Matthew Rushing was born in Los Angeles, California. He was a scholarship student at The Ailey School, became a member of Ailey II, and in 1992 became a member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. During his career, he has performed for Presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. During his time with the company, he has choreographed four ballets: Acceptance In Surrender (2005), a collaboration with Hope Boykin and Abdur-Rahim Jackson; Uptown (2009), a tribute to the Harlem Renaissance; ODETTA (2014), a celebration of “the queen of American folk music”; and Testament (2020), a tribute to Alvin Ailey’s Revelations created in collaboration with Clifton Brown and Yusha-Marie Sorzano. Rushing became Rehearsal Director in 2010, was appointed Associate Artistic Director in January 2020, and was interim Artistic Director during the 65th-anniversary season of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.