Alvin Ailey Honors Legacy of Judith Jamison During Newark Performances

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater concluded its U.S. tour with weekend performances at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), which featured a panel and a special tribute to one of its longtime leaders: Judith Jamison.

Jamison was a dancer and choreographer for Alvin Ailey who became world famous for her iconic 1976 solo performance in Cry. This three-act ballet has been described as “a hymn to the sufferings and triumphant endurance of generations of black matriarchs.” Jamison passed away in November 2024.

Moderated by dance critic Zita Allen, the May 11 panel welcomed speakers Matthew Rushing, Alvin Ailey’s Interim Artistic Director; Masazumi Chaya, Alvin Ailey’s former Associate Artistic Director; and Sylvia Waters, Ailey II’s former Artistic Director Emerita, who discussed their experiences performing for the dance company and the impression Jamison left on their lives. 

“[Jamison’s] impact looms very large in my life because we remained friends, colleagues, sisters, through all of these years, so missing her…it just goes on,” said Waters, “and I will continue to celebrate her and her legacy.”

Born in 1943, Jamison first joined Alvin Ailey as a dancer in 1965, performing with the company until 1980. Following the death of the dance company’s founder, Alvin Ailey, Jamison returned in 1989 and assumed his role as Artistic Director. 

Under her leadership, Alvin Ailey became a worldwide dance sensation, guiding the company through several performances in cities around the globe. Jamison retired in 2011 after leading Alvin Ailey for 22 years. 

During that time, Jamison received such honors as a Primetime Emmy, an American Choreography Award, the National Medal of Arts, and the Congressional Black Caucus’s Phoenix Award. She had even been honored by First Lady Michelle Obama; she was listed in “TIME 100: The World’s Most Influential People” and was inducted into the National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame.

Panelists shared personal stories highlighting Jamison’s profound impact. Waters recalled meeting her for the first time in Paris, saying that she was “looking at dance royalty to be.” Two years after their meeting, Waters began dancing with Jamison at Alvin Ailey, and the former claims they had been “sisters” ever since.

“It was like being in an energy field dancing with Judith on stage,” said Waters. 

As Rushing described Alvin Ailey as having a “go to the wall” mentality throughout their dance tours, he reminisced about how Jamison tested everyone’s abilities as a choreographer for the company. He claimed Jamison pushed everyone to go past their limits, beyond what was comfortable, which left them exhausted but motivated as performers.

“You felt like you could do anything as you would come out of a choreographic process with [Judith],” said Rushing, “and then when you did her ballet, you felt superhuman, and then you felt like you got hit by a truck afterwards. It was just like this dynamic of feeling absolutely empowered but totally depleted because you’ve given your all, and she demanded what she also did for us.”

While she was committed to having her dancers reach high standards as Alvin Ailey performers, Jamison was also clear about how important their work was in the present moment. With her passionate and encouraging leadership, Jamison helped her dancers live up to their potential, building Alvin Ailey into the artistic institution it is today.

“Judy wanted to do every [dance] performance perfect. To be perfect. More than perfect…,” said Chaya.

After the panel, Alvin Ailey continued to pay tribute to Jamison with their evening dance concerts over Mother’s Day weekend. The performances at NJPAC featured some of the company’s most popular pieces, specifically Revelations, which Ailey himself had written. 

Alvin Ailey also debuted dance pieces that made its celebration of Jamison’s life especially memorable. Such pieces include Matthew Rushing’s Sacred Songs, Jamar Roberts’s Al-Andalus Blues, Hope Boykin’s Finding Free, and Lar Lubovitch’s Many Angels.

With another U.S. tour now in the books, Alvin Ailey continues to carry on the legacy of Judith Jamison by bringing communities to experience stunning and exemplary displays of dance.

“[Alvin Ailey]’s really one big family,” said Allen. “People come in as students, come in as dancers, and the company becomes a way of life, and they really are embracing family. It’s remarkable.”