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Judith Jamison, transcendent dancer and artistic director of Alvin Ailey company, dies at 81

Judith Jamison, transcendent dancer and artistic director of Alvin Ailey company, dies at 81 | iNFOnews.ca
FILE - Judith Jamison, choreographer and artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, observes young dancers during a workshop at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2010. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Judith Jamison, an internationally acclaimed dancer who later served as artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for two decades, has died. She was 81.

Jamison died after a brief illness in New York on Saturday, surrounded by close friends, Christopher Zunner, an Ailey spokesperson, confirmed to The Associated Press.

“We remember and are grateful for her artistry, humanity and incredible light, which inspired us all,” Zunner said.

Jamison, who was originally from Philadelphia and trained in ballet, began dancing with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1965.

She became one of the company’s most famous performers and danced there for 15 years before leaving to perform as a guest artist with other ballet companies and on Broadway, according to the Ailey website.

Judith Jamison, transcendent dancer and artistic director of Alvin Ailey company, dies at 81 | iNFOnews.ca
FILE – Judith Jamison attends the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s 65th anniversary season gala on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, in New York. (Photo by CJ Rivera/Invision/AP, File)

Jamison later returned and served as the company’s artistic director for 20 years, the site says.

Judith Jamison, transcendent dancer and artistic director of Alvin Ailey company, dies at 81 | iNFOnews.ca
FILE – Choreographer Judith Jamison attends the BET Honors at the Warner Theatre on Jan. 17, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File)
Judith Jamison, transcendent dancer and artistic director of Alvin Ailey company, dies at 81 | iNFOnews.ca
FILE – Emerita Judith Jamison attends LOGO’s Trailblazer Honors, celebrating leaders at the forefront of LGBTQ equality, at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine on Thursday, June 22, 2017, in New York. (Photo by Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP, File)
Judith Jamison, transcendent dancer and artistic director of Alvin Ailey company, dies at 81 | iNFOnews.ca
FILE – Judith Jamison, choreographer and artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, observes young dancers during a workshop at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2010. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

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