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A Fireside Chat with Judith Jamison
Legendary arts leader JUDITH JAMISON shares the creative brainpower behind her many achievements. In this interactive conversation, Ms. Jamison applies the learnings of a wildly successful career in performance arts to the context of her host.
Storytelling in Movement
Dance world icon JUDITH JAMISON rose to international acclaim for her signature performance of “Cry,” beloved for the rich storytelling packed into the 15-minute solo. In this reflection, Ms. Jamison breaks down why “Cry,” alongside her many other celebrated choreographic works, has resonated with diverse audiences and the tied-in importance of storytelling to culture-building.
Campus Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
As the first Black woman to direct a modern dance company, performance icon JUDITH JAMISON has inspired a generation of dancers from all backgrounds with her passion, grit, insight, and talent. Despite being placed in the back corner of her high school performances, she channeled her “fury” into “something fabulous,” becoming one of the most lauded professional dancers of all time. In this inspiring engagement, Ms. Jamison reflects on both the internal tools and structural changes necessary to recognize, empower, and reward raw talent today.
Workplace Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Performance icon JUDITH JAMISON was the first Black woman to direct a modern dance company. Taking the reins of the premier Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from her mentor, Alvin Ailey himself, Ms. Jamison built a legacy. In this uplifting conversation, Ms. Jamison reflects on what institutions can do to fuel greatness in all communities through equitable practices.
Judith Jamison receives rave reviews
Performance icon JUDITH JAMISON receives effusive praise at each of her events. Her optimistic and empowering remarks leave audiences spellbound, generating praise:
Watch Judith Jamison Google Arts & Culture >>
Watch Judith Jamison’s keynote with TED >>
Judith Jamison is a living legend of the arts
When JUDITH JAMISON was handed the reigns of the legendary dance company by Alvin Ailey in 1989, who personally chose her to succeed him, she was given a company months away from bankruptcy. Under her tutelage, in the 21 years that followed, Jamison brought the company to unprecedented heights, including two historic engagements in South Africa and a 50-city global tour to celebrate the Company’s 50th anniversary.
An icon of the arts, Jamison is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, among them an Emmy Award, an American Choreography Award, the Kennedy Center Honor, and a National Medal of Arts. She was also listed in TIME's 100 Most Influential People and honored by First Lady Michelle Obama at the first White House Dance Series event. Jamison continues to dedicate herself to promoting the arts, and shares with audiences her remarkable, empowering insights and anecdotes on overcoming adversity, leadership, and finding one's passion.
Watch Judith Jamison Google Arts & Culture >>
Watch Judith Jamison’s keynote with TED >>
Judith Jamison’s powerful story resonates for Black History Month & beyond
An icon of modern dance, a civil rights trailblazer, and a passionate advocate for promoting inclusivity through the arts, JUDITH JAMISON has received the National Medal of Arts, The Congressional Black Caucus' Phoenix Award, an Emmy Award, and been invited to the White House by First Lady Michelle Obama, among her many other accomplishments. Ms. Jamison has relished these hard-earned achievements as a mark of persistence through the outward racism often faced by the members of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She told the LA Times, “We couldn’t actually get decent food because it wasn’t being served to us, and it was being served with attitude … you know, like sour milk and cold coffee.”
Ms. Jamison’s hard work and talent have been strengthened by her steadfast commitment to the betterment of underserved communities through the arts. As a leader and a speaker, Ms. Jamison shares stories from her remarkable life and lessons on the role of the arts in American opening culture for enraptured audiences in Black History month and beyond.
Watch Judith Jamison’s speech at Brynn Mawr >>
Watch Judith Jamison in conversation at Trinity Church >>
Judith Jamison joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1965 and quickly became an international star. Over the next 15 years, Mr. Ailey created some of his most enduring roles for her, most notably the tour-de-force solo Cry. During the 1970s and 80s, she appeared as a guest artist with ballet companies all over the world, starred in the hit Broadway musical Sophisticated Ladies, and formed her own company, The Jamison Project. She returned to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1989 when Mr. Ailey asked her to succeed him as Artistic Director. In the 21 years that followed, she brought the Company to unprecedented heights – including two historic engagements in South Africa and a 50-city global tour to celebrate the Company’s 50th anniversary. Ms. Jamison is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, among them a prime time Emmy Award, an American Choreography Award, the Kennedy Center Honor, a National Medal of Arts, a “Bessie” Award, the Phoenix Award, and the Handel Medallion. She was also listed in “TIME 100: The World’s Most Influential People” and honored by First Lady Michelle Obama at the first White House Dance Series event. Last year, she became the 50th inductee into the Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Dance.
As a highly regarded choreographer, Ms. Jamison has created many celebrated works, including Divining (1984), Forgotten Time (1989), Hymn (1993), HERE . . .NOW. (commissioned for the 2002 Cultural Olympiad), Love Stories (with additional choreography by Robert Battle and Rennie Harris, 2004), and Among Us (Private Spaces: Public Places) (2009). Ms. Jamison’s autobiography, Dancing Spirit, was edited by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and published in 1993. In 2004, under Ms. Jamison’s artistic directorship, her idea of a permanent home for the Ailey company was realized and named after beloved chairman Joan Weill. Ms. Jamison continues to dedicate herself to asserting the prominence of the arts in our culture, and she remains 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.
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