One of the leading dance companies in the United States is the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Black dancers largely comprise the company. Founded in 1958, the Alvin Ailey troupes have been especially renowned and have performed in forty-eight states, on all continents, and in seventy-one countries throughout the world. The organization is composed of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center.