Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

After 13 stellar years with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell gave her final performance in Tokyo last May. On December 15, the loyal Ailey audience at New York's City Center will see her perform one last time in an Alley Classics program. Tall and physically powerful, Fisher-Harrell (formerly Linda-Denise Evans) brought dramatic intensity to signature female roles like Ailey's Cry and Memoria. Invariably chosen by visiting choreographers, she excelled in and loved the challenge of new work. "I'll miss being a chameleon, becoming a different person for every ballet," she said.

During most of her Ailey tenure, Fisher-Harrell juggled her professional life with motherhood; she has an 11-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old stepson. More recently, she has also commuted from her home in Baltimore, where she teaches Horton technique at Towson University. "I was missing my family constantly," Fisher-Harrell said of touring. Then she said, "I'm really going to miss Alvin's work."