RIP: Dancer and Choreographer Judith Jamison Dies at 81
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| Judith Jamison, Dance Theatre of Harlem Board Emerita |
(TSN):
The soulful dance performances of Dr. Judith Jamison singularly helped lead the Alvin Ailey founded Harlem Dance Company to worldwide acclaim. Using strong and elegant motion her striking physical form told the stories of Black people through the art of modern, a once degraded category of dance that made the leaders in the field of classical dance take notice and pay respect to culturally significant dance styles. During the 70s and 80s her body in motion was the embodiment of the highs and lows of Black experiences in America in some instances and a visual song in operas and other spaces abroad that called for masterful movement.
Dr. Judith Jamison died on Saturday after a brief illness at the age of 81. She was surrounded by close friends in New York where her soul first took flight professionally. Christopher Zunner, an Ailey spokesperson, confirmed her passing to The Associated Press sating, “We remember and are grateful for her artistry, humanity and incredible light, which inspired us all.”
Joining the Harlem troupe in 1965, Jamison was a star terpsichorean attraction. Ailey had fashioned several solos for the Pennsylvania-born dancer to feature her spirited might on stage such as in "Cry," "Revelation" and a special duet with renowned Russian dancer Mikahail Baryshnikov called "Pas de Duke." It was in 1976, when the ballet expert made a guest appearance with the Ailey company. The symbolized dance braking down barriers of mending relations between America and Russia, Blacks and Whites.
After a stint on the road and on Broadway, when Ailey died from AIDS in 1988, Jamison became the Artistic the Director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Company, rescuing it from financial ruin. She served in the position for two decades. Back when she first started with the company Ailey could not afford to pay the dancers and would give them thanks you cards. Jamison believed in dance passionately and used that passion to build the company into the institution it is today.
One of the highest compliments of her legacy was when in 2010 the White House honored her with a dance series that Black History Month at the White House. At the time. Michelle Obama, a dance enthusiast told the honoree, That day Jamison told the girls that received lessons from members of the Ailey Dance Company, "“If the door isn’t open, you have to make your own door.” Jamison opened the door for Black dancers to leap through around the world.
