Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Wikidata P18)
Judith Jamison
Born May 10, 1943 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (1943–2024)·d. November 9, 2024 in New York, New York, United States (aged 81)
Theatre
Judith Ann Jamison was an American dancer and choreographer. She danced with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from 1965 to 1980 and was Ailey's muse. She later returned to be the company's artistic director from 1989 until 2011, and then its artistic director emerita. She received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1999, the National Medal of Arts in 2001, and the Handel Medallion, New York City's highest cultural honor, in 2010.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
3 Signature Roles4 Principal Houses
Spotlight
Career Trajectory
Judith Jamison rose to prominence as a principal dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater during the 1960s, becoming the iconic interpreter of Ailey's most emotionally demanding works. Her forty-year performing career—marked by her legendary embodiment of "Cry" and her presence in works by the era's most innovative choreographers—established her as a transformative figure in modern dance. Following her retirement from the stage, she served as artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from 1995 until 2023, stewarding the company through decades of artistic growth and ensuring its evolution as a global cultural institution.
Career Highlight
Created and performed the role of the soloist in Alvin Ailey's "Cry," becoming its definitive interpreter through thousands of performances over four decades (1969–2009)
At a Glance
- Discipline
- Dancer
- Nationality
- United States
- Born
- 1943 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Training & Education
Fisk University
Engagements
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