here. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Company, one of the country’s top modern dance troupes, premiered the new work, Greenwood, at Manhattan’s City Center on Friday night. NEW YORK – UPDATED October 24, 2019 — Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York City Center’s Principal Dance Company, returns to the theater’s stage from December 4, 2019 – January 5, 2020. At the time, it was one of the country's most affluent African American communities, known as "Black Wall Street." Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Announces Programming For New York City Center Season December 4, 2019 - January 5, 2020.

In 1921 racial tensions were running high in Tulsa, Oklahoma and all it took to spark the Tulsa Race Massacre that year was an incident in an elevator between a white woman and a black man. When Cry premiered at New York City Center in 1971, it was an immediate sensation. Donald Byrd is the choreographer who created the piece. The event previews Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s performances at the Fox Theatre February 20-23, 2020, which features the premiere of Donald Byrd’s powerful Greenwood, which examines the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

Donald Byrd's fifth Ailey commission draws on the Company's theatrical roots and legacy of addressing social injustice. January 16, 2020 WABE - Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre Highlights The Importance Of History In Dance Review: At Alvin Ailey, Tragic Themes Overwhelm a Dance Donald Byrd’s “Greenwood,” about the 1921 massacre of black citizens of Tulsa, struggles … It's the subject of Donald Byrd's "Greenwood," a new contemporary ballet slated for its Atlanta debut during Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Feb. 20-23 run at the Fox Theatre. Donald Byrd's fifth Ailey commission draws on the Company's theatrical roots and legacy of addressing social injustice.