Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison dies

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater announced on Friday that its Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison died on Saturday, Nov. 9 after a brief illness. She was 81.

The theater company said Jamison died “peacefully, surrounded by the love of close friends.

“Ms. Jamison was an unparalleled force in American dance, a powerhouse performer, and a visionary,” it said. “Every person who has met her or seen her dance, even briefly, was affected by her beauty, grace, love and sincerity.”

As a dancer, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater said 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.”

The company said Jamison became artistic director in 1989, when Ailey asked her to succeed him before his untimely death.

“She went to work furthering everything he began – championing “choreographers, nurturing dancers, expanding arts in education programs, and leading the effort to achieve the long-time dream of Ailey’s permanent home – The Joan Weill Center for Dance, and so much more,” it said.

Under her stewardship, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater said it flourished, “reaching new heights of success with expanded international touring.”

It said Jamison carried on Ailey’s legacy by mentoring and inspiring 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,” the company said. “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.

“We remember and are grateful for her artistry, humanity and incredible light, which inspired us all,” it added. “She will be dearly missed but her legacy will live on at Ailey for generations to come.”