DITA

Meet our DITA2025 speakers! And see the link in bio to get your spot for DITA2025—registration closes THIS FRIDAY, 8/15! We're thrilled to welcome Matthew Rushing to our speaker line-up and to announce his upcoming role as an artist in context at Duke Divinity School—a residency made possible by the Creative Arts Collective for Christian Life and Faith at Belmont University. Rushing's residency at Duke Divinity will include time in residence on campus, direct instruction with students, and public events featuring dance and collaboration with additional programs on campus and in the Durham community.

Matthew Rushing is the Associate Artistic Director at Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre. A Los Angeles native, Mr. Rushing trained under Kashmir Blake and at the Lost Angeles County High School for the Arts before earning a scholarship at the Ailey School and joining Ailey II. A recipient of a Spotlight Award, and Dance Magazine Award, he has performed internationally at galas in Colorado, Austria, Canada, France, Italy, and Russia and for four U.S. presidents, including George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, as well as at the 2010 White House Dance Series. His choreographic works include Uptown (2009); ODETTA (2014); Testament (2020); and Sacred Songs (2024), a work he will develop and expand as part of his residency. He joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1992, became Rehearsal Director in 2010 and Associate Artistic Director in 2020, including serving as Interim Artistic Director during the company's 65th anniversary season.

Welcome, Matthew! We're absolutely thrilled you're joining us for DITA2025 and for the following academic year as an artist in context, and we are deeply grateful to the Creative Arts Collective for making his posting at Duke Divinity possible! See the link in bio to register for DITA2025, and stay tuned—more programming announcements to come for DITA2025 as well as more about Rushing's residency.