Judith Jamison, internationally acclaimed dancer and Alvin Ailey Artistic director emerita, passes at 81

Judith Jamison, artistic director emerita and internationally acclaimed star of the& Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater& who, at Ailey’s request, took up the reins of running the company for 16 years, has joined the ancestors. On Nov. 9 at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center, Ms. Jamison passed away at the age of 81 “after a brief illness,” according to a statement. Her passing is our loss and her memory is our solace. Ms. Jamison’s long-limbed elegance etched indelible images of beauty and grace as her 5’10” body unfurled a procession of breathtaking leaps, slashing kicks, and arm movements that sculpted space. She was the embodiment of the consummate Ailey dancer and the epitome of what poet Maya Angelou called a phenomenal woman. When she joined the company in 1965, the sight of the long-limbed beauty caused audible gasps as she glided onstage in Ailey’s masterful “Revelations” holding an umbrella aloft in one hand as the opposite, outstretched arm executed gentle rippling moves with each step. She treated the air as if it was water while a choir sang “Wade in the Water.” As the embodiment of what then& New York Times& chief dance critic Anna Kisselgoff described as Ailey’s...