Judith Jamison

Judith Jamison joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1965 and quickly became an international star. Over the following 15 years, Ailey created some of his most enduring roles for her, most notably the tour-de-force solo Cry. In 1989, Ailey asked Jamison to succeed him as artistic director, and for the next 21 years she led the company to unprecedented heights. She was the recipient of numerous awards and honors, among them a Primetime Emmy Award, a Kennedy Center Honor, and a National Medal of Arts. As a highly regarded choreographer, Jamison created many celebrated works for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Following her retirement from the helm of the company in 2011, she continued to dedicate herself to asserting the prominence of the arts in our culture, and she remained committed to promoting the significance of the Ailey legacy—using dance as a medium for honoring the past, celebrating the present, and fearlessly reaching into the future. Jamison’s death on November 9, 2024, prompted an outpouring of love and admiration from people around the world who were touched by her magnificent artistry and extraordinary spirit.