Denise Jefferson, an internationally known dance educator who as the longtime director of the Ailey School oversaw the training of generations of world-class performers, died on Saturday in Manhattan.
Mary Lou Williams, the jazz pianist, arranger and composer, said that the first time she saw Alvin Ailey's work, "I went out of my mind, and I don't do that often."
AAADT's Associate Artistic Director keeps the repertory sharp.
Yesterday was certainly a proud one for Judith Jamison, artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
One of the most renowned figures in modern dance, Judith Jamison is celebrating her 20th year as artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
The way Ailey II artistic director Sylvia Waters sees it, "dance is a profession that chooses you." Waters became one of the chosen as a junior high school student in Harlem learning time steps at the hands of a tough gym teacher.
The unforgettably tall and expressive dancer, who joined Alvin Ailey in 1965, is retiring as its artistic director next year. As she leads a nationwide tour this spring, she remembers the smells that kept her on her toes.
Over the last 45 years, Judith Jamison has been instrumental in the success of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater--first as a dancer with Ailey from 1965 to 1980, and, for the last 20 years, as the company's artistic director.
For 20 years, Judith Jamison has not just tended the flame, but fueled the company so that it burns more brightly.
Judith Jamison has accomplished so much in two decades as artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater that she had to ask her office to fax a fact sheet to her hotel, during a Washington tour stop, so she could be reminded of it all before an interview.