Judith Jamison, transcendent dancer and artistic director of Alvin Ailey company, dies at 81
Judith Jamison, an internationally acclaimed dancer who later served as artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for two decades, has died
By ANDREW MELDRUM
Published - Nov 09, 2024, 10:18 PM ET
Last Updated - Dec 16, 2024, 05:32 PM EST
NEW YORK (AP) — Judith Jamison, an internationally acclaimed dancer who later served as artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for two decades, has died. She was 81.
Jamison died Saturday after a brief illness in New York, surrounded by close friends, Ailey company spokesperson Christopher Zunner confirmed to The Associated Press.
“We remember and are grateful for her artistry, humanity and incredible light, which inspired us all,” Zunner said.
Jamison grew up in Philadelphia and trained there in ballet from a young age. At a time when Black dancers were rare in ballet, she began with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1965.
