Remembering Judith Jamison

When Judith Jamison walked into a room, everyone looked. 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.

Ms. Jamison was an unparalleled force in American dance, a powerhouse performer, and a visionary leader as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s second artistic director. Every person who has met her or seen her dance, even briefly, was affected by her beauty, grace, love, and sincerity. She is an icon who will always be remembered.

Born in Philadelphia in 1943, Ms. Jamison first saw Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1963, and the dancers made an indelible impression on her. Two years later, Alvin Ailey asked her to join the Company and she solidified her place in dance history. As a dancer, Ms. Jamison embodied Alvin Ailey’s tenet to make the choreography her own more than any other. She left an unforgettable personal stamp on many of his ballets, most powerfully in the solo Cry, which Mr. Ailey choreographed on her in 1971, catapulting her to international stardom.

Ms. Jamison danced with the Company until 1980, when she left to pursue opportunities on Broadway. She returned in 1984 as a choreographer with her debut work Divining, proving that she was as gifted a choreographer as she was a performer. In 1988, she established her own company, the Jamison Project. Shortly thereafter, following Alvin Ailey’s death, she became the second artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She went to work expanding on everything he began. She brought in more choreographers, nurtured the dancers in the Company, raised the funds to build the Joan Weill Center for Dance, expanded the organization’s outreach programs, and so much more. Under her stewardship, the Company flourished, reaching new heights of success with expanded international touring. Ms. Jamison carried on Mr. Ailey’s legacy by mentoring, nurturing, and uplifting hundreds of dancers in Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, The Ailey School, and Ailey Extension. She did not just teach dance; she embodied Mr. Ailey’s legacy. She taught that dance was about more than just well-executed steps, it was about the ability to bring one’s whole humanity to a performance, to be a human being on the stage. 

Ms. Jamison passed away on November 9, 2024. She will be dearly missed but her legacy will live on at AILEY for generations to come. 

Read more about Judith Jamison in The New York Times.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 2024-25 season will celebrate the life and legacy of Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison.