Since Ailey II’s inception over 35 years ago, Artistic Director Sylvia Waters has been responsible for the growth and expansion of one of the country's most vibrant dance companies. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Dance at The Juilliard School, and studied with distinguished faculty members Antony Tudor, Martha Graham, Alfredo Corvino, Ethel Winter, Helen McGhee, Bertram Ross and Mary Hinkson. Following her graduation from Juilliard, Ms. Waters moved to Paris, where she appeared regularly on television and worked with Michel Descombey, then director of the Paris Opera Ballet, as well as Milko Sparembleck, and subsequently performed in Brussels and at the Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Ms. Waters returned to the United States in 1968 and joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She toured as a principal dancer with the Company until assuming her current position with Ailey II. Ms. Waters has also established a distinguished reputation as a teacher, conducting master classes throughout the US and Europe. In 1997, she received an honorary doctorate from the State University of New York at Oswego. She has served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts. Ms. Waters was recently a Visiting Lecturer at Harvard University for the Spring semester. In 2008, Ms. Waters received the Legacy Award as part of the 20th Annual IABD Festival, Syracuse University’s Women of Distinction Award and the prestigious Dance Magazine Award.