NEW YORK — Judith Jamison, internationally acclaimed dancer and later… He was the artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for 20 years.passed away. She was 81 years old.
Jamison died surrounded by family and friends at a New York hospital after a brief illness, Ailey’s publicist Christopher Zuner confirmed in a statement to CBS News.
“We remember and thank her for her artistry, humanity and incredible light that inspired us all,” Zuner said.
Jamison grew up in Philadelphia and trained in ballet from an early age. She started with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1965, at a time when black dancers were rare in the ballet world.
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Tall, graceful and expressive, she became one of the company’s most famous performers and Ailey’s muse. Jamison had a star turn with two of Ailey’s signature dance songs, “Revelations” and “Cry.” She danced with the Ailey Company for 15 years before leaving to perform on Broadway and as a guest artist with other ballet companies.
Jamison then returned to the Ailey Company as artistic director, where he remained for 20 years. She is widely credited with helping make the company one of the most successful dance companies in the United States.
As a dancer, choreographer, director, and speaker, her distinguished career transcended racial and gender barriers.
“She was dignified and queenly, a unique and wonderful dancer. She danced with eloquence and sincerity,” Ailey II Artistic Director Emeritus Sylvia Waters said Saturday in response to the news of Jamison’s death.
“It was so magical to be able to dance with her and be in her realm of energy,” Waters said. “I was lucky to work with her, and she set the bar very high.”
Jamison’s directorship at the Ailey Theater “sustained the company and helped it grow. She was eloquent, a strong leader and ran a solid ship,” Waters said.
Jamison’s striking images, including photographs, videos, and sculptures, are currently on display in an exhibition of Ailey’s work at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
Jamison received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1999. Other honors included the National Medal of Arts and the Handel Medallion, New York City’s highest cultural award.
