When JUDITH JAMISON walked into a room, she had your attention. You might actually have heard her before you saw her because she always made it a point to say hello to everyone and expected the same in return. She cared deeply for everything that Alvin Ailey created, so much so that she ensured AILEY would always have a permanent home: The Joan Weill Center for Dance. Joining the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1965, Judith Jamison quickly became an international star for whom Alvin Ailey created some of his most enduring roles, most notably the tour-de-force solo Cry. During the 1970s and 80s she appeared as a guest artist with ballet companies all over the world, starred in the hit Broadway musical Sophisticated Ladies, and formed her own company, The Jamison Project. She returned to the Company in 1984 as a choreographer with her debut work Divining, proving that she was as gifted a choreographer as she was a performer. In 1989, Ms. Jamison succeeded Mr. Ailey as Artistic Director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. In the 21 years that followed, she brought the Company to unprecedented heights. Ms. Jamison was the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a primetime Emmy Award, a Kennedy Center Honor, and a National Medal of Arts. As a highly regarded choreographer, she created many celebrated works. Her autobiography, Dancing Spirit, was published in 1993, and in 2004, under her artistic directorship, her idea of a permanent home for the AILEY organization was realized. Ms. Jamison continued to dedicate herself to asserting the prominence of the arts in our culture, and she remained committed to promoting the significance of Mr. Ailey’s legacy by mentoring, nurturing, and uplifting hundreds of dancers in Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, The Ailey School, Ailey Arts-in-Education, and the Ailey Extension. Her death on November 9, 2024, prompted an outpouring of love and admiration around the world from those who were touched by her magnificent artistry and extraordinary spirit.
Photo by Andrew Eccles
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