Judith Jamison, a dancer both eloquent and elegant, led Ailey troupe to success over two decades
There are few images more indelible in the history of American dance: Judith Jamison, regal and passionate in white leotard and long ruffled skirt, punching the air in “Cry” — Alvin Ailey’s piercing solo about Black womanhood
NEW YORK (AP) — There are few images more indelible in the history of American dance: Judith Jamison, regal and passionate in white leotard and long ruffled skirt, punching the air in “Cry" — Alvin Ailey’s piercing solo about Black womanhood.
That searing 1971 piece made her an international star. But it was truly only the beginning of Jamison’s decades-long career atop modern dance, onstage and off. As Ailey’s hand-picked successor beginning in 1989, she led his namesake company for more than 20 years, helping it become the most successful modern dance troupe in the nation.
“It’s amazing,” Jamison, who died Saturday at 81 after a brief illness, reflected in an interview with The Associated Press in 2018, marking the company’s then-60th anniversary. “I find it remarkable that we still exist today,” she said. “And I think Mr. Ailey would be absolutely beside-himself happy, that something he started 60 years ago could blossom into everything he imagined.”
And likely much more. Jamison brought the company not only continued global exposure and crossover cultural appeal but economic stability and growth, putting it in “a stratosphere that Ailey couldn’t even imagine,” said Wendy Perron, author and former longtime editor of Dance Magazine.
